A fearless mother and daughter cycling team who survived a gruelling 5,000-mile journey across seven time zones rode home to a heroes’ welcome.
Dynamic duo Tess and Francesca Monteith battled through desert storms, blizzards and a dog attack as they followed a trail set by silk merchant Marco Polo from the mountains of Sichuan in China to Venice.
The four and a half month adventure has raised £5,000 for Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA).
The pair were at the centre of a homecoming celebration in Blairgowrie town centre on Monday morning.
They arrived under police escort to crowds of supporters and a piper. Among the welcoming committee was SCAA chairman John Bullough.
“This is without doubt the single longest, hardest and possibly the maddest of any challenge that has ever been undertaken for our charity,” he said.
Keen painter Tess, 52, said they travelled about 75 miles each day, with a final push of 1,700km in 17 days.
She suffered 10 punctures throughout the trip, but her daughter had none.
“Considering what we put them through, the bikes did very well. They became our friends out there.”
She spent a night in a Uzbek hospital after being bitten on the leg and arm by a dog, narrowly missing vital tendons which may have scuppered the mission.
But the biggest hazard the pair faced was large trucks speeding passed them.
“We were in danger of being run down many, many times,” said Tess.
They have celebrated their epic win with matching tattoos, featuring a bee-eater bird a common sight on their travels etched on their ankles.