After leaving Dingle on July 26th 2008, father and son team Mark and Sam Swain completed the adventure of a lifetime this week as they reached Tokyo last Thursday having cycled 15, 685 km (aprox 10,000 miles) across Europe and Asia from Dingle to Tokyo. Mark (50) and his son Sam (18) set out last summer from Commenoule with the intention of cycling from Dingle to Tokyo . From there the pair cycled through Kerry, Cork and Waterford on their way to the Ferry in Rosslare, traversing the UK and gaining access to France and Mainland Europe via the Channel Tunnel. Then it was on though France, Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and China before reaching their destination in Japan. Mark and Sam are originally from Canterbury in England however have been dividing their time between the UK and Dingle for the past 20 years. According to Mark, this trip has been in the pipeline for almost eight years as when his son Sam was ten years old he asked how long would it take to cycle to Japan. 2008 saw San turn 18 and Mark reach the milestone age of 50, so they decided it was the perfect time to undertake the risky task! The pair are expected to return to Dingle this summer where they will no doubt receive a heroes welcome. Mark plans to write a book about his and Sam’s experiences documenting the trip in a similar fashion to Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman when they circumnavigated the globe on motorbikes. More details on Mark and Sam’s amazing adventure may be accessed at their travel blog http://bugbitten.com/father_son_cycle/. More info is available at http://dinglenews.blogspot.com/