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‘Bicycle-canoe’ adventurer to travel width of Scotland in hand built machine

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‘Bicycle-canoe’ adventurer to travel width of Scotland in hand built machine

A man is travelling the width of Scotland and back in a hand-built “bicycle canoe”.

Ben Kilner, 36, spent two months making the unique contraption to take on more than 150 miles of land and sea. Starting from Fort William, Ben will paddle to Inverness along the Caledonian Canal before turning around and cycling back on land along the Great Glen Way.




He aims to raise £2500 for charity A Leg To Stand On, which provides prosthetic limbs for children in developing ­countries across the world. The idea was born after Ben, who previously paddled down the River Thames in a hand-built canoe, was unable to walk for several days after a camping trip.

“It was deeply upsetting and highlighted how much I rely on my mobility and how much we take it for granted,” said Ben, from Forest Row, Sussex.

Ben, who has been sharing his progress on social media with his 700,000 followers, integrated three bikes into his design.

He said: “The canoe is a skin-on frame canoe made from Douglas fir and steam-bent green oak with a ballistic nylon skin stretched over it. The reason for going with that design was because it is super lightweight – and also something I can build myself relatively easily.

“It seems to work well and it should hopefully carry me across the width of Scotland and back in one piece.”

Ben is set to travel the width of Scotland and back again in a bicycle canoe built by hand.(Image: SWNS)

The challenge is expected to take around nine days.

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