EXETER milkman Gary Qualter is taking on a 1,000-mile round for charity.

Gary, 43, is jumping out of his float and taking to hiking boots to walk 1,000 miles from John O'Groats to Land's End next month.

A milkman for nearly 10 years, Gary often helps out his customers, be it changing light bulbs, calling the fire brigade and even apprehending raiders — but he also sees a sadder side.

He said: "I must cover around 300 homes on my round through Exeter, including St David's and Cowley Bridge, and I know a lot of people who have been touched by cancer — so I thought I would try to do something that could help. That's why I am taking on this marathon to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support."

Gary, who lives in Exmouth, has been in training for the past five months — walking from home to the dairy in Pinhoe carrying the hefty rucksack he will be using for his solo effort.

"I am getting pretty fit doing that 20-mile round trip once a week but milkmen walk a lot any way. I must walk about ten miles a day on the round so I am pretty fit as it is."

He is flying to Wick in Scotland and then catching a bus to reach John O'Groats with the walk starting on August 8.

He said: "I am estimating it will take me about eight weeks, hopefully averaging about 20 miles a day.

"All the money I raise through sponsorship will go to Macmillan which is why I want to keep expenses down to a minimum. I will be camping along the way and staying with some friends and relatives who live along the route."

Gary, who is self-employed, works with Dairy Crest and will be returning to his round once the walk is over. "The dairy have been great and have a relief milkman to stand in on my round while I am away," he said.

"You get to know and meet lots of people from all different walks of life in my job. People are generally happy when they meet the milkman — it's a feel-good job."

A typical day for Gary involves getting up at 12.45am and being at the dairy to load up his milk float by 2am. He has usually finished his rounds by 9.30am. Then it's back to the dairy to unload and sort out the paperwork.

"Generally I go to bed at 6.30pm and chill out watching the news until about 7pm — so I get about five-and-a-half or six hours' sleep a night, but with a lie-in on Sunday. That does me fine — it's all I need. But I don't suppose I will be getting much of a lie-in during my walk."

If you would like to back Gary on his walk for Macmillan Cancer Support, visit www.just giving.com/thewalkingmilkman or send a cheque payable to Macmillan Cancer Support to Gary Qualter walk, c/o Dairy Crest, Pinbrook Road, Exeter, EX4 8HH.