A Southampton vicar and his son who are determined to raise money for charity will make tracks for bonnie Scotland next month on a bicycle made for two.

Gary Philbrick, 46, vicar of Swaythling parish, Southampton, and his 17-year-old foster son Craig Wooldridge, will cycle all the way from Lands End to John O'Groats on a tandem bike to raise funds for the NSPCC and to help repair two local churches.

The pair, who have been training for the sponsored cycle to begin on July 6, estimate that their 958-mile ride will take approximately 16 days if they cover around 60 miles a day.

Gary said: "Craig got the idea for the ride when we hired a bike on holiday last year. We are looking forward to it. I've done a lot of training by cycling around the area but I've probably had to do a bit more than Craig because he is much younger."

Gary and Craig hope to cycle for four or five hours a day with breaks on their route which will take them through Bristol, the Welsh borders, Lancaster, Manchester, Carlisle and eventually up through Scotland to John O'Groats.

They are hoping to raise around £1,000, half of which will go to the NSPCC and the other half will be used to make essential repairs to St Mary's Church and St Alban's Church in Swaythling, Southampton.

But it seems that the pressure of travelling the distance in the time is not the only challenging aspect to this expedition.