Housebound
to Horizon
I'm Kirk. After more than a year effectively housebound by severe mental illness and agoraphobia, I'm setting off with my cocker spaniel, River, to cycle home to home via the River Severn. 352 miles. 9 days. No support crew. No polished version. Just the truth, one mile at a time.
From responding to disasters and crises to trying to rebuild a life at home.
Effectively housebound and struggling to get back through the front door.
Home to home via the River Severn, ridden over 9 days with no support crew.
River, the cocker spaniel keeping me company and keeping me honest.
From saving lives to trying to save my own
I'm Kirk — a former international paramedic who spent years moving towards emergencies, not away from them.
Then EUPD, bipolar disorder, CPTSD and agoraphobia took hold. The bloke who could function in chaos found himself struggling to leave his own house. For more than a year, ordinary life became the hard bit.
On 7 April 2026, I'm getting on a bike with River and riding home to home via the River Severn. 352 miles over 9 days. No support vehicle. No fake glossy version. Just the real thing, filmed as it happens.
Not a polished adventure brand. A real recovery attempt.
This page needed a practical breather, so here it is. Not just emotion, not just diagnosis, not just big statements. This is what people are actually following.
Each day is a real attempt to keep moving, even when the head says turn back.
No motivational-poster nonsense. The rough bits stay in as well.
One very good dog, one bike, and the sort of company that makes bad days survivable.
It is not a managed production. That is partly what makes it frightening, and real.
Watch the intro
Best next step for a new visitor: watch the channel, hear the voice, and decide whether to follow the journey properly.
Open YouTube channelThe life mental illness took from me
International paramedic. First responder. The man who ran towards danger. These are not random old photos — they are proof that there was a very different life before the house got small.
For some people this is a ride. For me it is a confrontation.
I have not properly ridden a bike in roughly a decade. I've likely never cycled anything close to this distance in one go. 352 miles over 9 days, nearly 20,000 ft of climbing, towing a dog trailer through Welsh mountains. Add a long period of being stuck at home, and this becomes far more than a fitness challenge.
Since I last rode a bike properly.
Probably the furthest I have ever cycled in one hit.
Home to home via the River Severn, over 9 days.
Nearly 20,000 ft of elevation across Welsh mountains and valleys.
Severe mental illness does not always look dramatic from the outside. Sometimes it just looks like a front door you cannot make yourself go through. This ride is my way of facing that fear directly instead of building a smaller and smaller life around it.
352 miles. 9 days. Home to home.
This is not a towpath pootle. It is a proper endurance loop from Rhigos, through the Welsh mountains, along the River Severn, and back home. 19,500 ft of climbing. Roughly 39 miles per day on average. Here is the day-by-day breakdown.
Rhigos to Llangammarch Wells
Shorter mileage, but a punchy start with a fair bit of climbing.
Llangammarch Wells to Esgair Gronwen
Similar mileage, but even more climbing. One of the tougher opening stages.
Esgair Gronwen to Y Foel
Shortest day by distance, but the biggest climb total in the whole route.
Y Foel to Trewern
Big mileage jump, but less savage climbing than the first three days.
Trewern to Bridgnorth
Longest day on paper, but the climbing is much kinder.
Bridgnorth to Worcester
Mid-range mileage, but enough climbing to stop it being a recovery spin.
Worcester to Quedgeley
Flattest day in the whole route. Best chance to make time and save energy.
Quedgeley to Llanvaches
Fair mileage, rolling terrain, and not quite as easy as Day 7.
Llanvaches to Rhigos
A strong final leg home. Enough elevation to make it a proper finish.
Your follow helps unlock what comes next
If this journey proves recovery is possible, the next one gets bigger. Your follow and your subscribe help unlock it.
Daily updates from the road
Once the journey starts, daily posts will appear here automatically. Until then, the story is building on TikTok and YouTube.
The journey begins on 7 April 2026
Check back for daily updates — the good days, the rough days, the miles, the camps, River, and the honest bits in between.
Fighting for Gemma
This journey is not just for me. It is for my sister Gemma, who lost her battle on 5 July 2025, a week before her 40th birthday.
The fact my mental health stopped me getting out to see her is something I carry hard. I never got to say "I love you" and I never got to say "I'm sorry".
Gemma left behind two beautiful girls, Paige and Heidi, both with special needs. My mum — who is 65, disabled herself, and had been living in warden-controlled accommodation — had to move out into a bungalow so she could take both girls on alone. She raises them single-handedly. Every mile on this route carries all of that with it.
"When you have a broken arm, the world can see it. But when your head's broken, people often miss the injury completely."
By fighting my own way back out, I'm trying to honour her properly — not with words after the fact, but with action now.
Here is what support actually does
People are not just "being nice" — they are helping fund real miles, food, dog care and the filming of the documentary.
Keep me moving
Small support that still matters on a long ride.
- Coffee or hot drink on a rough morning
- Water, snacks, or a quick food stop
- A small push to keep the day going
Look after River
Because the dog is not a prop. She is part of this.
- Food, treats and little extras on the road
- Basic bits that keep her comfortable
- Helps the real star do her job
Help film the documentary
Support that helps the whole project, not just the day.
- Charging, travel, supplies and roadside costs
- Keeps the filming side alive as well
- Helps turn this into something bigger than one ride
If I finish this, the next one is more than double
352 miles home to home via the River Severn is not the end goal. It is the first step. If I complete this adventure and hit 6,000 YouTube subscribers and 1,000 TikTok followers by the finish, the next journey will be more than double the distance. Bigger, harder, further from home.
One day I would love to do something as crazy as cycling around the world. But for now, baby steps. This ride proves recovery is possible. What comes after proves it has no ceiling.