A man has cycled the entire length of the British coastline to raise money for charity.

Dean Frost, from Stretford, completed a 5,000 mile journey which took him everywhere from Southport to Southend in 70 days.

He is aiming to raise £1,000 for the charity Seeds for Africa which helps communities produce their own food by providing equipment and training.

Dean, 52, of Great Stone Road, decided to embark on his epic ride when he was given the chance for a career break from his job as an occupational health adviser.

He said: “I'm always promoting a healthy lifestyle at work so I suppose I am leading by example. I thought I might inspire them to do something as well.”

Fitness fanatic Dean, who also takes part in triathlons, says there were a few hairy moments during his trip.

He said: “My brakes failed when I was going down a hill near Whitby in the north east. I just shot down this road overtaking everybody – including cars. I had my feet down and I honestly thought 'this is it'.

“But I did manage to turn the corner and bring it to a halt. It was pretty frightening but some people watching from a cafe just thought I was having a laugh.”

Having visited every corner of the British coastline, Dean says his favourite spot was a stretch along the north west of Scotland.

“It's an area called the Summer Isles and it's beautiful,” he said.

“There was one evening when I saw loads of deer in the middle of the road. They probably thought all the tourists and motorists had gone home.

“They saw me coming along and there was a stand off. The stag was stood there eye-balling me. I feel like I have a sense of Great Britain now – it feels smaller now that I've done it all,” he added.

After more than 70 days riding non-stop, you might expect Dean to have had enough of being saddle sore – but amazingly he can't wait to get peddling again.

He said: “I'm itching to get back on my bike – I'm cycling mad!”

Readers can contribute to Dean's fund-raising for Seeds for Africa at www.justgiving.com/deanfrostbike 

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