WIREDGOV

Last year renowned British TV presenter and artist Timmy Mallett set out to attempt a staggering 4,500-mile journey circumnavigating Britain on his bike that took four and half months to complete.

Starting from Paddington station, London he headed clockwise around the coast - a journey Timmy describes as being from "nowhere to nowhere via everywhere in between!"

A renowned painter in oils and watercolour, Timmy was inspired by great British artists to capture the endless breathtaking landscapes Britain has to offer. His mission was to follow in the footsteps of great British artists JMW Turner, Constable, LS Lowry, and many others. He recreated sketches and paintings in the same locations as Turner painted over 200 years ago, and sought out and discovered the vistas that have been the inspiration for artists over the centuries.

The result is a gathering of outstanding artworks that Timmy created around the British coast, depicting among others the Seven Sisters in East Sussex, St Michael’s Mount in Cornwall, Donkey Rock in Gower, South Wales, Harlech Castle, Fingal’s Cave in the Inner Hebrides, and the Humber Bridge in East Riding of Yorkshire. Many of these paintings and prints are available to buy through Mallett Fine Art.

As Timmy toured the country, climbing the great coastal roads (10 times the equivalent of Everest) map makers at OS charted his progress. And now OS has published a digital interactive map called Timmy Mallett’s Utterly Brilliant Cycling Circumnavigation of Great Britainshowing the exact route Timmy took. Users can delve into the locations and click on the paintings he created there. These are accompanied by video clips recorded by Timmy whenever he stopped. They show the stories, histories; exchanges with the public; tales of bike breakdowns and pictures of his incredible experiences throughout the solo journey.

Timmy expects the map – which contains over 1,000 uploaded items – can be a starting point to inspire people to get out and about exploring.

Timmy said: “Everyone has a favourite beach or family place in Britain that they love. Chances are I’ve cycled there, been inspired & painted there, maybe I’ve recorded a story of somewhere dear to your heart.”

He added: “Britain is stunning; we are blessed with a World class coastline and to be able to share my cycle route on this map & share it as a resource through Ordnance Survey is utterly brilliant.

“Being curious can take you on an incredible journey. I’d love people to explore the map and let it spark their curiosity to visit these magical places themselves.”

You can find Timmy Mallett’s Utterly Brilliant Cycling Circumnavigation of Great Britain on www.getoutside.uk