A 10-year-old boy from Wokingham has said it is 'relieving and daunting' to reach the halfway mark of a 2,300 mile cycle ride across the country - in aid of his favourite animal, the hedgehog. 

Harry Peksa is carrying out the huge cycling challenge with his dad Nick, 47,  having set-off from Land’s End in Cornwall on July 9th. 

Now the ambitious pair have reached their halfway point at John O’Groats in Scotland, with the journey expected to last a total of 52 days as the pair average about 50 miles per day.

Harry has taken on the gruelling challenge money for Tiggywinkles Wildlife hospital since 2020, ever since he developed a passion for hedgehogs.

He explained: “The reason I like them so much, A is because they’re cute and B, when I was six, we saw a hedgehog in the garden, and my mum said how they might go extinct one day, so I wanted to do something about that.”

So far, Harry's current endeavour has raised more than £5,000.

Reaching the halfway point and touching the signpost at John O’Groats, Mr Peksa - who has completed the nation-spanning challenge before -  said: “What happens is you’re excited about getting to the signpost, and then you touch it, you turn around, and then you realise, ‘oh, I’ve got to do that again’.”

“It was relieving and daunting to reach the halfway mark,” Harry added.

Harry has also taken on the ambitious journey before – at age six he cycled around 120 miles from his home to Wales and at age eight he cycled from Land’s End to John O’Groats, and took on the reverse journey the following year.

So far the challenge has been 'really nice and fun,' Harry said, adding: “I would say the hillier days are tiring but, sometimes, if it’s a really long day, it is tiring also.”

The pair found the “rain and the cold of Scotland quite difficult”, Mr Peksa said, but they have been determined to stay positive.

A highlight of the challenge was the Highland Games attended by the King, which gave Harry the opportunity to run a race in front of the monarch.

“It was only 85 metres and he was preparing himself for something longer,” Mr Peksa said.

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A lover of the outdoors, Harry aimed to visit as many scout troops as possible on the first leg of his journey.

Mr Peksa said: “Harry does a talk about the adventure and the expedition, but also he shows them a pre-recorded video he’s made on hedgehogs.”

The pair communicate to each other during the challenge using Bluetooth-enabled helmets.

“Firstly, it’s great for safety, so you can say there’s a pothole without having to point it out but also, you can just chat, or occasionally listen to a book on the quiet country roads,” Mr Peksa said.

To donate to Harry’s fundraiser, visit gofundme.com/f/harry-age-10-cycling-length-of-uk-and-back-for-hedgehogs