A British man who lived in Bermuda for almost a decade will honour his late father with a 164-mile walk through Portugal in his memory.

Andrew Morris, 63, appealed for sponsors for his 12-day walk through part of the ancient Camino de Santiago pilgrim’s way in memory of his father, Ralph, who died last September, aged 91.

Mr Morris said that the money would go towards community work run by his father’s old amateur football club, Dulwich Hamlet FC, based in South London.

He is confident he will finish the trek, despite the length of the walk.

Mr Morris said: “I’m physically fit and I try to stay healthy, so I think I’m in good enough shape.”

He admitted that the walk might be a bit more difficult than expected because of his age.

But Mr Morris added: “It’s not a pilgrimage if you don’t suffer a little, don’t you think?”

The Camino de Santiago, also known as The Way of St James, is a pilgrims’ route that leads to the shrine of Saint James the Great in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain.

Mr Morris, who lived on the island between 1982 and 1990 and worked in the insurance sector, said that he planned to hike a section of the route called The Portuguese Way.

He explained that he would start in the coastal city of Porto in northwest Portugal and follow the route up to the city of Santiago de Compostela.

Mr Morris, now a travel writer based near London, wants to hike the route to reflect on his father’s memory instead of any religious tradition.

He said: “Dad wasn’t a religious man, but I thought it would be very meditative and a nice way to reflect on his memory.”

He added: “Dad was a wonderful man. He was very quiet, very meditative — very modest and kind.

“He played a very special part in my life and I think something like this would be a great way to honour his memory.”

Ralph Morris was born in 1928 and grew up in East London.

He was posted to South-East Asia, aged 18, as a radar operator in the Royal Air Force and used his talent for football to play for the RAF across the Malay Peninsula and Singapore.

He joined Dulwich Hamlet FC when he returned home and starred as full back for more than 100 games until he retired because of a knee injury in the 1953-54 season — just as he was being looked at as a potential England Amateur player.

He married Andrew Morris’s mother in 1953 in a ceremony carried out by his full-back partner at Dulwich Hamlet, the Reverend Ron Cowley.

Mr Morris said: “That was printed in quite a few papers — the left back marrying the right back.”

Mr Morris hopes to start the walk at the end of September, depending on health regulations and travel restrictions imposed to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.

He first planned to do the hike in April but had to postpone it because of the crisis.

Mr Morris has raised £1,848 for Dulwich Hamlet FC since he opened his fundraiser in early August and hopes to raise £15,000.

The money will go towards helping Dulwich Hamlet players coach youngsters at local schools, as well as the creation of a walking football team and tournament for seniors.

He said: “I just want to spread the word.

“Any little bit counts and it will all be going towards a good cause.”