Teens say year-long cycle to Thailand 'best months of our lives'

Three teenagers who are nearly halfway cycling from Wales to Thailand for charity say the journey so far has been "the best months" of their lives.

Dyfan Hughes, James Thomas and Louis Dennis, all 18, had never ridden a bike further than the shop near their homes in Llangollen, Denbighshire, before they set off in August to raise funds for the British Heart Foundation.

They are currently in Batumi, Georgia, and aim to finish in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where they will meet up with a friend who moved there after his dad died of a heart attack earlier this year.

"People think it's a lot harder than it is, but we're three idiots and we're doing it fine," Louis said.

The trio have raised more than £20,500 for the British Heart Foundation, cycling through 19 countries, hoping to end by September 2026.

Speaking from Georgia on Boxing Day on day 144 of cycling, they said "the best is yet to come", having celebrated "their own little Christmas" together.

"We spent £20 each on each other," Louis said, adding they had been to a Christmas Eve party with expats living there.

"We gave out presents to locals too. It was great," he said.

They previously told the BBC they went on a four-week course where Drosi Bikes shop taught them "most stuff that'll happen to our bike and how to fix it, which helped a lot".

Dyfan said: "We've had a mixture of things happen from all countries.

"In Romania we were chased by wild dogs at one point, and in Turkey we had near misses with cars driving close to us."

"We wild camped next to the sea in Turkey and felt a mini-earthquake, with the ground shaking," Louis said.

The teens have gained 109,000 followers on Instagram and 140,000 followers on TikTok, posting videos showcasing their trip on their account called "westheads".

They show themselves playing 11-a-side football with locals, getting involved in catering classes, and celebrating Dyfan's 18th birthday.

Dyfan, a Wrexham AFC fan, made a call-out to the club's co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac - formerly McElhenney - saying: "If you've seen or heard us, let us know you're listening."

Their next plan is to fly from Azerbaijan to Kazakhstan as border controls are closed, meaning they will skip Russia.

"The last few months have been the best of my life. Doing it for a good cause," Louis said.