By Susan Swarbrick

ADVENTURER Mark Beaumont said it was a "huge relief" to still be on target as he neared the halfway point in his world record attempt to cycle the length of Africa.

It is three weeks today since the Glasgow University graduate began his 6,200 mile journey from Cairo to Cape Town.

During that time the 32-year-old from Perthshire has had to battle stormy weather conditions, poor roads and mechanical issues.

Despite the setbacks, Mark remains on schedule to complete the route within his goal of less than 50 days and smash the current Guinness World Record of 59 days and eight hours.

He should reach the Kenyan capital of Nairobi by this weekend which will mark the halfway point in terms of distance and time.

"I'm quite excited to get to halfway almost exactly on target for my average of 150 miles a day which would take me to Cape Town in 46 days," he said.

"Most of Zambia and Botswana is pretty flat. If I can get favourable winds like I did in Sudan I could maybe even go a couple of days quicker than that."

Starting from Egypt, Mark's journey so far has taken him through Sudan, Ethiopia and now Kenya with Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana and South Africa still to come.

Recent days have seen the Scot successfully navigate his way through northern Kenya, an area he previously admitted that he wasn't looking forward to.

Given the political unrest in the region Mark has been accompanied by an armed security escort on the 300-mile stretch from Moyale at the Kenyan border to the town of Isiolo.

He revealed, however, that the most challenging section so far has come in southern Ethiopia.

"The last week has been brutal and not particularly sustainable," he said. "Every day has been absolutely massive trying to get through Ethiopia. Body, mind and bike are craving a slightly easier spell so I can get some recovery in. Ethiopia was very tough."

Mark suffered a sleepless night last Friday due to an upset stomach and has continued to feel the lingering effects in recent days.

"I was off-form for a couple of days last week and a little bit ill again on Tuesday but I'm OK," he said. "It is nothing that is going to stop me riding but it is just not a lot of fun when you have a bad stomach.

"The food on the whole has been pretty good but I'm just eating at the roadside whatever I can find. It was pretty likely I was going to eat something that didn't agree with me at some point."

The challenge marks Mark's first major expedition since 2012 when he almost lost his life after his boat capsized on a world record bid to row across the Atlantic Ocean.

Mark, who has previously cycled around the world and across the Americas, has so far raised more than £30,000 for Orkidstudio, a Glasgow-based humanitarian architecture charity.