And to take his mind off the inevitable cravings, Mr Spice, who lives in Montenegro, will also bring his iPod, loaded with 120 books, and a guitar, which he intends to learn how to play. 

Mr Spice, who will have his last cigarette before arriving on the island on August 1, said: ‘I don’t plan to take any aids like patches with me. I will just be in a position where I cannot get cigarettes no matter how much I want one. 

‘I’m hoping my month on the island may lead to many years of extra life that I’ll be able to spend with my family.’

The island has no home – except for three derelict bothys – so Mr Spice, 56, will have to camp.

Currently moving from Montenegro back to the UK, he began smoking 43 years ago.

‘I first thought about staying on an uninhabited island about 10 years ago when I was living in Australia. It was just a thought which came into my mind from time to time but not something I thought about very seriously. In any case I wouldn’t have really fancied staying on an Australian island which might be uninhabited by humans but inhabited by snakes and spiders,’ said Mr Spice.