Colwyn Bay adventurer Ash Dykes completes Madagascar trek

A Welsh adventurer has completed his bid to become the first person to walk the length of Madagascar.

Ash Dykes from Colwyn Bay climbed the country's eight highest mountains on his south to north route.

It took the 24-year-old 155 days to complete the 1,600 mile (2,574km) trek, which he finished in the early hours of Monday morning.

He said: "It's been an incredible journey and I feel very privileged to experience the heart of Madagascar."

As well as dealing with terrains ranging from the jungle and desert to mountain tops - Mr Dykes also had to a bad reaction to a spider bite which caused his arms to blister.

He spent five days in hospital after contracting malaria before continuing with his expedition.

On his journey, one tribe gifted Mr Dykes with a chicken, which he named Gertrude, ahead of his climb up Maromokotro, the highest mountain on the island, in order to ward off bad spirits.

Mr Dykes added: "This is, without a doubt, the hardest and most demanding challenge I've taken on - there were times it nearly broke me so reaching the finish line was quite overwhelming."