A MAN who quit his job at Sellafield to cycle around the world has shared details of his epic journey.

Ian Finlay, 52, has pedalled 24,000km and visited 28 countries and travelled more than halfway around the equator.

The keen cyclist from Keswick set aside two years to see the planet and try new things along the way.

He is documenting his journey on his Facebook page, ‘My Endless Summer’ which is being followed by hundreds of people from all over the world – many from the countries he has travelled to.

Over the last year, the 52-year-old has been to Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Athens, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and is currently in Australia.

He said: “I’ve camped at -15°C, taking the only water from rivers of the last melting snow before winter returned again. Six days without human contact in terrain that would previously have scared the life out of me.

“I’ve shared the roads with many cyclists along the way. We’ve all since moved on but we continue to follow each others’ onwards journeys all over the world.

“Australia from Cairns has proved to be a physical challenge, with big distances between towns in a heatwave and drought on top of the usual summer sunshine. The beaches, though, are so beautiful and numerous. I’ve had the opportunity to scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef, take a light plane over Heart Reef and fly in a stunt plane over Airlie Beach.”

Ian has also travelled to Tajikistan, which borders Afghanistan, to ride into the Wakhan Valley. He said this was the most ambitious part of the whole trip and the one he feared the most.

“It took 10 days to cycle through the valley. The challenges and experiences through that valley have changed me. So many fears, values, preconceptions, beliefs and aspirations dealt with in such a short time.”

Ian has also discovered a love of writing during his trip and plans to write a book about his experience when he gets home.

“I’ve discovered a joy in writing as a way of sharing my experience, a joy I didn’t know was in me previously when I left my job and started this adventure. I want to document my experiences as close to memory and emotion as possible.”

His journey will continue to Sydney, Tasmania and New Zealand, then on to China, South Korea, Japan, South America, Canada, North America and Southern Europe.

n Search for My Endless Summer on Facebook and Instagram.