Oxford family cycle Land's End to John O'Groats for charity

Barney Price, 68, and his sons Laurens, 27, Lukas, 25, and Oscar, 20, Price-Nowak set off by bike on August 15 from the southern tip of Cornwall, hoping to pedal 1,100 miles to John O’Groats in the far north of Scotland in a fortnight.

The aim of the journey was to raise £2,500 for Macmillan Cancer Support.

The Price-Nowaks have been supporters of the charity ever since Lukas was diagnosed with cancer back in 2016.

You can find their webpage here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/pricenowak-lejog

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But, said Barney, “the fund-raising choice took on a whole new meaning when, mid-training, I was diagnosed with bladder cancer”.

Barney, Laurens, Lukas and Oscar Price-Nowak depart from Land's End Landmarks

For some time, the trip looked in doubt. But two weeks after treatment, he was back on his bike.

Cornwall and Devon were the hardest section of the route and day two consisted of “climb after climb” and ended “at a wet campsite”, said Laurens.

Day three involved elevation gain, long distances and the elements but the four pedalled on, reaching Somerset, then Wales, snaking through the Yorkshire Dales to Scotland.

Their toughest day yet came about halfway through.

Soaked to the skin and shivering in the cold wind, their phones out of power and too wet to charge, the four became separated for several hours in the hills of Cumbria, flagging down passing cars to ask for directions.

Eventually they reunited, only to suffer three punctures in the space of an hour, depleting their supply of spare inner tubes and costing them hours.

Laurens said: "We knew we had to get to the next checkpoint by the end of the day, so we didn't have a choice. We had to fix each problem as it happened and keep moving."

In Bolton, the family celebrated Oxford’s win over the Wanderers by taking a photo outside its stadium.

They were spotted by hospitality manager Chris Gibson, himself an avid cyclist and multiple time end-to-ender who invited them on to the pitch for a snap.

“It was the crowning glory!” said Oscar.

Scotland brought some of the highlights of their ride.

The three - minus Oscar who had to return to college - made it through the Highlands and past Inverness into the last few days of spectacular landscapes, firths and cliffs.

They suffered three punctures in the space of an hour in Cumbria 

“We've been struck by the kindness and support of the people we encountered along the way”, said Laurens.

“From generous bike mechanics and campsites offering their services for charity, to fellow cyclists and end-to-enders who pullled over for a chat and some advice, these moments really picked us up when things were tough”.

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As did the encouraging messages and donations rolling in on the Macmillan website.

The family arrived at the John O’Groats signpost exactly a fortnight after departure.

Lukas said: “I’m quite proud of us as a team. But I don’t think it’s sunk in yet what we’ve actually gone and done.

"If you look at a map it seems fake. That the little blue dot on Google Maps made its way up through the whole of the UK.

“Britain really is an amazing place."

During their journey the Price-Nowaks spent 140 hours in the saddle, covered over 1,000 miles, gained 18,000 metres in elevation - more than twice the height of Mount Everest - changed five inner tubes, had four mechanical breakdowns, ate 112 Tunnock's Caramel Wafers, and raised nearly £3,500 for Macmillan -  and counting.