A FATHER and son duo have completed a 280-mile cycle from Clackmannanshire all the way to Scotland's most northerly high school.

Menstrie's David McLaren, 54, and youngster Nathanael, 15, set off from Alva Academy on Wednesday (July 29) towards Thurso High School.

The pair pedalled at least 75 kilometres every day for five days, before finally arriving at their destination.

Along the way they had some ups and downs, and also managed to raise funds for Alva Academy's Tanzania expedition in 2021 – which Nathanael hopes to take part in.

Speaking about some of the highlights from his recent mammoth cycle, Nathanael said: "We used a GPS sports tracking app called Endomondo, which has a feature which allows friends to send 'pep talks' that the phone reads out.

"My dad's friend Mark from Dollar kept sending quotes from comedy movies."

Another highlight was turning up absolutely famished to a retail park in Inverness.

Nathanael said: "[We realised] we would have had to join the drive-in queue at Burger King – on our bikes.

"We gave it a miss and got some sandwiches from the store instead."

Tougher moments during the trip included some cycling along the A9, which they avoided as much as possible.

They also cycled 115 kilometres on one day – which just so happened to be one of the hottest days of the year so far.

But it was all worth it when they reached their final destination.

They were even greeted by Anne Nicoll, the deputy head of Thurso High School, when they reached the school grounds.

The pair had plenty people to thank for helping them out along the way.

Nathanael said they include: "My dad's friend, Police Inspector Mark Wilson for all his advice and for lending me his lovely bike.

"Mrs Middleton who gave us a great send-off from Alva Academy; Iona and Kevin for looking after us; Anne, our BnB host in Newtonmore who made us a lovely dinner and also gave a very generous sponsorship donation."

He added: "All of our friends and family who have sponsored me and sent good wishes."

And last but by no means last, he said: "Thanks to my mum, my sister Mia and our two collies Flossy and Fingal for coming to collect us from Thurso."

Nathanael's fundraiser is still live on the internet, and anyone interested in donating can do so by visiting tinyurl.com/y3qhfv7d