A Marylebone man has completed a 12-year dream to walk the entire coastline of Great Britain.

David Oldman, of York Street, has walked alone around England, Scotland and Wales in stages since 1996, completing the 5,700-mile trek earlier this month.

The 58-year-old, who has worked at the Marylebone library information service, in Gloucester Place, for four years, became involved in the lengthy walk accidentally.

"I started off walking by the Kent coastline," Mr Oldman said. "When I reached Sussex I forgot to stop, and then when I got to Scotland I thought it would be silly not to go all the way round.

"I try and go as close to the sea as possible, but I have to be careful because sometimes pathways on the map are not there when I arrive, as they've been eroded by the sea. I walk during most of my holidays from work, except when an outbreak of foot and mouth stopped me."

Mr Oldman will give a talk at the library on Wednesaday to share his experiences of how not to get lost along the route.

He said: "All books will tell you that you need to take a compass, but I've never bothered. I plan the route before I go, which is half the fun of the trip for me. If I get lost, then all I have to do is change the route a bit."