It is a seven-foot path Phil Taylor has trodden hundreds of times almost every day for a lifetime.

To those not tuned in to darts' working-class glamour, the journey from oche to dartboard and back again would be monotonous; the characters and nicknames more akin to the playground than a sporting arena.

Millions around the world though, would disagree.

Darts is as popular as it has ever been, with television viewers for the World Championships hitting record levels and arenas regularly packed to the rafters courtesy of the Premier League.

Taylor has been at the forefront of that revolution, riding the lucrative wave that has come with its burgeoning reputation.

Like its popularity, darts' prize purse has ballooned during the last decade.

In the past two years alone, Taylor has pocketed £874,000 in prize money, including £200,000 for his 15th World Championship title in January last year.

He makes no secret of the fact the money helps when it comes to motivation.

But having worked in a factory, been a sheet metal worker and pulled pints rather than supped them four nights a week, all at one time 'to make ends meet', the 51-year-old insists he would be exactly the same should he be at the other end of the talent table.

Darts isn't only how Taylor has earned a reputation, it's how he's earned a living.

"The first tournament I won was for £250 and I thought I'd won the lottery," he tells the Telegraph on a whistle-stop visit to Scunthorpe last week.

"I was on £9 a week wages then, so to win £250 was like six months' wages.

"Darts has made me a multi-millionaire – which I can't really complain about – but really it's my job.

"My parents reared me so that you got up a morning, went to work and went and earned a living.

"You didn't have days off. You could do seven days a week and you'd still have to go to work the next day. That was what my mother said.

"It doesn't matter how much money you've got, and I honestly don't know what I'm worth, you get up and go to work.

"I think I'm probably one of the last of that generation, it's a different attitude with people coming through now.

"That's nothing to do with them being lazy, it's just how they've been brought up.

"My mother would chuck a bucket of water on me and there's not many kids out there now where their parents would do that and then hit you with the bucket.

"No way would you have stayed in bed with my mother about, no way."

Like most of darts' elder statesmen, Taylor has had to adapt his way of life as much as his throwing technique to maintain his reputation as the undisputable number one.

Often overweight and probably practising in pubs, even the world's top players were partial to a pint.

Now it's a thirst for success that drives Taylor and other household names like Raymond van Barneveld and Adrian 'Jackpot' Lewis.

"It isn't just our sport, it's a lot of others as well," he says of the way darts' characters have had to 'clean up their act'.

"The ones that don't, don't last. They're here one minute and gone the next.

"I know a lot of professional people, I'm friends with them, but I used to think, 'bloody hell, you drink more than I do'. That's athletes and all sorts.

"I've put a little bit of weight back on, but we've just built a gym at the back of the house so I can start training again.

"It isn't just for my darts career that I want to get fit, it's for the rest of my life. I don't want to be 55, retired and knackered.

"I've just played in two tournaments, BDO ones, and won them, but I've relaxed a bit, enjoyed myself and I've found I'm winning more because I've got a different attitude.

"That's not going to last forever though. I need to now start getting ready for the World Championships."

Preparation for the annual sojourn to the Ally Pally is, as applies to most tournaments, not as easy as you may think.

Mental strength is as important as physical ability.

That's what gives The Power his power.

"The standard is very high now," he says of the competition.

"There aren't many players capable of winning tournaments, but they're capable of knocking you out in the early rounds.

"As soon as you get through to the semis and the final, it takes a special person to win."

In a gruelling around-the-world schedule – with the PDC calendar incorporating competitions from Crawley to Canada – hotel beds and dining rooms rarely help.

He says: "It can be very difficult to look after yourself. There's a lot more work than people realise.

"My nutritionist Laura has been involved in every sport there is, but this one is the hardest.

"If you go into a hotel and ask for an egg-white omelette, people look at you as if you're from Mars."

Success in sport seems to bring admiration from many, envy from many more.

Yet Taylor, who won six major titles alone in 2010, remains darts' favourite character.

He was runner-up to champion jockey AP McCoy in the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year accolade in December – five years after being among the contenders for the first time.

And so to Scunthorpe, where Rileys hosted a sell-out crowd to welcome the Stoke-on-Trent schemer as the first stop of his one-man roadshow.

"It's a bit of fun and provides a little bit of publicity for the club," he says of the visit.

"It's nice to come out and meet people because I don't do so many now.

"Darts is a social sport and a lot more accessible than most others.

"You wouldn't get to race against Michael Schumacher or play Tiger Woods – unless you paid a lot of money.

"It's a chance to bring it closer to the fans, and it's fun, without a shadow of a doubt."

Taking 'The Power' to the people. It's all in a day's work.