Briton back after 13-year journey

The final journey across the Channel began on Sunday

A former cleaner from Dorset has arrived in British waters after an epic 13-year adventure over five continents, two oceans and a sea.

Jason Lewis aimed to be the first to circle the global on human power alone.

The 40-year-old battled robbers, dodged pirates, crocodiles, snakes and survived a car crash in the US which broke both his legs.

He made the trip in kayaks, mountain bikes, in-line skates and a pedal-powered boat called Moksha.

Yet, despite seeing some of the world's most beautiful sights, Mr Lewis admits: "I really miss ... going to a country pub and drinking a warm beer."

Pedalling towards the White Cliffs of Dover is just the best way to come back to England Jason Lewis In pictures: Expedition 360

The 46,000-mile (74,000km) journey officially ends when he reaches the Meridian Line at Greenwich on 6 October - the same place he started on 12 July 1994, aged 26, with his colleague Steve Smith who decided to leave the expedition in Hawaii in 1999.

Mr Lewis arrived in Britain at 2100 BST on Sunday after spending a day crossing the English Channel from Calais, France on the 16th and final leg of the 'Expedition 360' journey.

The trip was against the advice of French coastguards who were concerned about his "unorthodox crossing" of the busy shipping lanes.

1994 was when .... The Number One hit on the Singles Chart was Love Is All Around John Major was prime minister Tony Blair was elected new leader of the Labour Party Israel's London embassy was bombed

"The crossing was fine once we got the boat in the water - which was a little bit hairy launching in the surf - but once we got [into] deep water it was pretty straight forward," he said after arriving in Dover.

"It is funny to be here because on the surface of it, it doesn't look different to the rest of Europe but pedalling towards the white cliffs of Dover is just the best way to come back to England.

"I have been away a long time and I don't think it has sunk in as the last few days have been so frenetic with getting ready for this particular crossing.

"It's going to take a lot longer to sink in but it is a very good feeling to be back on this island."

He is now making his way up the river towards London on board Moksha, his wooden 26ft (8m) pedal-boat.

Jason Lewis pedalled across Europe to the English Channel

"It will be like a huge portion of my life over," Mr Lewis of Askerswell, Dorset, said last week when he arrived in Istanbul, Turkey after a 2,000-mile (3,219km) mountain bike ride through Europe.

"I am going to feel torn between saying goodbye to it, and at the same time I am looking forward to moving on to other things," the former owner of the contract cleaning company, Balistic Cleaning Services, added.

"The expedition has been my life, and it will be like getting a divorce from myself in a way.

"It is going to be very difficult saying goodbye and putting it to bed."

Mr Lewis started the journey pedalling the Moksha from Britain to France and then cycling to Portugal, via Spain.

From there he pedalled across the Atlantic to Miami via the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean.

After a four-month lay over in Miami raising funds to pay off debts, Mr Lewis roller-bladed to San Francisco.

Broken legs

In Colorado, Mr Lewis was run over by a car and suffered two broken legs. He was laid up for nine months.

The journey continued to Central America, Hawaii, Australia, West Timor, Singapore, Malaysia to south west China, India, northern Africa, Turkey, and then into Belgium last week.

More than 60 companies funded the major portions of his 13-year hike.

Other funds came from individuals along the way - including the British actors Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman whom he met on a sand dune in a desert in the Sudan.