In April 2010, Joe Andrews and James Bonell from the South West of England will set out to circumnavigate mainland Britain. They will set off from Falmouth and aim to complete the 3,000 mile challenge in 4-5 months, raising money for two charities on the way.

Although it’s been done before, it’s an epic challenge, with some of the strongest tides in the world, inevitable storms and miles of exposed coast to contend with. The pair will attempt some of the longer open crossings if the weather permits – 25nM from Devon direct to Pembrokeshire and 50nM from Anglesey to Isle of Man and then on to Scotland.

The team will be raising money for two charities during the challenge. One of the charities is the NACC (National Association for Colitis and Crohn’s Disease) – James’ sister was recently diagnosed with Crohn’s. The second charity is Wateraid – Joe is a civil engineer, so it’s a natural choice for him. Their fundraising target is a mammoth £20,000.

James has done a huge amount of long distance challenges for charity in the past as well as having a wealth of experience in white water river paddling.

Joe grew up competing in Freestyle kayaking, but over the last few years has been concentrating on adventure racing.