Super commuter completes bizarre route to work for final time

A so-called super commuter whose journey to work featured two ferry crossings and three bike rides after he became frustrated with rail disruption has completed his bizarre route for the final time.

Maths lecturer Dr Michael McCabe made national headlines in 2001 when details emerged of the commute from his New Forest home to the University of Portsmouth.

Fed-up with the "absolutely appalling" 90-minute train journey taking up to four hours due to delays and cancellations, Dr McCabe decided to cycle to Lymington, catch a ferry to Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight, cycle 20 miles to Fishguard and take another ferry to Portsmouth before a final bike ride to the university.

He subsequently returned to more conventional commuting to enable him to train for marathon running, but revisited the route last week to mark his retirement.

Dr McCabe was hit by a life-threatening illness at the age of 62 in February 2016, when a rare auto-immune disease and chronic kidney disease left him with limited physical ability

But he was determined to complete his bizarre commute one last time on September 7 to raise money for Brain Tumour Research.

He said: "After 28 years, I am very happy to be retiring, bringing my days of commuting to an end. But I will miss Portsmouth and its young people very much."

On his final commute on board Wightlink ferry St Clare, Dr McCabe was given a tour of the bridge and invited to take control of the vessel under supervision.

Wightlink chief executive Keith Greenfield said: "We have been delighted to have played such an important role in Michael's famous – and I have to say intrepid – commuting route.

"Naturally we were also keen to bid him a fitting and fond farewell as a commuter but we hope to see him plenty of times in the future as a more orthodox visitor to the island."

– Visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/isle to contribute to Dr McCabe's fundraising effort.

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