A BIKE-MAD Weymouth couple have returned from an epic journey that took them to the far reaches of the UK.

Ron Lee and Michelle Price travelled 1,639 miles on a round trip to Vidlin in the Shetland Isles, to take part in the Simmer Dim motorcycle rally.

The invitation-only rally saw 400 bikers from all over the UK traversing the Shetland mainland on two wheels.

Ron, 56, of Greenhill, said: “The rally is a bit of an eclectic collection of people and it’s been going for more than 20 years.

“Michelle and I managed to get invited there because we both work for Cefas in Weymouth.

“We were probably among the people who had travelled the furthest to get there.”

Some of the sights Ron, Michelle, 46, and the other bikers enjoyed were a Viking re-enactment and the Shetland carnival.

The Viking re-enactment was staged by the Jarl squad and featured a ceremony of fire and participants attempted to invade the bikers’ campsite.

Although the height of summer, Ron said it was cold to camp out so far north with temperatures barely reaching 10c.

“Everyone is keen to have a good time in a friendly way,” he said.

“The Shetland residents really go out of their way to make you feel welcome.”

Travelling on a Honda CBS 1000 bike, Ron and Michelle took in the sights of the Lake District on their way to the rally.

“It was quite cold and windy going around some places but we were able to come back through via the Highlands,” Ron said.

“It gets a bit painful on the rear end but it was the incredible people and things we saw that made it worthwhile.”

After so many miles by land, there was still an overnight ferry ride from Aberdeen before the couple were able to reach the rally.

Ron said: “You can see a lot more going around on a motorbike than you would in a car, especially in somewhere like the Lake District, where it’s quite spectacular when you’re going round the hills.

“We were concentrating on enjoying every second of it.”