Dental nurse Leanne Pemberton, 27, and carpenter Paul Snuggs, 26, head off on their mammoth bike ride today, riding the first leg of the trip to Dover. From there, they will head through Europe to Greece where they will stop off for a half-way break. After a quick ferry ride to Turkey, the pair hope to cycle through Iran to Dubai where they will catch a flight to India where they will ride straight through to Sri Lanka.

The couple plan to ride from 6am to 5pm every day, sleeping in a tent on their journey though 17 countries. Leanne said she was raring to get on her bike and get going. “I am totally excited about it, I can’t wait. Last week I had a couple of days where I felt quite emotional and thought ‘I am I really doing this’, but mostly I’m just thrilled to be going. I love traveling and I feel its going to be a great journey but I am sure its going to be tough.”

The pair have already raised around £1,000 for Kickstart, a charity supporting Sri Lankan children through sport. They plan to stay in the country for another six months following the challenge to teach English and sports at a local school. Leanne said although she had spent months training for the ride, the distances involved were quite daunting. “I cycle every other day but the cycle down from London to Dover will be the furthest I have ridden in one go.” Leanne and Paul will be writing a blog on their 7,500 mile ride, taking photos from a bike-mounted camera.