EXCLUSIVE We're cycling through 30 countries in a year - there's a Brit holiday hotspot that's as magical as the Northern Lights and Grand Canyon
The father and son duo, from Norfolk, are currently on a mission to circumnavigate the entire globe on two wheels.
Their epic 30,000km route will take them through 30 countries across four continents over the course of a year, and they're aiming to pick up the Guinness World Record as the first father and son to complete the challenge.
And along the way, they're raising money for two charities; UNICEF and Bicycle Links, a local Norwich charity that provides bikes to children in need.
Speaking to MailOnline from their 15th country, Kyrgyzstan, 56-year-old George says: 'A few years ago we'd decided to cycle across America and then a couple of years later Joshua came up with the idea to cycle home from Singapore. And then we thought "if we're going to do that, we may as well do the whole thing".
'When we looked into it we realised that's nobody done it before as a father and son. So all of a sudden we've got Guinness World Records on board.'
The pair will travel through Europe, Asia, Australia and South America in their attempt but so far, it's Turkey that's stood out.
Joshua, 22, reveals: 'Turkey was probably my favourite. I guess you have kind of an idea of what it's going to be like from the media.
LEFT: Josh and George in Uzbekistan which has so far been the most challenging country to cycle RIGHT: George is pictured above in very hot conditions in central Turkey
'But then it was so different in real life. The locals there were so friendly and kind. We got invited to breakfast by a shepherd and just the landscapes throughout the whole country were stunning.'
And his father agrees, saying: 'Turkey was a real eye-opener for us. We had had a few days off in in Cappadocia in Turkey, which was the most amazing place that I think I've been to in my lifetime. It's up there for me with the Northern Lights and the Grand Canyon.'
The pair's hardest cycling so far has been in Uzbekistan where they faced daily temperatures above 40 degrees.
'There was a sort of 450km stretch of single straight road through the desert,' explains Joshua. 'So we were waking up at 2am in the morning to get good distance in before the sun came up and the heat rose, but there's 50km periods without anything.
'We had to stock up on water but of course the water bottles turned hot within minutes. All you want is a cold drink and it's pretty impossible to get out there. We did have a couple of trucks stop and give us water but that was the hardest week of the trip so far.'
There have also been technical challenges, the most serious so far when a crack appeared in the frame of Joshua's bike in Turkey.
He explains: 'Our bikes are made of aluminum so you can't really weld them back together. Because of shipping and customs we couldn't get the frame sent to us in time.'
A solution eventually came in the form of Joshua's mother who flew out to Tbilisi in Georgia with the new frame.
Next stop on the journey is China which George explains is 'going to be so different to anything either of us have experienced before in terms of language, culture and scale.'
The pair aren't fazed though and are looking forward to the challenges to come.
'It's either been good, really good or incredible [so far],' reveals George. 'The people that we've met have been universally hospitable. We've had nothing but goodwill from everyone we've met.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
7 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Lorraine Kelly accidentally brushes her teeth with washing powder while husband Steve Smith brands the couple 'mingin' as they leave luxuries behind for Zimbabwe camping trip
Lorraine Kelly and husband Steve Smith have left luxuries behind for their picturesque Zimbabwe camping trip. But despite being left 'mingin' as they roughed it, the broadcaster, 65, and her partner of 33-years, appeared to love every moment as they got up close and personal with hippopotamuses and crocodiles. One mishap while travelling in their camper saw Lorraine accidentally brush her teeth with 'travel wash' while Steve, who shares daughter Rosie, 31, with his wife, joked the pair's equal stenches were 'cancelling each other out'. Taking to his Instagram he shared a clip of the getaway as the couple dined outdoors and enjoyed the scenery before bedding down in their van. Steve captioned the video: 'Another great day at mana pools. One of us brushed their teeth with travel wash ( no me ) before we set off the see what we could find'. 'Lots@of ele's antelopes, warthogs, jackals, hippos and crocs. The wild dogs have moved on and we never saw lions but we heard them in the night. Kept me awake!'. He went on: 'We're both so mingin now but at least we're cancelling each other out! Finally getting used to the 4WD with the funny wee second gear lever and the hub locks. Early night , up in the tent at 6 like toddlers before the bitey things come out of the bush ' While Lorraine commented: 'To be fair the travel wash was in the same wash at as the toothpaste and both tubes the same size'. Steve has famously stayed out of the spotlight and in his wife's shadow, with Lorraine joking 'his idea of hell would be a premiere' - but he understands the demands of her role in the entertainment world. She previously told The Mirror: 'He picks up the slack and always has. I couldn't do what I do if it weren't for him. He makes me laugh an awful lot. He's very kind and a brilliant dad.' Lorraine added: 'His idea of hell on earth would be at something like a premiere. It would be like having needles stuck in his eyes. That does help. It must be very odd being with someone who enjoys walking down a red carpet.' The host also lauded her partner for his support when she was going through perimenopause. She said: 'It was absolutely horrible. I completely lost myself. My husband didn't know what was going on. He said, "what can I do, how can I help?" It was him who said, "you have to get some help."' In 2021, Lorraine gave a rare insight to her marriage with Steve, revealing their sex life is ' toddling along nicely '. While Lorraine commented: 'To be fair the travel wash was in the same wash at as the toothpaste and both tubes the same size' The daytime television presenter said the secret to keeping intimacy alive is 'having confidence in yourself, adding that 'a lot of older women can feel invisible'. 