A CYCLE network local volunteer ranger who lives at Yelverton has achieved the first part of his ambition to cycle from John O'Groats to Land's End.
Eric Pinch (pictured right) flew to Aberdeen on July 25 — fog forced a five hour taxi ride to the top of the British Isles as Wick airport had stopped flights.
After missing and taking wrong turnings, doing tours of towns and cities and back-tracking, Eric arrived in Newcastle after cycling 700 miles instead of the normal 600.
Eric did not take the most direct route but instead followed the Sustrans routes that snake through Scotland and England. He plans to do the second part, from Newcastle to Reading, next summer, with the third and final part the following year, which he plans to do as fundraising rides.
'It's been something I had wanted to do since the cycle network came into being over a decade ago,' Eric said.
'I never thought I would achieve any of it, but joining Slimming World last October helped me lose weight and at the start of the ride I had lost 4st 5lb. When I came back another five pounds had dropped off, leaving me just a pound or two off my target.'