A WEST Devon horse rider is gearing up for the ultimate challenge of riding from John O'Groats to Land's End later this summer.

Michael Bickell, a farmer from Lifton, who has several sponsored rides under his belt, will be joined on the gruelling ride by Simon Kerslake from Broadclyst, Exeter, who runs an equestrian supplies business.

The ride — in aid of three charities, Riding for the Disabled, Cancer Research UK and the Meningitis Trust — will start at John O'Groats on Sunday, August 25. It will finish five weeks later at Land's End on Sunday, September 29.

The pair will use around ten horses and a back-up team made up of family, friends and colleagues from Lamerton Foxhounds, of which Michael is chairman.

Michael said the hardest part is organising the ride: 'There is a tremendous amount of work going into the logistics, making sure we have the right horses in the right places. That's a mammoth task at the moment.

'I will be extremely relieved when I get into the saddle in John O'Groats knowing everything is in place and all the preparation has been done,' he said.

The ride had been planned for last year but had to be postponed because of the foot and mouth epidemic.

Michael has covered hundreds of miles and raised thousands of pounds for various charities over the years.

He has completed a sponsored ride every year for the past six years, but riding the length of Britain is the most ambitious challenge yet.

Michael says he hopes to exceed the £4,000 he raised the last time he undertook a sponsored ride.

The two experienced riders are now working hard on their own and their horses' fitness ready for the challenge.

If they want to complete the route in record-breaking time, the two riders will have to average at least 35 to 40 miles a day.

They will be riding up hill and down dale for more than a month with no days off — apart from one day to join the Countryside Alliance March in London, on September 22.

The route south from John O'Groats will take the riders through eastern Scotland to Inverness and Loch Ness to Fort Augustus and then through central and southern Scotland via Rannoch, Dunblane and Peebles to the English border at Longtown, Cumbria.

From here the route will take them to Appleby and onwards to the Yorkshire Dales and Long Preston before riding south through the western counties to Badminton via Crewe, Kidderminster and Worcester. From Badminton they will head for Wellow, Glastonbury, Hemyock and the home straits of Devon and Cornwall.

The pair say other riders are welcome to join them on any of the days' ride in their area.

Copies of the dates and route and any further information is available from Michael on 01566 783305.