High Peak pair ride from John O'Groats to Land's End on vintage mopeds for Blythe House Hospicecare

Dave Glossop and Doug Gowans, from Buxton and Chapel respectively, completed the 900-mile journey on Honda C90s in just three and half days at the start of June.

Dave, 40, said: “The C90 really isn’t designed for long distances, so we didn’t know how far we would get each day, but we managed up to 11 hours in the saddle.

“We were losing nuts and bolts all the way and there were some stiff necks. The first thing everyone asks is ‘how is your bum’, but they were actually quite comfortable. The old-fashioned seats have a lot of padding.”

It is not the first time the pair have taken on long distance fundraising challenges. They first met when Doug was a customer at Dave’s Chapel business Hello Dave Auto Care and Repair.

In 2018, father of four and former airman Doug was cycling coast to coast on a Raleigh Chopper to mark 100 years of the RAF Benevolent Fund and Dave decided to accompany him on a Raleigh Burner.

Dave said: “You don’t spend that much time riding side by side without becoming good friends, so we decided to take on another challenge.

“I wanted to keep it local for the charity. One of my customers works for Blythe House and recently lost her partner who was as mad about motorbikes as I am.”

The 85cc C90 is one of the world’s best-selling mopeds but is more accustomed to nipping around city streets than being powered all day at full-throttle on open roads.

Dave said: “Coming down the side of Loch Ness, Doug’s exhaust sheared off. Fortunately we found a welder in Fort William who kindly repaired it for free. That aside, riding through Scotland was our favourite part. Between the snow-capped mountains and the lochs, the views were like nothing I’d ever seen before in the UK.

“There were a few other mishaps but it’s all part and parcel of the challenge. On the last day my bike was on the verge of seizing up because it got so hot. We stopped and waited for it to cool down, and eventually made it to the finish line.”

The pair were thrilled to arrive in Land’s End, but even more satisfied to have surpassed their £500 target. The donations are still coming in and Dave has added to it by auctioning off the helmet he wore.

He said: “It will certainly make a different to someone’s life, and that’s the most important thing.”

Dave and Doug are already contemplating their next fundraising feat, said Dave: “We’re talking about trying to break the John O’Groats to Land’s End moped world record next year.

“I think it is around 21 hours. The bikes will need a couple of modifications, and we’ll really have to go flat out to beat it.”

To add to their fundraising total, go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/douglas-gowans2.

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