Teenager breaks world record by cycling to 76 different Scottish castles in a single week

A teenage boy has broken the world record for the most castles visited in a single week by bike, smashing the previous record by nine.

Rory Downie, from Pound Green, near Tadley, cycled 480 miles and visited 76 castles across north-eastern Scotland during a six-day period in August.

Rory, accompanied by his father, set off from Inverey Castle at 9am on August 14, and completed the challenge at 6.30pm on August 20 at Brodie Castle.

He said: “I’m one of those people that needs something to challenge me.”

The 16-year-old undertook the intense physical challenge despite suffering several knee dislocations in the past few years, including one in February.

Rory said that the cycling has greatly helped with recovering following his injuries, as the low-impact exercise has slowly strengthened the muscles around his knee.

The Eton College student saw the world record attempt as the perfect way to rehabilitate following his injury, while also providing him with a chance to raise money for a worthy cause and promote cycling tourism in Aberdeenshire, the area in Scotland where much of his family comes from.

He has currently managed to raise more than £5,000 for Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance, but Rory hopes the total will climb to nearly £10,000 after more donations are confirmed.

To support Rory’s fundraising challenge, visit https://bit.ly/3M1wdDG

He chose to support the organisation after he had to wait three hours for an ambulance to arrive after his knee dislocated in a sports accident.

Rory was in an accessible area, but ambulances kept being redirected to more serious incidents.

He nearly caught hypothermia because of the lengthy wait, and so came to respect the great work air ambulance crews do to rescue injured people from isolated territories.

He said: “I think it’s an amazing charity, and if something happened to me like that in a really remote area, I couldn’t think of anything worse than having to wait six to eight hours or however long it takes an ambulance to get there.”

Rory undertook the cycling challenge with his father James, who cycled the same distance and took photos of his son touching all 76 of the castles to prove he had broken the world record.

Mr Downie said: “The experience was fascinating, doing it with my son and visiting an area where my family originates from. The physical challenge was an enjoyable one.

“You don’t have to be a professional sportsperson to beat a world record.”

The world record was previously held by endurance cyclist Matthew Page who visited 67 castles in Wales in February.

Before that, Rugby player Shane Williams was the holder when he called at 50 Welsh castles between February 22 and March 1, 2021.

Rory is currently waiting for word back from Guinness to officially confirm him as the new world record holder.