Jet skier completes solo trip around GB in 64 days

A jet skier has returned home to London after circumnavigating the mainland of Great Britain on a stand-up jet ski.

Lee Robinson, from Edmonton, north London, arrived at Butler's Wharf, Tower Bridge, at around 10:00 BST on 25 July following a 64-day journey.

He said the 10-week odyssey makes him the first person to complete a solo circumnavigation of mainland Great Britain on a stand-up jet ski.

Having set off from Tower Bridge over two months ago with special permission from the Port of London Authority (PLA), Robinson travelled the entire coastline of mainland Great Britain alone on the water.

He told BBC Radio London that he experienced "everything from highs and massive lows".

"Our shortest day was just a couple of hours. The longest day was 14 hours," he said.

"Going up the east coast, we were up at 4 o'clock in the morning, getting on the water for 5. As you're going round the south coast, we were getting up at 8 o'clock.

"Everything was geared around the tides."

Despite downloading podcasts and music to keep him company during the long hours at sea, Robinson said he listened to "none of them."

"Once you're on that water, it's a case of just keeping focused," he said. "Whether it's rough seas or calm seas, you're trying to keep your navigational points going."

While Robinson was solitary at sea without a backup vessel, he was supported by a dedicated land crew - his wife Alison, son Miles, and family friend Liz - who met him at every stop to refuel, transport equipment, and manage logistics.

The journey was inspired by his long-time friend John Duncan, with whom Robinson completed a return crossing of the English Channel on stand-up jet skis 36 years ago.

Duncan, who lives with multiple sclerosis (MS), originally dreamed up the idea of riding around Great Britain.

The pair spoke almost every day throughout the 64-day trip as the decades-old dream was brought to life, Robinson said.

The route included a stop at St Margaret's Bay, where the duo had completed their Channel crossing nearly four decades ago.

The challenge was undertaken to raise funds and awareness for both the MS Society and the Alzheimer's Society.

Alongside Duncan's diagnosis, Robinson said the cause became deeply personal for him following the death of his mother to Alzheimer's in 2024, followed by his father nine months later.

Reflecting on the public's response along the coast, Robinson praised the "generosity of spirit" from communities across the country.

"The support that we got around the country was very heart-warming," he said.

"Very selfless people that understood the journey... and would offer their time, help, or advice with no want of payment."

Returning under Tower Bridge flanked by a PLA escort was "unbelievably special," he added.

"As a Londoner myself, Tower Bridge is always an icon. To be able to do that from start and finish there, I couldn't have asked for anything better."

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