TWO lifelong friends from Dorchester have set off on their saddles to cycle the length of Britain.

Adam Fox, 17, and Ross Wheller, 18, are cycling 1,000 miles from Land’s End to John O’Groats to raise £1,000 for the Weldmar Hospice-care Trust.

Ross, a former Thomas Hardye student, thought of the charity challenge after Adam spent a week on holiday in Scotland last summer.

Adam, who is in Year 12 at the county town school, and Ross chose the Weldmar Hospicecare Trust because Adam’s grandfather was a patient at the Joseph Weld Hospice four years ago.

Adam said: “The hospice do so much work for people with cancer and the vast majority of funding comes from fundraising events so we thought we would take this opportunity to raise money for a worthy cause.”

The two friends, who have known each other from an early age, embarked on their 1,000-mile mission from Land’s End on Monday and hope to arrive at John O’Groats on August 11.

Adam and Ross, who are cycling without a support vehicle accompanying them on the route, hope to cover between 65 and 95 miles a day.

In preparation, the duo have cycled 100 to 150 miles across Dorset every week and gone swimming.

Ross, who hopes to study motorsport engineering at Oxford Brookes University in September, said: “We only recently set ourselves a target mileage each week.

“We began training properly in the last two to three weeks because of my A-level exams and Adam’s AS-level exams.

“We train everyday and cycle approximately 25 to 30 miles on average a day.”

For the past four years, the teenagers have participated in charity bike rides and, in April, entered the annual 66-mile British Heart Foundation charity cycle in Wimborne.

Ross added: “Adam and I began cycling together five years ago although we haven’t done any charity challenges as big as this before.

“I’m not really sure what to expect although it should be a good experience.”

Adam and Ross have received support from local businesses, including Auto Bitz Ltd and Mud Sweat & Gears, who have provided equipment and tools, as well as the Panasonic Store which has donated £50 towards the cost of their accommodation.

To sponsor Adam and Ross visit www.justgiving.com/ LandsEndtoJohnOGroatsRossAdam