Timmy Mallett: How a 1980s TV star became ambassador for Galloway

Fast-forward to November last year and he was back in south-west Scotland in order to cycle the Rhins of Galloway – a vaguely mallett-shaped peninsula – which he had had to miss out previously.

Timmy said: “Isn’t that a great name, The Rhins of Galloway?

“It’s got something of the Tolkien or Lord of the Rings about it, hasn’t it?”.

During his previous visit he had got as far as Portpatrick before having to stop but he gathered a group of friends to complete the missing part.

“You think it’s just that tiny little spur but it’s got lots to it,” he said.

“And particularly what appealed there was the Logan Botanic Gardens with its finest collection of tree ferns anywhere in Great Britain.”

His social media posts in the Rhins and beyond at spots like Dunskey Castle, Garlieston and the Isle of Whithorn captured the area at its best.

“One of the things I do is just stop, I stop at every opportunity, have a look and be curious,” he said.

“You know, you work on the assumption that you may not come this way again, so don’t want to miss it.

“And I found it absolutely thrilling that the Rhins of Galloway could deliver quite so much.”