A 15-year-old schoolboy has become the youngest Briton to kayak the length of the Grand Canyon, according to David H. Johnston of paddlinginstructor.com.

Johnston writes:

Dan Murphy chopped through some of the toughest whitewater in the world to achieve the astonishing feat.

The super-fit teenager slept under the stars with rattlesnakes and packs of wolves for company as he paddled up to 20 miles-a-day through the famous U.S. canyon.

He also conquered more than 100 terrifying rapids.

Dan, who attends Thorpe St Andrew High School, near Norwich, and his friend and former coach Julien Pike were part of a team of 20 who completed the 15-day US trip.

Dan was allowed time off school for the adventure.

He began canoeing when he was nine with the cubs, and then the scouts, and it soon became obvious he had a rare talent.

The trip, authorised by the National Parks Service, took more than two years of planning and required Dan to raise £2500.

He prepared by spending winter days in the icy waters of Wales and Scotland, plus a week in the French Alps.

Now Dan, who lives with his mum Helen and a younger brother and sister in Thorpe, is planning a follow-up trip to the white waters of California next year.

Eventually, he wants to lead his own multi-day expeditions.

"My ambition is to paddle a classic river on every continent," he said.