Timmy Mallett will have godspeed with him after being blessed by the Dean of Southwark before he set off for his around-Britain cycle ride.
The pink hammer-wielding, ‘Wacaday’ presenter is circumnavigating Britain on a solo cycling and painting tour of the country, covering 4,000 miles in 100 days.
Andrew Nunn, Dean of Southwark, graced his bike and bag with the scallop, the symbol of St James, the patron saint of pilgrims.
Although he did not adorn Mallet’s “itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini” with the sacred christian symbol, the Dean did say on Twitter: “Great to be asked to bless Timmy Mallett as he set out on his round Britain cycle ride. Travel well, Timmy.”
While on his travels, Mallett will paint a picture on each day of his journey. He was inspired by painters of the Napoleonic era such as William Turner and John Constable, who were unable to leave Britain to paint due to the wars raging around Europe.
Instead, they opted to paint British landscapes including white cliffs, Welsh castles and Scottish highlands. Timmy Mallett, joining the Chris Evans Breakfast Show said: “‘You know what, it would be really interesting to follow in their paint tracks.’”
Timmy was last seen zooming his way along the serene cliffsides around Newquay, Cornwall.