'It is all about being confident in yourself. A lot of older women can feel invisible, but I don't', she told the Mirror. It comes after Lorraine reportedly signed a major deal with ITV rival Channel 4 for a huge budget travel series after her daytime show was hit by brutal cuts. The Scottish presenter's morning show has also seen her key production role, Head of Lorraine be axed, according to The Sun On Sunday. And this is just the latest in a series of blows for the show, as the year-round hour-long show was reduced to just 30 weeks of 30-minute slots from next year. Lorraine first joined ITV in 1984 and has appeared on many flagship shows including GMB alongside Eamonn Holmes. A source told the publication: 'Channel 4 were delighted to have Lorraine on board. It was exciting for Lorraine to do something different and be on location again. 'Despite the apparent slight in the ITV daytime shake-up, Lorraine's loyal fanbase isn't to be underestimated and they will follow her wherever she goes. The source continued and claimed she is 'gutted' over the cuts and is now 'opening her eyes' to upcoming options in the industry. An ITV spokesperson told MailOnline: 'We have always said that from January 2026, Lorraine, This Morning and Loose Women will be three editorially distinct shows which will be produced by one team. 'These changes are not about the performance of the shows or the staff who produce them, with Lorraine only last month achieving its highest audience share in four years. 'We can assure our viewers that their favourite daytime shows will remain familiar to them on screen."
BBC News
8 hours ago
- BBC News
Coventry cyclist Jake Stewart finishes Tour de France for first time
A professional cyclist has completed this year's Tour de France for the first Stewart, 25, from Coventry, took on the three-week and 3,500km (2,175 miles) race with the Israel-Premier Tech team. He crossed the finish line on the Champs Elysee in Paris on made his debut at cycling's showpiece stage race a year ago but did not complete as The Coventry Comet, he has now set his sights on September's Tour of Britain. Stage five starts in Atherstone and finishes at Burton Dassett Hills Country Park. Stewart attributed his success in the sport (he got a World Tour race win at the Criterium du Dauphine) to his upbringing in the West Midlands."Cycling is a very inaccessible sport, it's becoming more and more expensive for less privileged families to be able to provide for their kids."Growing up in Coventry, it keeps you humble when you make it on the big stage."Parents Ester and Paul Stewart watched their son cross the finish line in Paris. "He's got no ego, he just goes out there and he just wants to find his place in the peloton and be the best rider he can be," Mr Stewart said. Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
The Sun
10 hours ago
- The Sun
I'm obsessed with the £3.99 Lidl middle aisle holiday buy that is taking over hotel pools this summer
THERE'S a trend sweeping family hotel pools this summer - and no, I'm not talking about sun lounger hogging. At my TUI Village hotel in Turkey last week, I spotted more than a hundred 'water hammocks' that were identical to the one I bought from the Lidl middle aisle in June. The pool accessory works like a lilo, with inflatable tubes at each end and a mesh in the middle where your body lies. On a trip to Spain last month, the story was the same - the water hammock reigned supreme at the hotel pool. A straw poll of parents lounging by the pool in Turkey showed that the majority of them also picked theirs up for £3.99 from Lidl - the Blue Crivit Water Hammock. However, a decent proportion also bought theirs from Amazon, where a two-pack in pink and blue will set you back £15.99, or alternatively, John Lewis is selling a chic palm print version for £9.60. I only bought one in the Lidl flash sale, but I'll be stocking up on more next year because they make the perfect foreign holiday lilo. Why? Because the fact that most of it's mesh - not bulky plastic - means that it's super lightweight and packs into a tiny space in the suitcase. Gone are the days when I reluctantly shell out a fortune abroad, because I didn't have the space or kg allowance to take an inflatable on the plane with me. I could easily take three in a suitcase and barely notice them in the bag. The minimal inflatable space also means a: far less time to blow up, b: it takes up a lot less space in the hotel room and is easy to transport to and from the pool or beach, and c: there is less surface space for punctures. Speaking of travel hacks, 2025 was also the year that I finally tried out packing cubes, and I can't believe it took me so long. On a 14-day multi-stop trip to South Africa in April, there was no way I could do my usual unpack-the-moment-I-check-in routine, given that we were staying in eight different places. So I bought a few sets of 12 for £9 from Amazon, and everything was painstakingly divided up into different cubes - one for my son's T-shirts, one for shorts, one for my sweaters... and so on. 2 It made the experience so much simpler, because everything was easy to find within 3 seconds of opening up the suitcase - with no rifling around. Since then, I've reverted to emptying the bag as soon as I arrive if it's a one-stop holiday, but anything with more than two locations or less than three nights will have me reaching for the packing cubes from now on.
