A SERIAL explorer and motorcyclist has returned home after riding 18,000-miles in his latest bid to raise cash for a cancer charity.

Mark Kemp, 56, has now raised more than £22,000 for the Teenage Cancer Trust and is now targetting £30,000.

His latest epic adventure saw him travel to Magadan, in eastern Russia, through 15 different countries over the course of three and a half months.

The Braintree man said: "The highlight of the trip was definitely Mongolia which didn't have too many bitumen roads, there were hundreds of miles of dirt tracks to follow to get to the villages and monasteries out in the mountains.

"Before I went, Siberia and Mongolia have always appealed because they're just so amazing and remote - I wasn't disappointed."

"While I was in Tasmania on my round-the-world trip I met and rode with a guy who said he had just booked up to do a ride from London to Magadan and that's how it came about."

In total Mr Kemp was joined by 15 other riders for the journey which began in London and went through France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria to Turkey.

Mr Kemp said: "Here we entered Asia to ride into Georgia, then up to Moscow in Russia before Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. then it was back into Kazakhstan before re-entering Russia to pass into Mongolia.

"We then entered Russia for the final time to finish the ride across Siberia at Magadan."

In 2016, Mr Kemp gave up his job as an automation engineer before setting off on a 20-month round the world trip which saw him raise more than £10,000 for the trust.

He said: "As with my solo round-the-world trip we met lots of wonderful people, most were intrigued with our journey but they were all helpful when help was necessary.

He joked: "The Russians were mystified as to why anyone would want to ride to Magadan." Mr Kemp decided to raise cash for the charity after a friend's son was diagnosed with cancer while he was planning his 20-month trip.

He said: "He fought it and I saw the work the cancer trust did to help him overcome it and get him back on his feet.

"But unfortunately it came back and sadly, while I was in Russia, he died."

Donate at www.justgiving.com/Mark-Kemp3.

For more details of Mark's travels visit www.facebook.com/RTW4TCT.