A STRESSED-out man who spontaneously quit his job and cycled around America has come home to tell his story.

Dave Gill, from Staveley, woke up to find blood in his eye - a direct result of the stress he was under at work.

That day he handed his notice in and bought a bicycle on eBay, booked flights to America and began a year-long adventure that would help change the course of his life.

Dave landed in New York in November 2012 and set off on a 368 day, 12,000 mile bike ride across the continent, turning his journey into a video documentary and now a book, called 'Vague Direction: A 12,000 mile bicycle ride, and the meaning of life', which was released on Monday, May 1.

Speaking about how his journey began, Dave said: "When I woke up with blood in my eye I had a strong urge to use that as a marker and do something different. I thought back to the happiest times I could think of and it was riding a bike when I was younger so I got to America and started pedalling and so many remarkable things happened that I will look back on forever."

It was not all free-wheeling for Dave, who suffered 40 punctures and struggled to sleep for nearly a month during his time camping in bear county in the States, but he was touched by acts of human kindness.

The 26-year-old said: "People would hang out of their cars and give me a beer or food. Before the journey I could get quite anxious or intimidated by certain situations but going on that trip and experiencing kindness and whole-heartedness from so many people changed my whole mindset completely. I am now very much of the belief that people are inherently good."

Dave, whose work has been described as 'a wakeup call for anybody sleepwalking through life', met some inspiring people along the way.

None more so than a man he camped next to one night who had gone from a drug dealing 16-year-old, imprisoned for 10 years after assaulting a police officer, who had spent the 13 years since his release walking across America.

"He's the most positive person I've met - it blew my mind," said Dave.

His book is available to buy on Amazon for £13.50 and more information on Dave's epic journey can be found at www.vaguedirection.com

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