A British man has become the first swimmer to complete a circumnavigation of Great Britain - a 1,780-mile (2,864km) trip that took 155 days.

Ross Edgley was joined by 300 fellow swimmers as he made his triumphant return to dry land in Margate in Kent.

The 33-year-old had left the town on 1 June and had not set foot on land throughout his challenge, which at times involved swimming for 12 hours a day.

Image: Ross Edgley emerges from the water at the end of his marathon swim

Mr Edgley told Sky News he was worried his legs would give way and he would "face-plant" the beach when he emerged from the sea.

He said the journey was a mixture of extreme lows, such as his tongue "falling apart" from the saltwater and being stung in the face by jellyfish, along with unbelievable highs like the "amazing" sunsets and sunrises he witnessed.


"As I came in I had to put my goggles on again because I was getting really choked up," he added.

Image: Ross Edgley was joined by dozens of other swimmers as he completed his challenge

The adventurer, who also had to contend with shoulder pain and a chafing wetsuit, said he came across the most pollution near densely populated areas, where debris included shoes and some roofing.

He said he saw the most wildlife off parts of the UK where fewer people live, such as in the marine conservation area around Lundy, Devon, where "you saw nature existing like it was always intended to".

Mr Edgley said he was inspired by the example of the north coast of Scotland, a densely populated region where they "had existed so long beside the sea" and had "a profound respect for it."

His odyssey was compared from the outset to the feat of Captain Matthew Webb, who in 1875 became the first person to swim the English Channel.

He entered the Guinness Book of World Records on 14 August, 74 days into the challenge, for the longest staged sea swim, according to the World Open Water Swimming Association.

By that point, Edgley, from Grantham in Lincolnshire, had reached the Isle of Skye.

A growing army of supporters, including more than 117,000 Twitter followers, kept up with his progress via a series of weekly vlogs for sponsors Red Bull.

He has expended an estimated 500,000 calories on his epic adventure, with more than 500 bananas providing a constant source of energy.

The round-Britain swim is the adventurer's third entry in the Guinness Book of World Records.

In February 2016, he did a marathon while pulling a car and two months later completed a rope climb the equivalent height of Mount Everest in 19 hours.

But last year he failed in an attempt to swim the 24.8 miles (40km) between Martinique and St Lucia while pulling a 100lb (45.3kg) tree trunk.

In August, swimmer and environmental campaigner Lewis Pugh became the first person to swim the length of the English Channel, under traditional Channel swimming rules.

Wearing just Speedo trunks, a swimming hat and goggles, the UN Patron of the Oceans was highlighting ocean pollution.

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