A FATHER and son who rode nearly 1,000 miles for charity have presented nearly £7,000 to St David’s Hospice Care.

Caldicot duo Andy Reeks, 63, and son Nathan, 35, pedalled 997 miles from Lands End at the bottom of Britain to John O’Groats at the top in 11 days last July.

But at the presentation of a £6,627.54 cheque last week, they admitted they got the surprise of their lives when their wives suddenly appeared to congratulate them after crossing the line.

The duo had been flummoxed when their other halves didn’t answer their phones after they rang with news of their achievement from the northern tip of Scotland.

But that was because the wives had secretly flown to Inverness to join them that night, and just as the father and son were sitting down at the campsite they surprised them by turning up unannounced.

Nathan, a director of Caldicot-based Nathan James Estate Agents, said: “We’d just pedal- led the best part of 1,000 miles the length of Britain, endured some tremendous challenges and were totally worn out standing at John O’Groats and our wives didn’t seem the least bit interested – we couldn’t work it out.”

Unbeknown to them, backup driver Ian Waite had arranged for wives Judith and Gemma to fly to Inverness with his wife Carole and drive to meet them all in Caithness.

Ian said: “The boys were sitting down at the campsite after their momentous ride, and they were pretty fed up.

“They just couldn’t believe their wives weren’t interested in what they had achieved, and just then the girls arrived at the site.

“The look on Andy and Nathan’s faces when they saw Carole, Judith and Gemma was absolutely priceless!”

The riders, who stayed for free at Caravan Club sites along the way, as well as making a pit stop at their home town Caldicot, admitted Lejog was tougher than they had imagined.

But Nathan, father of Ethan, 15, Connie, 11 and Rhian, nine, said: “Completing it as a father and son team was awesome. Completing that route at 63 years of age, that Dad was able to do that at his age and as a non-cyclist, was just amazing.

“It was a fabulous achievement. It’s something he and I will remember for ever.”

“The first two days in Cornwall and Devon were the most challenging in terms of physical effort and the heat – it was 30C – but the people along the way were just fantastic.

“Leaving Caldicot, where we had stopped on the fourth day, we had a superb reception from local people, family and friends.

“It was mentally challenging and really hard to continue on, leaving family behind.

“We were questioning why we were doing the ride after that, but we really felt we had to push on through and just get on with the ride.”

Father of three Andy, who is chairman of Caldicot Running Club, said: “Nathan was tremendous, very encouraging and supportive.

“I’m not the fastest rider, but we always stayed together – apart from the time he reached speeds of more than 40 miles an hour going down one hill in Scotland.

“And he was just two seconds off the record time for the ascent of a particularly gruesome climb on the A82 at Leven Bridge near Fort William.

“The best thing was that we didn’t have one breakdown, not even a tyre puncture.

“Our backup driver, Ian, was fantastic. It wasn’t until we got back home and the first time I went back out on my bike that the chain just fell off. But we couldn’t have done what we did without Ian’s planning. It was crucial.

“The route he devised was meticulous and the meals he cooked and provided was what kept us going, as well as the thought that we were raising money for such a great cause.”

Bethan Harrington, of St David’s Hospice Care, who received the cheque, said: “Andy and Nathan were determined from the word go to complete this mammoth challenge for St David’s Hospice Care.

“We are all in awe of their truly phenomenal achievement. The fantastic amount of money they raised will be used to help us continue to provide care throughout our community.”

Donations can still be made in person at Nathan James Estate Agents’ office, or online using their Just Giving page: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/nathan-reeks