A DIABETIC adventurer has spoken of his record-breaking flight from Land’s End to John O’Groats — on a bike.

John Carver, a teacher at Cothill School, near Abingdon, said his challenge to travel 800 miles from one end of Britain to the other, took just 11 days.

Mr Carver, who bought his German-made flying tricycle, dubbed a Flyke, on the Internet two years ago, touched down on Tuesday.

Reaching speeds of up to 55mph, he said he only had one moment of disappointment, when he realised he could not fly the last 19 miles from Wick to John O’Groats because of engine failure.

Mr Carver, 37, said: “I took off and was almost in the air and thought ‘yes, I’ve done it’ until three minutes later when the engine packed up. A major crankshaft bearing had gone.

“I had to cycle the remaining distance.

“Cruising over Scotland was stunning. People thought the Flyke was something from the Starship Enterprise.”

A cross between a tricycle and a plane, the £8,000 Flyke is powered by a two-stroke twin propeller motor with a paraglider canopy attached.

Mr Carver said it was capable of reaching heights of 10,000ft, although he only soared to 3,000ft.

The trip was set to take up to four weeks when he set off on August 1, but thanks to good weather conditions he completed it much quicker.

He said: “I was worn out every evening.

“When I got into Scotland the terrain and mountains made the weather so variable.

“I was being blown all over the place. It was like being in a washing machine.

“I had a couple of emergency landings – one when the drive belt began slipping and the propeller was not turning.

“I didn’t have enough height to turn around so had to do a downwind landing which meant I was approaching the ground at 40mph instead of 20mph.”

Mr Carver hopes to raise £10,000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), which aims to find a cure for diabetes in youngsters.

He said: “I’m up to £9,000 and confident I will exceed my target. As an insulin dependent diabetic myself injecting while in the air and wearing a flying suit was tricky.”

Mr Carver had to land every three hours to refuel at petrol stations and had no support on the ground.

The French and IT teacher said he would love to do a similar challenge flying across America.

You can make a donation at Mr Carver's online sponsorship page.