A COUPLE in their 50s took out their pension and went on a round the world 'gap year' on a tandem.

Sean and Kay O'Toole, aged 56 and 55 from Colwall had a "great experience."

Mrs O'Toole explained why they chose to use a tandem.

"Sean was a keen cyclist and I wasn’t, so it was the only way I could keep up with him. I felt I had a pretty good deal as Sean did all the steering."

The tandem was also a cheap way of travelling, which they had to consider as they had used their pension for the trip, calling it their "retirement in 9 months."

Mrs O'Toole said: "We will have to work until we drop now, but it was worth it."

The O'Toole's left in August and got a ferry to Holland, they cycled through Sweden and Estonia, then into Russia. They cycled down to Mongolia then through Beijing, they then flew to Auckland. They spent three months in New Zealand then flew to Los Angeles, they hired a car to San Diego then cycled along the Mexican border and on to Amarillo, route 66, Detroit, then on to Canada where they visited Mrs O'Toole's cousins.

Mrs O'Toole used to milk cows but took two years off to look after her father who had dementia, her parents both passed away over 12 months ago.

Highlights of the trip included New Zealand and Mongolia where they were taken aback by how friendly and happy the people were.

"I was a bit anxious about going to Russia, but people everywhere were so nice. I think the tandem made us a bit of a novelty, and people found us amusing."

She said: "We arrived in New Zealand in the spring so it was paradise, and we stayed with my niece."

Mrs O'Toole said there were challenges along the way.

"Spending 24/7 together was quite hard as it was a long, long time, and in some countries where we couldn't speak the language, so it was just us."

Despite this, she said it was "amazing." They travelled around 11.5000 miles.