Two Peak District teenagers on a gruelling 10,000 mile charity bike ride through most of the countries of Europe are currently facing one of their biggest challenges so far – unexploded landmines.

Nineteen-year-old David Cook of Baslow, a former Lady Manners School student, is devoting six months of a GAP year to ride the whole route.

With him on the outward leg of the journey from Calais to Athens is Matthew Gibson (18), of Hathersage, a former student at Hope Valley College and Lady Manners School sixth-former.

In a message to England this week, David says they are now 3,500 miles into their journey and cycling along the Croatian coast.

But, he reports, camping has been a problem because of the landmines laid during the Serbia-Croatia conflict.

"We ask the locals where it is safe to camp but sometimes have difficulty understanding them. Fortunately, they have been right up to now" says David.

The pair are now preparing for the next stage of the journey - through Montenegro and Albania - which is likely to be even more of a challenge.

"We want to cycle the 120-mile stretch through Albania in one day because we have heard a lot of bad stories about the situation there" says David.

They are making the trip, which has taken almost two years to plan, on specially-commissioned bikes which have each cost £1500.

The machines are particularly robust and designed to cope with any terrain as well as carry their camping and other equipment - including solar panels to power their mobile phones and global positioning system.

On the return leg from Turkey to Paris, David will be accompanied by Luke Johnson who studied at Saint Mary’s School in Chesterfield and is now an undergraduate at Imperial College, London.

The trio want to raise cash for the Kankudibi health clinic in The Gambia, a charity headed by Stanton Lees residents Geoffrey and Julie Henson, the road safety charity BRAKE, and the British paralympics team.

The photograph shows David (right) and Matthew during a short stay in Pisa