A man from Raynes Park who travelled around the world on his own by bicycle for three years has returned.

Jonathan Kambskarð-Bennett 25, of Dunpont Road, started his mammoth journey in January 16, 2015, by cycling to Denmark to visit his mother and kept on going across Europe.

Travelling for some people to one country can be a challenge but Jonathan has managed to travel to an incredible 42.

He said: “I’ve spent much of the last three years way outside my comfort zone in foreign cultures and in tough environments.

“It has been a learning curve but the longer I spent on the road the more comfortable I felt about the challenges ahead.”

Jonathan went across Europe to Turkey, around the Caucuses through to the Middle East, Central Asia through to China.

With little experience before travelling, he recalls how he trained.

He said: “I cycled a couple of times around Richmond Park and that was it, I pretty much did zero training.

“I used to commute to work in London but I had no experience of any serious cycling.”

Jonathan arrived home this year to tuck in to turkey over Christmas.

He said: “I arrived home in time for Christmas this year as I planned to arrive home by mid-December to join in with the festivities and it was lovely to have Christmas at home.

“Winter can be quite bleak in this country so it is a nice thing to have to look forward to, I spent Christmas in 2015 in China, and it was cold and snowy when I was there but no one was celebrating Christmas so it didn’t feel too ‘real’.

“In 2016 I was in South Australia and it was 30C and the sun was out so it didn’t really feel Christmassy again so I’ve not felt homesick on either occasion.

He has fond memories of travelling and has been amazed by the courtesy and kindness of strangers who have helped him across his journey.

Being on his own, he has not been fearful and had to quickly become used to his surroundings.

He said: “Everywhere I travelled people went out of their way to help me. No one ever tried to harm or rob. I suppose I was amazed in many countries at how safe and friendly the world is.

“When I first started wild camping alone I was perhaps a little scared but I quickly became used to it and now there is not very much that makes me feel safe.

“If I am in an extreme environment I now have the experience and gear to stay safe. Being pragmatic is the key in those situations, planning carefully so that you aware of how much water or food you need to carry and what equipment to have for the weather.”

He has picked Iran as being one of his favourite countries. He said: “The hospitality there was far greater than in any other country I cycled.”

For more information about his detailed journey follow his blog on http://jkbsbikeride.com