Shoreham man's '˜slightly bonkers' mountain cycle trip aids youth charity

Angel Warwick, who has worked at The Duke of Wellington in Brighton Road as a barman for three years, was inspired to take on the challenge after a ‘marvellously shambolic’ cycle trip from Dieppe in France to Lefkada in Greece in late Spring last year.

The 24-year-old, who lives in a houseboat on the River Adur, said: “That whole trip was a marvellous mash up, but I always had in mind that it would have been better to have done it for a valid cause, rather than my own desire to sleep rough and hang out with trees.”

So at the end of the month he plans to set off again – this time with the aim of raising £1,000 for the Shoreham-based youth organisation Esteem by cycling from Greece to France.

With just his trusty bike, named Nellie Farcycles, Angel will traverse the Carpathian mountains, the Alps and the Pyrenees for three months, navigating his way using paper maps and spending his nights wild camping under the stars.

He said: “The plan is only partly formulated, I’m going for the ‘cross that bridge when I come to it’ method because adventure doesn’t occur on a meticulously planned route.”

He decided to support the charity, which helps empower young people who have been through care or are not in employment, education or training, as he knows of people involved in the organisation and said it was ‘an excellent cause’.

He said of the journey, on which he hopes to avoid ‘bears, boars and wolves’: “I think it’s going to be pretty tough, but I’m quite excited.”

Angel plans to record his trip on his blog, which can be found at www.nelliefarcycles.wordpress.com

He has already raised around a quarter of his target for the charity.

To donate, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/angel-warwick

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