Man takes on 150-mile trip in bicycle canoe

BBC/George Carden Ben Kilner in self-built amphibious bicycle canoeBBC/George Carden
Ben Kilner is to take on a 150-mile trip in a self-built amphibious bicycle canoe

A man is to take on a 150-mile trip across Scotland in a self-built amphibious bicycle canoe.

Ben Kilner, from Forest Row, East Sussex, has spent two months building the invention and plans to set off on Saturday.

The 36-year-old will begin at Fort William and paddle north-east to Inverness before reversing the route and cycling back on land.

“This thing will be put to the upmost test across Scotland,” he said.

BBC/George Carden Ben KilnerBBC/George Carden
Ben Kilner has spent two months building his bicycle canoe

He said the bicycle canoe was comprised of three and a half bicycles with a canoe attached, and weighed about 40kg.

“It is quite heavy, bulky and complex. It has air bags but there is no chance I will be able to turn it back up the right way if I go over, so I will need to attach a long line and pull it to shore if that happens,” he told BBC Radio Sussex.

“The other challenge is winds because it is quite high-sided, so any high winds I will just be pushed around by them.”

He added: "The aim of this challenge is to encourage others to get creative and go exploring.”

BBC/George Carden Ben Kilner in self-built amphibious bicycle canoeBBC/George Carden
The contraption is made of three and a half bicycles with a canoe attached

Mr Kilner, who has a combined 700,000 followers on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, is raising money for A Leg to Stand On - a charity which provides wheelchairs and prosthetic limbs for children in developing countries.

The adventurer previously built a canoe in three days and paddled 150-miles down the River Thames – a journey that garnered more than 100 million views online.

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