A FOUR-MAN team attempting to travel the entire length of the British Isles has reached an important landmark.
The South-North adventure began at the most southerly point of Jersey, the Minquiers reef, last month, with the team rowing to Jersey, crossing the Island on foot and then continuing north towards Portsmouth.
The team, made up of former Oxford University psychologist Kevin Dutton, experienced ocean rowers Billy Taylor and Gary Hutchings and bookshop owner Patrick Neale, is aiming for Out Stack, a remote rocky outcrop north of Shetland.
After a three-week cycling leg on a specially-built tandem rickshaw, the team reached the north coast of Scotland earlier this week.
Posting on social media, Mr Taylor said the plan was to delay the next rowing leg in order to allow the team to return south and complete a “missing” stretch in the English Channel. This arose after the Jersey to Portsmouth leg ended with a dramatic rescue as a result of equipment failure, which had left the rowing boat in danger of drifting into the path of an oncoming oil tanker.
Once the missing link has been ticked off, the team plans to return to the Scottish port of Scrabster, near John O’Groats, and set off in a new rowing boat for Shetland.
The challenge is raising funds and awareness for charities focused on children’s mental health and wellbeing, celebrating resilience and a ‘can‑do’ attitude in young people. Along the way, they plan to visit some of the charities and projects they support and meet young people whose experiences have inspired the expedition.
The team hopes to complete the challenge and reach the northernmost point of the British Isles by the end of May. To follow the journey or donate, visit southnorthadventures.com.
