A writer and member of the Banbury Star Cyclists Club recently completed a ride from Land’s End to John O’Groats in one week.

Long-distance cyclist Mike Kirby completed the LEJOG challenge solo, averaging over 200km per day.

He undertook the journey to celebrate his book 'Motion and Emotion, The Pains and Pleasures of My Cycling Life', published last month.

Mr Kirby's route took him from the narrow back lanes of Cornwall and Devon, before crossing the Severn, briefly into Wales, riding parallel to the River Wye and then northwards, up to Crewe at the end of the third day.

The next leg of his journey took him through the Lake District, the longest day at almost 250km, and then across the Pentland Hills to Perthshire.

Bicester Advertiser: He completed a ride from Land’s End to John O’Groats in one week

He culminated his feat by riding across the top of Scotland to finish at John O'Groats.

Mr Kirby said: "The weather was very kind, with sunshine most days and light winds, which whilst never favourable, did not slow things down too much.

"The countryside, in the full flush of late Spring looked magical and I was able to share my experiences online with others at different stages of the journey."

His new book, available on Amazon Books, is an honest and humorous collection of blogs about his cycling experiences and a few triumphs of his ‘mediocre career’ as an average bike rider, with new material added.

Now, Mr Kirby is setting his sights on the Pan Celtic, a 2,300km race through remote parts of Cumbria and western Scotland.

He added: "LEJOG was great mental and physical preparation for the Pan Celtic and I cannot wait to get going now".