Expat, 74, cycles across US for NTS
A Scottish expat has finished his cycle across the US, raising more than £40,000 for charity.
George Russell, 74, who is originally from Morningside, Edinburgh, finished his 3,000mile coast-to-coast journey in under 50 days.
The Colorado resident has raised the cash for the National Trust for Scotland (NTS).
Completing the journey one day ahead of his target time, Mr Russell arrived in St Augustine, Florida, on Wednesday, after setting off from San Diego, California, on 27 August.
He faced a number of chall e n g i n g t e r r a i n s a n d s t e e p inclines on his journey - as well as a few hurricane warnings.
B u t h e t a c k l e d i t h e a d - o n with help from his wife Mary, who drove a support vehicle alongside him.
Mr R u s s e l l c h o s e t o r a i s e money for NTS due his pers o n a l c o n n e c t i o n w i t h t h e charity - his grandfather was the first secretar y and treasurer and was key in negotiating the purchase of Glencoe for the nation. His father also worked for the trust for many years and was a council member emeritus. Mr Russell also served on the trust's council.
His journey was planned in r e sp on s e to t h e e merg e nc y appeal from NTS after a drop in income due to Covid-19 and the subsequent lockdown.
Mr Russell said: "I can't quite believe I've finished - and that I only had to repair t wo flat tyres on the way. There were so many moments where we had to rethink our route after s e e i n g p o o r we a t h e r f o r e - casts but more often than not the sun shone for us and it has been an amazing experience.
"Crossing eight US states on t wo wheels has b een totally eye-opening and a liberating journey, and I never lost sight of the reason for it all."
He added: "I was constantly reminded of S cotland and
trust-owned places like Glencoe and Ben Lawers when I was on the mountain paths and I'm proud that I've achieved this - not only for myself but f o r my f a t h e r a n d g r a n d f a - ther and everyone in Scotland
that cherishes its heritage.” Sir Mark Jones, chairman of the National Trust for S cotland, said: "We are in awe of George's incredible achieve - ment. Our profound thanks and admiration go out to him.”
D o n a t i o n s c a n b e m a d e a t w w w . j u s t g i v - i n g . c o m / f u n d r a i s i n g / g e o r g e - r u s s e l l c y c l e a c r o s s usafornts.