Llangollen man hurt in China now back home after marathon flight

* Dyfan back home in Wales at last.

Following a flight of over 13 hours from China, 19-year-old Dyfan Hughes from Llangollen is at last back home in Wales after the serious accident which ended his cycling marathon to Thailand with two mates. 

And he hints that he'll be back pedalling to Thailand when the time comes. 

Dyfan was hit by a truck as he and his two friends of the same age, Louis Dennis from Garth and James Thomas from Wrexham - together known as the Westheads - were on one of the final stages of their 10,000-mile cycling trip to Thailand in memory of Tony Edge, the father of their friend Harrison, who died following a heart attack in 2024, and along the way raising over £50,000 for the British Heart Foundation.  

Dyfan was rushed to hospital in the city of Chengdu with injuries to both legs, spine, neck and scalp and ja few weeks ago had major corrective surgery lasting for many hours.

Louis and James have already flown home after staying by is bedside along with his worried parents for an anxious couple of weeks. 

In his latest social media update Dyfan describes his long air journey home via Hong Kong at the end of which he checked into Wrexham Maelor Hospital where he will complete his treatment and rehabilitation.

In the film, which begins on Monday as he leaves the Chinese hospital, he says: "It's now 20 to eight on Monday morning, and I am flying home.

"The doctors came last night and they checked on me. Everything is in place for me to fly home today. We've got around six hours until the first flight."

Then: "I'm leaving the hospital in two hours ... I have no clue how this works, but apparently I've got nine seats [on the plane].

* Dyfan is stretchered out to the plane in China.

"So here we go, 10am and I am all strapped onto the stretcher. And we are outside. We are going, we're leaving this West China Hospital in the past and let's get on that plane."

At the airport: "So we're at the airport and I've just been exchanging to the ambulance that's allowed on the runway. That'll put me in the aeroplane not long until the first flight."

Later, after he lands back in the UK: "In the UK ... officially in London. We have just landed the flight went a lot quicker than I expected. Thirteen hours and 30 minutes.

"And now we can't wait to get off the flight head up to Wales and then see our friends and family."

Finally: "Now back in Wrexham, it does feel very weird to be here, but it was amazing to see a lot of my family, and it's amazing to have a comfy bed as well. This bed is so much more comfy than it was in China.

"Okay, now I'm gonna get my stitches removed. Put me through a few scans and then we'll see what the crack is from there.

"Repatriation was a lot nicer than I was expecting. I had a good nine-hour sleep on the flight.

"Thank you very much to Chris and Kate, my doctor and nurse, for accompanying me and making me get here, safely.

"So happy to be back here. Yeah. And I love the rest of my treatment is to be done and my rehab here in Wales."

And in the caption to his post Dyfan says: "We hope to be back in China cycling down to Thailand when the time comes!"