A man who thought he may end up in a wheelchair will be taking on a climbing challenge on the Isle of Man in April.

Fergal Hingerty, aged 53, will be visiting the island between April 21 and 24 aiming to climb all the hills in the Isle of Man with a 100 metres prominence.

To date the Dubliner has climbed 2,016 hills and mountains in Ireland and the UK with a prominence of at least 100 metres, many of them twice.

He has also climbed Britain’s highest mountain Ben Nevis as well as mountains in the Pyrenees, Poland and Georgia. But it could have been very different for Fergal and he is thankful he can walk at all.

He was diagnosed with chronic sciatica in 2001 due to spinal deterioration brought on by an earlier back injury.

He said: ’Over 10 years my back deteriorated to the extent that I had to have an emergency operation due to spinal detetioration and I was going to be in a wheelchair as I could not walk and could barely stand.

’A surgeon decided to do a radical operation and cut five discs and shaved my spine.’

Fergal said that the operation took nine hours.

Afterwards he began walking short distances along canals before progressing to hills and mountain ranges.

’Three months after the operation and after 525 stretches a day, 2km swims a week and extensive physio I started to climb mountains and hills,’ he said.

Since then Fergal has climbed Ben Nevis, which is Britain’s highest mountain, 1,345 metres above sea level. The summit is the collapsed dome of an ancient volcano and features the ruins of an observatory which was continuously staffed between 1883 and 1904.

The climb took Fergal around three and a half hours to complete.

He has also climbed Carrauntoohill, in County Kerry, which is the highest peak in Ireland at 1,038 metres, England’s highest mountain, Scafell Pike, which has an elevation of 978 metres, the Big Gun in Ireland which has an elevation of 939 metres, and Monte Perdido, in Spain, the third highest mountain in the Pyrenees, at 3,355 metres.

Fergal continued: ’The reason why I want to tell my story is that I know that I was lucky not to be in a wheelchair.

’I have been told it helps to encourage other people, as everyone needs to do something to push forward in life and have goals.

’The Cappagh Hospital where I had the operation has a Sunday Times article telling my story on the hospital wall in three different places to help and encourage others.’

Fergal said that he still suffers twinges but nothing like the early days when he feared he would end up in a wheelchair.

Follow Fergal’s exploits on his Facebook page.