Man takes on 150-mile trip in bicycle canoe

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.

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.”

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.