A north man has completed the first week of an epic cycle trip across Canada to raise money for a friend requiring brain surgery.
Jonny Sherlock, from Sutherland, has already come across bears and moose near Grand Falls, Nova Scotia, in the first 700 miles of his journey.
Mr Sherlock aims to complete the 4,134mile route in just 40 days, to support Tain-based artist Fin Macrae, 42, who has a brain cavernoma, an abnormal swelling of blood vessels in the brain or spinal cord.
Mr Sherlock, also an artist, witnessed his friend’s collapse when he suffered his first seizure in 2011, while working on a project in John O’Groats.
He hopes to raise more than £4,000 for the charity Cavernoma Alliance UK (CAUK) which supports people with the illness.
Mr Sherlock has been posting daily updates on a social networking site and his latest post reads that he was glad to get through a day of torrential rain and strong winds.
Mr Sherlock said: “I saw my first bear and moose. The bear saw me first as I was looking the other way. It popped out under the guard rail about 50 yards in front of me, saw me then ran away. It was only a wee black one. I’m glad it ran away that’s for sure. Later, all of a sudden a moose was running along beside me, it was on the verge on the other side of the road but still pretty massive. Fortunately it eventually found a gap in the trees and disappeared in there. Hopefully all future encounters will be just as straightforward.”
CAUK founder and co-ordinator Ian Stuart said: “CAUK are very grateful to Jonny for taking on this huge challenge and for increasing awareness of cavernoma in Britain and around the world.
“In Britain each year one person in 400,000 is newly diagnosed with a cavernoma with symptoms, although it is estimated that one person in 600 has a brain cavernoma which is currently dormant. A cavernoma can suddenly bleed and cause serious health issues.”