Rome all the way home for 2 ex-soldiers

Close friends Martin Burnett and William Malloy, who between them spent 38 years with the 1st Battalion, The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment), covered more than 1,500 miles from Rome all the way back to Edinburgh.

Fifty-four-year-old Martin was delighted with the event’s success, which saw them set off from Rome’s historic Colosseum on August 1.

Speaking to the Courier after reaching the finish line, Martin said: “We did get a good thank you from Erskine but it was a privilege and an honour to be able to help them out in their centenary year.”

Martin, of Macmerry, and 55-year-old William travelled through Italy, Austria, Germany and Holland before arriving back in Newcastle.

Then, it was back to Edinburgh, via East Lothian, to raise money for the charity, which is Scotland’s foremost provider of care for veterans and their spouses.

The charity offers nursing, residential, respite and dementia care in four homes in Scotland for UK veterans.

The duo are no strangers to long-distance cycling challenges, having got on their bikes two years ago to pedal from Land’s End to John O’Groats.

Martin added: “It has been tough but Willie has been a master of routes, so everything has worked out well and in general the cycling has gone well.

“We haven’t had much time to rest our legs.

“A lot of the scenery has been spectacular but because we have been working so hard you don’t get the chance to fully appreciate it.”

As well as cycling through the Alps, Martin and William, of Haddington, encountered both thunderstorms and a heatwave.

Martin added: “When we went through the thunderstorms, that was something else.

“The rain was bouncing off the ground and hitting you on the chin.”

The duo were then welcomed at Erskine Edinburgh in Gilmerton, with motorcyclists joining them from Musselburgh and Portobello.

To support Martin and William by donating, go to justgiving.com/rome 2home2016 or text Erskine Cycle to 70707 to donate £5.