Mark Wagh will depart Britain for the beaches of Rio De Janeiro on Monday having endured the gruelling 874 mile journey from John O’Groats to Lands End on his push bike last week.

The Nottinghamshire batsman is determined to make the most of his final winter break having accepted a job offer with a London law firm from August.

“When I reached Lands End I felt a mixture of exhilaration, relief and genuine happiness,” said Wagh, who arrived on schedule on Friday having departed John O’Groats on Thursday 21st September.

“The ride from Perth to Braemar was the toughest section with some particularly steep climbs but I knew that I had to ride for 100 miles each day to keep on track.

“My mental approach was similar to batting in that rather than focussing on each leg as a 100-mile entity I broke it down into smaller sections and set more manageable targets.

“I felt quite vulnerable early in the trip because I was cycling through the Scottish wilderness completely alone with tough inclines, heavy rain and driving winds and found myself shivering on the bike.”

Wagh has three further trips on his agenda before he returns to Trent Bridge to prepare for his final spell in professional cricket.

He will begin next season in Nottinghamshire’s opening pair in four-day cricket having been briefed to make runs at the top of the order before his retirement.

“Opening the batting at Nottinghamshire next season isn’t something that I have seeked out but Mick has asked me to do it and I’ll do everything I can to help the team,” said Wagh.

“I figured that this winter will be my final chance to do things that I really want to do so I plan to take advantage while I can.

“There is a lot of law work for me to catch up on and I’ve arranged to have six weeks in Rio where I plan to learn Capoeira.

“I also want to learn Thai boxing and spend some time at an Orangutang sanctuary so it promises to be an interesting winter.”

Mark Wagh is raising funds for The National Literacy Trust and donations can be made via