A Louth Leader reporter has returned home weary but triumphant after cycling more than 550 miles in Europe for charity.

Journalist Trevor Brookes, (25), raised £1,200 for LIVES First Responders, a Lincolnshire charity which sees volunteers provide first response to road traffic accidents, cardiac arrests, and work place emergencies.

Together with his friend, Claire Mackinder, (20), Trevor cycled across Poland, Lithuania and into Latvia.

He said: “It was a trip I will remember forever – especially the warmth of the people.

“However, I’d rather forget the seemingly endless stretches of rough dirt tracks and cobbled roads – it was hell after a night sampling vodka with local farmers.”

The pair landed in Prague before catching an overnight train to Auschwitz.

They then got onto the saddle and headed north through Poland, stopping in villages, towns and cities overnight.

As they pedalled further into remote Eastern Europe they often overtook horse-drawn carts and watched maids milk cows by hand in the dewy mornings.

But halfway into the trip a mini disaster struck, when the pair were separated and Trevor (pictured) was stranded in a small Lithuanian town, Kaisiadorys.

Trevor said: “A young Lithuanian named Silvestras told me there was no accommodation. I faced a night sleeping in the rain.”

Thankfully, Silvestras took him to his Russian-speaking grandmother who, although she did not know a word of English, gave him food and a bed.

The cyclists managed to find each other around 50 miles later and finished their adventure in Riga.

Trevor said: “I’ve got the bug. Next year I’d like to cycle the coast of Ireland.”

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