An adventurer has kayaked for nine hours from Ireland to the Isle of Man to raise money for a homeless charity.
He set off from Portavogie in Northern Ireland on August 17 at 8.30am, and reached Glen Wyllin at around 5pm.
Mike posts regularly on two Facebook pages dedicated entirely to his solo journey, and has 1,300 followers who are avidly supporting his adventure.
With the decision to visit the island a spur of the moment one, Mike was unsure where best to dock and camp, so he messaged a kayaker’s group on the island and they suggested Glen Wyllin due to the easy access to the campsite from the slip way.
He explained how his journey began: ‘On the 1st of June, right at the start of Summer, I set out from a place called Portpatrick in Scotland, and crossed over to Ireland, and then paddled the east coast past Cork, and then all of the west coast, and then finally got back to where I started.
‘A couple of days before that I decided, on a whim because the weather was looking good, that I’d stop off on the Isle of Man on the way.
‘It was quite exciting coming to a place that I’d literally done no research on, because it was a spur of the minute decision, so it’s slowly revealed its wonders, which has been great.’
It’s Mike’s longest ever crossing (59km) and he added that it was probably his favourite too.
He said: ‘It was one of the best days I’ve ever had, the weather was superb, you could see the island very clearly from Ireland.
‘I was able to stop and enjoy the bird life which there was plenty of along the way, it was probably my best crossing ever, and my longest as well.’
Mike’s first visit to the island has certainly left an impression on him. He said: ‘I am really captivated by the island, and I mean this in a really nice way but it seems to me like one great big train set!
‘I love the architecture and I love the people, and I haven’t really started to explore so I’d like to come back and do the coastal path.
‘The way I look at it, whenever you push yourself that little bit further than you’ve ever done before, that’s an adventure!’
Mike’s leaving the island to travel back to Cornwall on Thursday 24, and you can donate to his fundraiser by visiting his main Facebook page : Shamrock Loop, or his second Facebook page : Kayak Demelza.