'I go barefoot in public all year round'
BBCRobert Douglas walks barefoot every day, rain or shine, on any surface, and has done for more than a decade. BBC reporter Harry Parkhill joins him for a walk around the Lincolnshire market town of Bourne to see what inspires his curious lifestyle choice.
"It is admittedly unusual," Robert says as he walks past a bench at a park in Bourne.
He barely registers the tiny gravel underfoot on the path. His feet, hardened and discoloured by a decade of walking on tarmac, protect against the worst of the uneven surface.
"Largely people just either don't mind or they ignore you," he says.
But not everyone is receptive to Robert's barefoot lifestyle. On the streets it causes no more than a raised eyebrow, but in cafes or pubs he sometimes faces negative reactions from other customers.
"People can mutter under their breath or you can hear them within earshot."
He says he's had people describe him as "disgusting" but points out that staff serving him are always "brilliant".
Mr Douglas adopted the "barefoot lifestyle" in 2012, but says he'd always harboured a desire to ditch his shoes.
"I've always wanted to go barefoot from when I was younger, and I regret not starting much earlier in life."
He says it was only "social inhibitions" preventing him from taking the plunge.
As I join him for a walk around Bourne's leafy Wellhead Park, I decide there's only one way to truly understand what motivates the unusual decision.
I take my shoes off.
Most people will have walked on pavements without shoes at some point - perhaps when hurriedly putting the bin out or when dashing after an ice cream van when time is of the essence.
The experience is no different - other than the occasional raised eyebrow of a passing dog walker.
But I don't see the benefit. It hurts!
"It takes time to get used to it, but the rewards are there at the end of it all, so it's worth doing," Robert says.
"I just enjoy it, it's difficult to explain, but there are health aspects to it like earthing, feeling the earth beneath your feet, which can help with mental wellbeing."
A short walk (barefoot, or otherwise) from Wellhead Park is Pulse Practice, a health clinic specialising in muscular and skeletal issues.
Clinical Director Jo Sunner, a registered osteopath, was shocked when I told him about Robert's barefooting.
"My initial reaction was 'wow, why would you do it?'" he says.
"If there's no pain, to a certain degree it's fine but it's not something I'd recommend readily.
"There was one case where someone was walking on grassland and was infected by a spider and that had tragic consequences."
Mr Sunner says not everyone would react to walking barefoot in the same way because "none of us is the same."
"We all have a form of asymmetry. The benefit of shoes is the support. Supporting along the inside arch, supporting the metatarsals, supporting the heel, support is the key thing, none of us are symmetrical."
Advice on the NHS website suggests walking barefoot is "hazardous" and "wearing good, supportive, properly fitting footwear is an essential part of caring for your feet."
Despite the warnings, Robert isn't put off, but nor is he evangelical about converting others to becoming barefooters.
"I just say that if they'd want encouragement from me I'd give it. I'd give them a bit of advice on how to do it, but it's up to the individual."
Ultimately it's a personal choice for Robert and he just wants people's acceptance.
"I love walking barefoot. I love the feel of the actual ground beneath my feet," he says.
"We're still human so any support or any understanding would be appreciated and hopefully the culture will start to embrace it."
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