A PARTIALLY sighted cyclist has completed a groundbreaking 4,802 mile circumnavigation of Britain.

At around 8pm on Tuesday, 44-year-old amateur cyclist Gavin Towers arrived back in his home town of Millom after 31 days in the saddle, cycling a route tracking the entire perimeter of the British coastline.

Gavin suffers from a rare degenerative eye condition, Retinitis Pigmentosa, giving him a narrow field of sight dubbed 'tunnel vision'. It also means his eyes are highly light sensitive causing night blindness, giving him even poorer vision at night and in dimly lit environments.

The condition affects around 23,000 people in the UK and is expected to result in complete blindness for Gavin later in his life. Gavin raised money for the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) as part of the challenge.

Gavin set off from Millom on August 8, aiming to break the record for the fastest circumnavigation of Britain by bike: a mark of 22 days set by cyclist Nick Sanders in 1984.

Gavin made good progress for the first part of the challenge but soon encountered highly challenging conditions through the Scottish Highlands.

The inclement weather combined with his night blindness made riding in the dark too dangerous and on day 10 Gavin and his team made the decision to halt all night riding for the rest of the challenge. This put the record out of reach.

Speaking at the finish in Millom, Gavin said: "It wasn’t an easy decision to let go of the record attempt but the conditions we experienced riding through Scotland, combined with the difficulties I have seeing at night, made night riding just too treacherous. The safety of all involved was the priority and while it was frustrating on reflection I’m happy that we made that decision. Thank you to every brand that has supported me and a huge thank you to the RNIB and Save the Children for all your support. The ride has taught me so much about my eye condition and I’m pleased to have helped spread the word about Retinitis Pigmentosa. Don’t forget you can still donate using the link at gavintowerscycling.com!”

To date, Gavin’s challenge has raised over £5,000 for the RNIB and Save the Children, a charity close to his heart who he also partnered with.