Diver, journalist and DIY convert Monty Halls tells Rory Stamp why he chose the simple life – and why he will always be grateful to the RNLI

When I step into Monty’s small Bristol office, I’m confronted with a toothy grin and powerful outstretched paw. It’s not the man himself, but his dog Reuben: the loyal companion who, in 2008, helped Monty through life as a Scottish crofter. ‘He’s missing the big open spaces,’ says Monty, giving the giant black hound an affectionate pat. The former Royal Marine’s expeditions have taken him to some of the world’s most remote locations – from towering volcanoes to deep sea caves – but he admits his recent adventure in the north west of Britain was one of his toughest challenges yet.

The 2009 BBC TV series Beachcomber Cottage followed Monty as he moved from bustling Bristol to a roofless old hut in Applecross, Ross-shire. His mission was to become self sufficient within 6 months. ‘It was about fulfilling a dream to escape stressful urban life and start again in my favourite landscape. There were times I found it very hard indeed but the high points were the best times of my life,’ smiles the 42-year-old. ‘I learned two very important lessons. First, you have to have a go. DIY had never held any interest for me but I learned that it’s all about trying – starting is the hard bit. Just picking up a hammer and nails and saying: “I’m going to build a roof.” It’s amazing what you can achieve.’

Monty’s have-a-go attitude endeared him to the locals, who freely offered their advice and help as he struggled with the technicalities of catching lobsters, growing vegetables and raising farm animals. ‘And that was my second lesson: they taught me what community is all about,’ says Monty. ‘Thanks to them, I did achieve my goal – and got to help raise funds for the RNLI too.’

Two months into his stay in Applecross, Monty noticed a poster appealing for volunteers to take part in a fundraising boat pull in aid of the RNLI. A keen supporter of the charity, he signed up. ‘I don’t think I really realised what I’d let myself in for!’ he says. The magnitude of the task that lay ahead only began to dawn on him on the morning of the event: he had agreed to help pull a replica lifeboat 50 miles along the north east coast, from Hope to Thurso, in 3 days. ‘It was a great effort. We were led by a piper, which helped keep up the spirits, but I made the mistake of wearing a kilt without anything underneath!’ says Monty, with a mixture of pain and pride on his face.

The boat-pulling men of Applecross have raised over £100,000 for the RNLI and other charities in 7 years, covering a different 50-mile stretch of coast each time. ‘It’s a fishing community, and they look on the lifeboat crews as their guardian angels,’ explains Monty. ‘For me, as someone who has dived for more than 20 years, I have nothing but admiration for the RNLI’s volunteers. But there’s a particularly special RNLI memory for me too, because a lifeboat crew scattered the ashes of my best friend, Jason.’

Service to the sea

Monty first met Major Jason Ward during the Royal Marines Commando training programme, and they formed a strong friendship. But, in March 2003, Jason became one of the first casualties of the Iraq war when he was killed in a helicopter crash in Kuwait. His grieving family asked Salcombe lifeboat crew to take his ashes out to sea; to make the waters off south Devon – where Jason spent some of his happiest times – his final resting place.

‘The lifeboat crew all lined up and stood to attention during the ceremony,’ remembers Monty. ‘It was really, really special – a sign of respect from an organisation that Jason had huge respect for.’

Having left the Marines himself in the mid-1990s, Monty never saw active service. ‘There comes a point where it’s time to move on. I wanted to do more expeditions, more diving,’ he says. In the years that followed, he completed a marine biology degree, captured underwater film of a rare species of crocodile, and led a diving expedition that discovered the ruins of a sunken city off the coast of south-east India. Hailed as a new star of British exploration, Monty went on to present a range of natural history television programmes and became a respected diving journalist.

‘It’s hard to explain why I love the ocean so much,’ Monty ponders. ‘I suppose I was exposed to the sea from a very young age – I was brought up in Padstow, Cornwall, so my first experiences were getting that whiff of ozone and being walked along the beach. Then we moved to Malta for 3 years, because my dad was in the RAF, so I was often playing in the water. I also idolised Jacques Cousteau, who was on the TV when I was young! I just love the fact that there’s always something different to see – weather, currents, marine life. It’s endlessly interesting.’

It won’t be long before Monty will be waking to the sound of lapping waves again. In the Winter he’ll return to Applecross to film a second series of Beachcomber Cottage. ‘The idea is to get more involved in the conservation side of things this time – maybe we’ll set up a nature reserve. I’m really excited about it,’ he says, grinning as we hear a bark from the corner of the office. It looks like someone else is looking forward to going back too. (See page 32 for a review of Monty's book.)