Towcester teenager marks the end of school by cycling from Land's End to John O'Groats for charity

A teenager from Towcester has marked the end of school by cycling the length of Britain by himself and raising around £2,000 for a charity close to his heart.

Jack Pinchin cycled more than 100 miles a day for nine days to go from Land's End in Cornwall to John O'Groats in Scotland last month.

The 18-year-old, of Sandringham Close, took on the challenge in support of Macmillan Cancer Support, which has helped several of his family members and friends with cancer over the years.

"It's definitely the best thing I have ever done and I would love to do something like that again," he said.

"At the time I couldn't wait for it to end but then I've started to miss it so I've been researching what I can do next."

Jack's fundraising-through-cycling bug started when he rode 100 miles for charity aged 13 and he always wanted to do something to mark finishing his A-levels at Sponne School.

While the coronavirus pandemic cancelled his exams, he did not want it to ruin his big plans to cycle the famous route from the bottom of the country to the top.

Jack was supposed to go with his friend as well but they pulled out because of Covid-19 so the teenager went alone having organised the route, his train tickets and accommodation.

He set off for Penzance on Saturday, June 18, and the nine days of constant cycling was far from easy.

"Day two was tough as it was really hilly in Devon and I had a headwind most of the way to Bristol," he said.

"That was a bad day, I thought I was never going to get through at one point but I did it.

"My brake pads also disintegrated so I had to get them sorted in Bristol which meant I had to ride even further the next day.

"Day nine was also hard as it just rained all day but I was in Scotland by this point so it was to be expected."

There were plenty of highlights though including cycling through the Forest of Dean, the Lake District and Cairngorms National Park.

Having hopped from B&B to B&B on his bike, Jack arrived in sunny John O'Groats on Sunday, June 26, on time after around 1,050 miles.

His way back brought more drama as his bike was not allowed on the train so he got a lift to Edinburgh with some fellow cyclists he met in the Highlands.

Nevertheless Jack is delighted to have raised quadruple his target for Macmillan Cancer Support and made his family proud.

"My parents said they're really proud of me, my dad isn't on Facebook that much but when I finished he wrote a long post about it so that was nice," he said.

To donate, visit justgiving.com/fundraising/jack-pinchin.