Man rides 500 miles across the UK on a scooter

By Faye Mayern

An adrenaline junkie has traveled 500 miles from the most easterly point of Britain to the west on a stunt scooter.

Harry Jones, 25, embarked on the mission from Ness Point in Lowestoft, Suffolk to Land's End in Cornwall to raise thousands of pounds for suicide prevention charity CALM.

Jones, from Lowestoft, Suffolk, set off on the challenge, using a modified stun scooter, on the morning of April 3 and finished on April 13.

He travelled through cities and counties such as Ipswich, Colchester, London, Penzance, Devon and Somerset.

The scooter had 110mm (4.3 inches) wheels with taller bars than the average one - plus a thinner deck for comfort.

Jones said: "I was traveling for seven or eight hours a day - from when I woke up to when I was going to bed apart from breaks and food.

"It was definitely a hard graft.

"But I was smiling through the whole thing as I knew I had to enjoy the journey. It wasn't about the destination."

Jones has been scootering on and off for 13 years and said it had always been a 'big part' of his life.

He began documenting his challenge through his TikTok and YouTube channels and realized it would be a great fundraising opportunity.

He has since raised $2,740 of his $2k total.

Jones said: "The first day I booked a campsite in Colchester to sleep in and that was when I realized this challenge was going to be really tough.

"I had started at Ness Point at 8am and it was a 70-mile trip - I didn't get to the campsite until midnight.

"I got a lot of attention as I was wearing a bright high viz jacket and trousers scootering on main and country roads.

"Lots of people stopped and asked me what I was doing.

"Later I'd then see they'd donated which made me believe that humans are just amazing people."

Jones' trip was not completely smooth sailing.

He explained: "A lot of people can't comprehend the difficulty of this challenge - especially if you've never been on a stunt scooter before.

"There were a lot of points where I was doing wheelies down hills as I was enjoying myself.

"I was coming down a hill in Cornwall at about 15mph - and I didn't realize 10 meters in front of me there was a cattle grid.

"I knew I couldn't slow down and the only other way would have been to jump off.

"I was pretty confident I could jump it as it was about six to seven foot long and I managed to do it. I got a big rush of adrenaline after that."

Fundraising for CALM's 'Campaign Against Living Miserably', Mr Jones said by scootering, he was able to enjoy the UK countryside.

He said: "Every day was so beautiful. People don't really appreciate the UK as they talk down on it because of some cities.

"But we have an amazing landscape, I was blown away by the views.

"My favorite place was definitely Devon.

"Cornwall might have been better but the weather was getting bad by the time I got there."

Jones said the support had been 'unexpected and overwhelming' with many strangers getting involved by donating.

He added: "I was so sick of scootering up hills by the end of it but I do have another challenge in mind.

"I would like to take on John O'Groats to Land's End but it would not be on a scooter this time.

"It did take its toll on my body."