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A Northern Ireland adventurer who traced the longest river in Iran from source to sea, has described it as 'dicing with death'.

Leon McCarron walked, kayaked and biked along the waterway - from the snowy mountainous headwaters of the south west to the Persian Gulf - in a country still largely shrouded in mystery.

The film student was welcomed into Iranian homes and subject to startling acts of kindness and generosity in a state former US president George Bush conversely named part of the 'axis of evil'.

Frosty toes: McCarron treks upstream through the snow of the River Karun

A kind benefactor loaned McCarron a bicycle and other equipment when the rapids of the River Karun became too dangerous to boat down.

Mr McCarron said: 'A lot of Iranians would often say anything is possible in Iran, it is their motto and one has to agree; within 20 minutes we were fully kitted out for a bicycle expedition, we had to promise to have lots of fun and take pictures to send back to him.'

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advises against all but essential travel to Iran, but tour operators have reportedly seen a rise in holiday bookings to this wild and wistful destination.

Catch me if you can: The intrepid explorer packing a pace and a hefty rucksack as he heads into the mountains

The expedition earlier this year took more than a month, and Mr McCarron intends to document a film about his 450-mile adventure along the river's course.

He walked for a week along the banks of the river from its source until it became wide and deep enough for him and his friend to float their kayak. For navigation they used a map drawn up by Russians during Soviet times.

Highlights along the way included Shushtar, the summer capital of the Persian Empire which boasts stunning water features and is renowned for a historic hydraulic system that uses the river water and is protected by the World Heritage.

Mr McCarron kayaking with friend in calm waters before braving the perilous rapids and losing a paddle

At one particularly dicey moment Mr McCarron's kayak capsized in deep rapids, causing his paddle to be instantly sucked under the water by a vigorous whirlpool.

'It probably scared me more than anything else I saw on my trip,' said the adventurer.

Despite managing to find a replacement paddle in a nearby town, the pair soon decided it was foolhardy to continue.

'Eventually we decided we were dicing with death a little bit too much with the kayak,' McCarron added, 'I think I am more of a low-adrenaline adventurer.'

Calm after the storm: Cycling at sunset having been loaned bikes and equipment by a generous local

A friendly Baktiari villager meets Mr McCarron in the snow during part of his 450 mile trek

Bicycles seemed the obvious solution to continue, but the pair were short of funds owing to Iran being unrecognised by the international cash machine network.

Fortunately a local shop-owner had hundreds of cycles and loaned them two of his best touring bikes with panniers and sleeping bags, based purely on the premise they send him pictures of their adventure.

Mr McCarron and his friend finished their trip at the Gulf, near the city of Abadan and Basra, where British forces were based during the Iraqi conflict. 

A Khuzestan family are warm and welcoming towards Mr McCarron as he passes through their village