A CARDIGAN man was part of a team that has walked from the seabed to the summit of Britain’s highest mountain – while wearing an 80kg vintage diving suit.

Ty Burton took part in the Sub Sea to Summit challenge, beginning underwater in Loch Linnhe at Fort William and finishing on the summit at Ben Nevis.

A six-man relay team with back-up volunteers took part, taking it in turns to wear the 80kg (176lb) diving gear for the arduous climb up the mountain.

Ty, 55, and a member of the Historical Diving Society, became involved in the project because of his friendship with organiser Ginge Fullen, a former Royal Navy clearance diver.

“I have been a member of the society since 2002 and have my own, full diving kit dating back to the 1920s,” said Ty, who has been scuba diving since the age of 13 off the Moorings at St Dogmaels and down from Cardigan Castle.

“I originally bought an old helmet and had it on my mantelpiece for four years and then I thought I either do something with it or get rid of it. That’s how I got into the history of diving.

“Ginge got in touch with me and that’s how the challenge came about, wearing the full suit, including the full weights and even down to the knife in the belt.”

The team tested the suit at the Underwater Centre at Ben Nevis the day before the challenge and on September 1, Ty dropped to the bottom of Loch Linnhe and a depth of 15ft (5m) before clambering out and setting out to scale Ben Nevis.

The team took it in turns to wear the kit to finish at the summit at 1,345 metres – a total climb of 1,350m or 4,430ft. They reached the top on day three shortly before 1pm.

“It was tough – you would walk for 20 metres and then have a breather,” said Ty.

“What made it so difficult was the boots are size 20 and made of wood and lead. There’s no flexibility, they are strapped around your ankles and your feet are moving around inside them while trying to walk on rocks and over the uneven surfaces. I am still limping now.

“It was certainly one of the toughest challenges I have done but I think it is fair to say I am an ordinary bloke who likes a bit of torture!”

The challenge will raise funds for the Historical Diving Society, Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team and the family of former Thai Navy diver Saman Kunan, who died while assisting in the rescue of a football team and their coach from flooded caves in Thailand.

So far, around £6,000 has been donated and there is a fundraising page at justgiving.com/crowdfunding/subseatosummit.

Ty is also keen to spread the word about the Historical Diving Society, which was formed in 1990 and aims is to preserve and protect our diving heritage.

As a member of the group, he has appeared in The Grand Tour alongside Jeremy Clarkson, filming in Barbados, and also in the Ridley Scott production The Terror, where he filmed in Budapest.

If you would like to book a talk, Ty can be contacted on is 07799 524584.