A MAN has climbed 12 stiles, gone through nearly 300 gates and walked more than 180 miles to raise money for cancer charities.

IT manager Eric Byers, who lives in Bampton, west Oxfordshire, spent 11 days walking the length of the River Thames from its source in the Cotswolds, through Oxfordshire to the Thames barrier in London.

And he has raised thousands of pounds for Cancer Research UK and the American Cancer Society.

He was inspired to do the trek in honour of his grandfather Guy Kintzel, who has prostate cancer, and his dog Darcy which died of cancer last year.

Mr Byers, 33, said: “It went better than I thought it would.

“I have never done any long distance walking like that before so I wasn’t sure how the body would hold up, but my feet still work and I haven’t got any blisters.

“Every day towards the end I was putting in 15 miles or so, so things were starting to hurt and ache a little bit more, but I didn’t push too much so I had time to recover. Most mornings when I woke up I had a good stretch and I was ready to go again.”

So far he has collected £1,200 for Cancer Research UK and $3,200 for the American Cancer Society.

Mr Byers completed his journey on schedule on Wednesday, walking most of the distance alone and staying in accommodation along the route.

He said: “I wore my Cancer Research UK T-shirt the whole way and I had balloons tied to my backpack so that gives you something to start talking about.

“Although I was alone for most of the trip I didn’t find myself lonely.”

He was accompanied on the final stretch by his wife Clare.

He said: “Reaching the barrier was an emotional thing and I still feel a little bit vulnerable.

“It was the only thing I felt I could do for my grandfather and then it was over, so I was trying to figure out what to do now, so it was a tough and an emotional day.”

The Oxford Bus Company gave him a free ride home on its X90 service.

Mr Byers is originally from America and his grandfather and family still live in the USA.

Mr Kintzel, who turned 88 the day before Mr Byers set off, is undergoing treatment.

Mr Byers said: “I spoke to him on Easter Sunday when I was about halfway through, he expressed how proud he was that I was doing it.”

A diary of his trip is available at walkthethames.com along with a link to his Just Giving sponsorship page.

fbardsley@oxfordmail.co.uk