Alex Batty who was found alive after going missing in 2011, said he lied about his escape to protect his mother and grandfather.
The 17-year-old left in the dead of night because he wanted to lead a normal life after six years of wandering across Europe.
Speaking to The Sun, Batty said he had had enough of the "hippy pain in the a** lifestyle" he led with his mother.
Batty left a note for his mum telling her he had made the decision to go back to England, adding that he still loved her and hoped she would not be angry.
Alex Batty disappeared in 2017PAHe told The Sun: "We had a stupid argument about nothing. My mum can argue about anything so it doesn’t take much. She is very set in her views."
In the note he left her, he told his mother: "Hey, Mom. I want you to know I love you very much. I’m very thankful for the life that you provided for me over the past few years.
Batty had been missing since 2017, disappearing after going on holiday with his mother and grandfather in Spain. His mother did not have parental guardianship of her son.
He was found last Wednesday morning at 3am by a motorist who spotted him walking through rain near Toulouse in France. After making his escape he told police when picked up that he had been walking for four days through the mountains.
In fact, the trek was shorter but he said he lied to police in an attempt to protect his mother and grandfather from being arrested by officers.
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Alex Batty went missing at the age of 11GMPBatty described his mother as "very anti-government" and "anti-vax" who was concerned he would be placed into the care system if he went home. She repeatedly warned Alex not to become a "slave to the system".
Batty added: "She’s a great person and I love her but she’s just not a great mum."
He told The Sun: "I realised it wasn't a great way to live for my future. The cloud had lifted because I started weighing everything up again — the pros and cons of England.
"I wouldn't know what was going to happen in my future if I were to stay with my mum, but from the past few years I could get a picture of what life would have been like. Moving around. No friends, no social life. Working, working, work and not studying. That's the life I imagined I would be leading if I were to stay with my mum.
"In the mountains, in the middle of nowhere. No people my age. So when I was about 16 I spoke to grandad about going back to England."
Speaking about the moment he was picked up by the driver, he said: "I slept outside on the ground. It was freezing. If I needed the toilet I used leaves and grass.
"My plan was to get to Toulouse and get as far away as possible. But I was so knackered when the delivery driver picked me up I just blurted out a story.
"I wasn't even hitchhiking when he picked me up. I was walking across a little bridge. He said he stopped because he saw I had a skateboard. It was pouring with rain and pitch black as it was 3am."
His mother - who used the name Rose - is understood to be planning to travel to Finland.