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Exhausted Martyn Sibley has just completed the ride of his life, travelling in wind and rain from John O’Groats at the northern tip of Scotland to Land's End in Cornwall - in a wheelchair.

Martyn, who has Spinal Muscular Atrophy, a genetic muscle wasting disease, took exactly one month to complete the 874-mile journey.

He said: “I wanted to show that if disabled people have the right investment and equipment to be independent, they can achieve incredible things. Having a physical disability is all about barriers.

"Some are buildings or transport, others are attitudes and facing discrimination from other people.

“But everyone we met face to face on our journey really got what were doing.

"We met some fisherman in Scotland who were so struck by the magnitude of what we were undertaking that they donated £50 to our charities.”

Martyn, who cannot lift anything heavier than a book and relies on a wheelchair to get around, funded his trip thanks to the National Lottery.

Having already driven to Lithuania and Prague in his mobility car, Martyn decided set his sights on an even bigger challenge.

He set out from John O’Groats in his wheelchair on September 5.

He then spent 30 days on the road with his girlfriend Kasia cycling by his side all the way.

They travelled up to 40 miles every day before finally reaching Land’s End on Friday.

Martyn and Kasia were forced to wrap themselves in warm coats and waterproofs as they braved bitterly cold winds and driving rain as they made their way through Scotland and northern England.

“There were some low moments and we had a number of near misses with cars who got impatient and tried to overtake our support vehicle on narrow roads,” said Martyn, from Cambridge.

Another blow came when the motor in Martyn’s wheelchair died in Bristol, which forced them to take a diversion to Wales to beg the manufacturers to repair the problem for free.

But despite the snags they hit en route the couple, who both celebrated their 30th birthdays days before embarking on the journey, have no regrets.

“I feel physically exhausted but very alive," said Martyn, who edits online magazine Disability Horizon.

"When we reached Land’s End, we wondered what to do next.

"It was all about the journey. We have so many memories.

“It is always good to set goals and have something to aim for.

"It doesn’t have to be world-changing, just something you want to do as an individual.”

Martyn completed the journey as an ambassador for Britain’s Personal Best, a campaign funded by the Big Lottery to keep the spirit of the 2012 Olympics alive and encourage charities, communities and individuals to strive to achieve their own personal best.

For more information visit www.whatsyours.org.