'I built incredible castle by hand while I was homeless – but it's now being destroyed'

dailyrecord.co.uk:

In the midst of the UK's escalating housing crisis, many individuals without a roof over their heads have resorted to constructing makeshift shelters to stay warm and dry.

However, one former soldier who found himself without a home took his situation to an extraordinary level by erecting a castle with the meticulous skill of a dry-stone waller.Welshman Mikey Allen had been living rough for around eighteen months when he decided to build his fortress in 2019, nestled in the Gwent mountains near Caerphilly.His story came to light during an appearance on urban explorer David Burnip's Wandering Turnip YouTube channel, where Mikey shared the motivation behind his remarkable feat of construction.

He said: "I had a military Bergen, a big heavy-duty bag for your back."To add challenge to his routine, he would load the massive rucksack with stones weighing between 30 to 60kg.

He explained: "If I'm having a bad time I come up here, and collecting stones is just a way of burning off anger." Mikey revealed that the castle project began as a New Year's resolution.