Living on the spur of the moment is one thing, handing the keys to your £20,000 Jaguar to a stranger "to see what happens" is quite another. But Rob Lowe claims doing the unexpected has served him well in life. His new book on eccentrics led to a nomination for Great British Eccentric of the Year 2009. Paul Whyatt speaks to the father-of-three.

MOST single parents looking for love turn to dating websites or appeal to friends to set them up, but not Rob Lowe.

The 46-year-old divorcee shunned conventional methods and instead set out on a bicycle to scour the UK for his perfect match.

Despite spending four months cycling a route around the British coastline, Rob failed to find his true love but he did manage to raise nearly £2,500 for charity.

And although he is still looking for love, Rob, of Broadway, Duffield, says he does not regret the effort he went to.

"The cycle ride was great," he said. "Even though I didn't find the perfect wife I still managed to raise £2,465 for the Macmillan cancer charity."

Mr Lowe has done many eccentric things and his book, A True British Eccentric, has led him to being nominated for the 2009 Greatest British Eccentric awards.

The annual ceremony, staged in Mayfair, London, is the brainchild of the UK Eccentric Club, which was founded in 1781 and has Prince Philip as its patron.

Other nominees for the award include Catherine Tate and Dame Vivienne Westwood, and Mr Lowe said he is "pinching" himself at his new-found fame.

"I'm mostly shocked and delighted at the same time," he said.

Mr Lowe's other eccentric antics have included dressing up as a lollipop lady in order to keep himself safe when crossing roads.

The former Motorola, Vodafone and Derbyshire Building Society employee, who received a diploma in IT at Derby College in 1984, also let a tramp borrow his £20,000 Jaguar – just to see what would happen.

"His name was Pete and we found him in the city centre of Derby," he said. "Me and a friend asked him if he wanted a go in it. A few days later it was found outside a hotel in Oxford with a puncture and my camera missing."

Despite his eccentric behaviour, he considers himself to be a "calculated and level-headed" person who maintains a positive outlook on life.

He said: "Last year I broke my leg twice and on another occasion fell through a skylight, ripping off all the skin on my right leg.

"But instead of getting down I ignored the pain and smiled my way through it. I was in and out of hospital for six months but at least I could still hop."

He said he wrote his book –- published in December 2008 – after being encouraged to do so by friends.

Only nine other people have been nominated for the 2009 award and Mr Lowe says he is "honoured" to be placed in the category of Britain's greatest eccentrics.

He also insisted being eccentric was a good thing.

He said: "Many people misconstrue the word 'eccentric' to mean some kind of nutter or crazy person.

"But its original meaning – which the Eccentric Club is fighting for people to recognise – actually refers to someone who is creative and innovative."

Mr Lowe said he would be delighted if his three children, who do not live with him, turned out to have similar characteristics.

"Alice, 16, is an avid golfer and Mary, 14, swims with horses," he said. "But Oliver, nine, just likes football so he's perhaps the normal one."

Mr Lowe's book is currently on sale at Waterstones, in St Peter's Street, Derby, where he plans to sign copies at a date yet to be arranged.