A COUPLE who cycled from Oxford to Australia have released an online documentary of their journey across the globe.

Kevin and Lawanna Doye decided to pedal the 12,000km to Sydney to raise awareness of greener modes of travel, taking more than a year to complete the journey.

And the couple, who lived in Islip before setting off on their big adventure, hope their documentary will inspire others to follow in their tracks.

Mr Doye, 39, said: "What I would say to people is just get out there and do it. I know it is easier to jump on a plane, but I assure you it is so much better to see the world this way.

"I'm not saying people should cycle to the other side of the world, because obviously not everyone has the time to do that.

"But for those who are going on holiday to France or Spain, why not think about cycling to where you're going, rather than flying, and make it part of the adventure?

"It is a fantastic way to see the country you're travelling to, as the documentary will show, and it's so much better for the environment."

Mrs Doye, 33, admits the trip was both physically tough on both of them.

She said: "Someone asked me, wasn't there a point in the journey when you asked yourself what you were doing?' But if you reached the point where you wanted to throw in the towel, it meant you weren't having an adventure."

The documentary charts their journey from Oxford, starting in February 2000, into Europe through Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Italy, Greece and into Turkey.

From there they went to Iran then on to Pakistan, India, Tibet, China, Sri Lanka, Singapore and Malaysia, finally arriving in Australia in May 2001.

Mrs Doye said: "We had to take a couple of boats and a train ride, but other than that it was down to us. It shows it is possible to make this sort of trip without having to rely on airlines."

However, the trip had its dangers and the couple's documentary making almost saw them arrested for spying in Iran.

Mr Doye said: "We went to a university to try to find a computer we could use to access the Internet and, while we were there, the police started questioning us.

"All the equipment we had on us was illegal in Iran and we hadn't declared it when we entered the country. They must have thought we were spies and hauled us off for questioning."

The couple were eventually released and decided to leave the country the same day.