He normally sells cups of latte and she's usually sending emails and reports as an environmental consultant. But for several weeks last year coffee salesman Glyn Riley and office worker Cathy Riley of Chew Magna became two-wheeled explorers as they rode from Somerset to South Africa for the sheer hell of it.

It was one of those things they had fancied doing, and there was the small matter of a wedding they thought they'd drop in on in Johannesburg.

Television viewers may have followed the exploits of Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman last year on the Beeb, but without taking away too much from the celebrities, they were well supported. Glyn and Cathy in contrast relied on their wits to survive and the humanity of fellow travellers and the generous residents of the vast continent.

Setting off on a chilly autumn day from their home in the shadow of the Mendips, the couple steered a course across Europe, cutting down through France, the Alps and Italy, before embarking by boat for Libya in North Africa. From there it was the deserts of Eygpt and Sudan, the jungles of Kenya and the bumpy roads of southern Africa until they arrived at the penguin populated coast of the Cape.

They took a multitude of spares and a good deal of tips from Somerset Superbikes near Wells, and camping equipment for their accommodation. The sheer weight of their loaded BMWs also caused some of their problems. Not all the roads in Africa are tarmaced, so at times their bikes sank into the sand and mud up to their axles. The worst spot was in northern Kenya where a down pour left them stranded in a quagmire of thick cloying clay – and a soggy and unwelcome night in the bush..

The highlights were a visit to an unusual underground church in Etheopia, the Victoria Falls and of arriving in the Cape with the realisation they were close to their destination.

The couple raised money for the charity Riders For Health, during their ride. It is an organisation that trains medics to ride and maintain off-road motorcyles for use in the African Bush. Fowlers of Bristol highlighted the charity last summer at their open day, and the couple were determined to raise cash for this worthwhile organisation. If you would like to contribute to the work of the charity or to find out what they do then visit www.riders.org; to read more about the exploits of the intrepid couple from the Mendips then log onto www.depart2peninsular.com