Teacher's adventure on one wheel

A teacher's amazing adventure on one wheel has been recorded in a series of photographs and diary entries which he intends to post on a fundraising website.

Spectacular views and famous landmarks greeted the unicycling father-of-two as he rode up the country in pursuit of a world record.

Former supply teacher Colin Earp is already planning his second unicycling challenge but on a different route.

Mr Earp, aged 40, set out to raise cash for The Alzheimer's Society by riding more than 800 miles from Lands End to John O'Groats.

His fundraising has been boosted by a pub pet's scratching-eating exploits.

Heavy rain accompanied Mr Earp on his journey through Britain as he battled fatigue, cramps and sores along the way.

Mr Earp, of Penzer Street, Kingswinford, was helped by friend and pub landlord Peter Cherrington, 48, who runs the Old Bush pub, in High Street, Swindon, where Colin is a regular.

The pub boss followed his pal in a van carrying all the gear including food for the trip.

Setting off, the pair took the A30 road from Land's End to Launceston in misty and foggy conditions last month.

Bad weather continued, with rain lashing down as they crossed the border into Wales over the Severn Bridge.

The rain abated just enough for Mr Earp to pose near the 12th Century monastry ruin Tintern Abbey, near Chepstow, Monmouthshire.

He said: "We got caught in lots of downpours, absolutely drenched most days to the point I thought about whether to carry on."

Journeying northwards, Mr Earp cycled mainly on A roads and dual carriageways to find the quickest route to his destination.

The pair stayed at hotels and guest houses along the way, as Mr Earp cycled about 80 miles a day.

To add to the fun, the pub's dog Phoebe, who is well known for her love of pork scratchings, accompanied them on the journey.

Pub regulars helped to raise additional funds by betting on how many bags she ate during the trip.

Mr Earp eventually reached Scotland to be greeted by warm sunshine while crossing the Forth Bridge, near Edinburgh.

He said: "It was great to finally get the sunny weather, because that gave me a real boost to push on for the final stages."

His progress was updated on his own Facebook page by his wife of 16 years Julie.

After taking an 874-mile route, winding over hills and along busy roads, Mr Earp reached John O'Groats in 11 days, six hours and 23 minutes.

If verified, the time will beat the previous one-wheeled record for the route, which has stood since 2001, by 20 hours.

Next up for MrEarp will be a 300-mile unicycle ride through Slovenia and Italy.

Although the full plans have yet to be realised, Mr Earp aims to take on the challenge during the spring or summer due to the higher temperatures and better weather.

He said: "I found it so tough just motivating myself on some of the hardest days, just because the weather through a lot of England and Wales was so bad."

Luckily the support of people on the roadside and at guest houses along the route boosted Mr Earp's confidence through the darkest hours.

He said: "People would honk their car horns to cheer me along."

Mr Earp told of how one of the lowest points of the trip was reaching the mammoth road crossing, the Severn Bridge.

He recalled: "I was physically shaking, there had been dreadful rain lashing down all day and the bridge was busy with traffic.

"It was tough to keep my wits about me."

Mr Earp crossed the thin blue line twice on the route as he was stopped by police.

He said: "The second time was when I got to Inverness in horrendous conditions and the police said they had had a report by a motorist who was concerned about my safety.

"In the end they wished me good luck and signed my log after I said I couldn't be in danger - because I'd already rode more than 700 miles on the roads at that point.

"To reach John O'Groats was a fantastic experience, because you finally realise how far you have come and what it takes to get there.

"But I really don't think that I could do this route again!"