Former teacher has slept outdoors for 14 years despite owning three homes

A former IT teacher has spent the last 14 years sleeping outdoors, despite owning three houses. David Priestley, who lives in Lincoln, first took to sleeping in a hammock in his back garden in 2010 and claims it cured chronic back pain he had been suffering with for more than 30 years.

He said: "I spent 31 years in the RAF and developed back problems from heavy lifting. I was seeing a surgeon about three prolapsed discs, who was talking about fusing bones together to prevent further deterioration, but I coached five different sports, so I needed to retain my mobility."

As part of coaching canoeing, David would take groups wild camping and he noticed he was pain-free when sleeping in a hammock for two or three nights. "I started sleeping in a hammock in my garden 14 years ago and have been sleeping outdoors ever since," he said.

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"I’m absolutely pain-free now. I play golf and I often collapsed on the golf course due to the pain in my back, but now I play three or four times a week without any problems at all. I also ski two or three times a year without any difficulties."

David, who became a technology and IT teacher when he left the RAF, has recently moved house and spent a week sleeping in a bed, but says it was agony. The 68-year-old, who lives alone, explained: "At the last house, I had two show-jumping poles concreted into the ground and a hammock slung between them, with a tarpaulin cover if it rained.

"Moving to a new house, I have a portable metal hammock frame, but it’s not the same and I just couldn’t get comfortable. So, while I was building a permanent structure for my hammock in the garden, I bought a bed and slept indoors for seven nights.

"It was a nightmare! Sleeping in a bed is just not for me. I don’t like lying flat. We are indoctrinated as kids and told that ‘this is how we will live’, but show me a primate that builds a flat surface to live in. They don’t. We are the only creatures on the planet to sleep on a flat surface. It’s not natural.

"When I go away to visit people, or for reunions, we get together in a hotel and I hate that. I camp in a layby, hanging my hammock in trees next to the road. I even have favourite laybys."

If it snows, you will still find David sleeping in his garden. "I love winter," he said.

"I hang a quilt an inch below the hammock and use a Five-Season sleeping bag. The hammock itself is as tight as I can get it, so it swaddles me. In the summer, if it’s hot, I spray the hammock with water and it’s very effective at cooling me down.

"If the forecast is dry, I don’t put the tarpaulin cover up. There’s nothing better than looking up at the stars, watching satellites and meteorite showers like the Perseids. If it starts raining, it only takes 20 seconds to set the tarpaulin up because it’s on a curtain line."

It’s not just the stars and satellites David enjoys watching from his garden, but also the wildlife. "In the last house, there was a big hedge where birds nest. When they were fledging, baby birds often landed on my sleeping bag before dropping to the floor.

"One of my most memorable experiences was being woken up to see a badger digging up grubs."

When it comes to people’s reactions to him sleeping outside, David said: "It’s astounding how many people think I need help. I’m not homeless - I own three houses - and my chronic back pain is cured thanks to sleeping in a hammock."

So what does the future hold for David? "I think I will be found dead in my hammock," he said, resolutely.