CYCLING the length of country is always going to be an arduous challenge - but it helps if a colleague who has done it first can offer a few tips.

Grant Jones, of Sidleys Chartered Surveyors in Oxford, will soon set off on the 910-mile trip and is hoping workmate Stephen Shuttleworth, who is currently doing the challenge, will be able to tell him what to expect.

The pair will be travelling in opposite directions but both are hoping to complete the journey in nine days.

They say booking similar challenges was "purely coincidental" but that it spurred each of them on to do the best they could.

Mr Jones, 48, who leaves for his challenge on August 25, and is going from Lands End to John O'Groats.

The partner at Sidleys said he was having ups and downs about the trip, which he is doing with friends Ian Nichol and Mike Lea, in aid of The Brain Tumour Charity.

Mr Jones, who lives in Witney with wife Sarah and grown-up daughters Emily and Laura, said: "This has been a long time coming. My friend Ian mentioned it at the pub 20 years ago but I said no as we didn't even have bikes then.

"He's celebrating his 50th this year and said he was doing the challenge and would I come too.

"Only time will tell how it will go. Stephen gets back before me so I've told him he needs to come into the office and tell me how easy it was, that it was a piece of cake.

"He can't be struggling up the stairs or anything.

"I have my ups and downs about it. Some days I think 'yeah I can do this' and other times when I've done a few days on the trot my legs feel a bit tired."

Mr Shuttleworth, from Bampton, set off last Wednesday and is travelling from John O’Groats to Lands End with brother Michael to raise money for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. If everything goes to plan he will finish his challenge no Friday.

Thea 53-year-old building surveyor said before his trip he was apprehensive: "Hopefully my body will hold out all the way. My partner Wendy will be driving our motor home alongside us so we have somewhere to stay in the night.

"I've done a bit of cycling before but nothing like this. I've been getting better through training."

To donate or find out more visit justgiving.com/Steven-Shuttleworth3 for Mr Shuttleworth's page and justgiving.com/fundraising/end-to-end2016 for Mr Jones' page.