Two friends are kayaking 3,000 miles from Ireland to Istanbul in a world first.



Johnny Coyne and Liam Cotter, both 22, set off from Dublin a month ago and are now 200 miles into their journey through 16 countries to Turkey.

The journey will see the outdoor instructors kayak through the Irish Sea, across the English Channel, the along River Thames, Rhine, and Danube.

They'll pass through Ireland, England, France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Poland, Italy, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Belarus, Lithuania, Moldova and even Ukraine, before they arrive in Turkey in March.

They are embarking on their extraordinary adventure to raise money for Daisy Lodge, a respite facility for children with cancer and their families.

The duo hope to raise £30,000 for the cause, and they've already raised almost £4,000.

Johnny, from Galway, who is currently in Whitehaven, Cumbria, said: "I do a different adventure every year, and I kind of thought it would be cool to kayak from Ireland to Asia, so far it's been amazing and beautiful, admittedly with some scary moments."

Having already completed long-distance hikes and cycling trips, Liam, from Cork, and Johnny are no strangers to endurance.



According to Johnny, the pair "aren't amazing kayakers."

"We're actually not the best – but we're in pretty good shape," he said."

Johnny says the idea just came into his head, and he likes to do at least one big physical challenge per year – and last year cycled from Canada all the way down to Costa Rica.

Their trip started on the Irish coast, and they are now almost a month in.

The trip sees them hug the coastline before kayaking down thousands of miles of European canals where they can come onto dry land every night and sleep in a tent.

The pair said the most grueling part of the journey was when they kayaked across the Irish sea to Whitehaven, Cumbria.

They almost had to call sea rescue after Liam's kayak began filling up with water.

Johnny said: "We spent nine hours crossing the Irish Sea with no setbacks, but when we reached Scotland, things took a turn."



"Liam's kayak started sinking because it had a hole in it," Johnny said."



The pair spent ten hours battling to get to land while fighting the tide which was going out, an experience Johnny describes as "very scary."



At one point, they were five kilometres from land, but still had to kayak for hours due to the tide and current.

The pair are currently recuperating and awaiting a replacement kayak in Whitehaven.

Despite the hardships, including sleeping on beaches every night and subsisting on freeze-dried food, Johnny and Liam remain optimistic.



"We've only slept indoors once since we left, but you get used to it" Johnny said."

"At the start, the freeze-dried food seemed alright, but we're starting to dislike it!"

"When we're near towns, we spoil ourselves and eat proper food - Wetherspoons has been a favorite!"

The most challenging part of the journey so far was crossing the Irish Sea, which took nine hours.



"Getting across felt good," Johnny says."



"A lot of people doubted us, but we did it."



Now they're preparing for the next big hurdle: crossing the English Channel and kayaking through Europe as winter approaches.

They are equipped with extreme weather tents and sleeping bags which can withstand freezing temperatures.

Johnny says his favourite part so far has been setting up camp after a hard day of paddling.



"Getting set up and relaxing at the end of the day is amazing - it really makes you appreciate the little things," he said."

With approximately 150 more days to go, the duo knows the journey is far from over, but their determination to raise money for Daisy Lodge and help families affected by cancer keeps them going.



"This is our first long trip, but we're hoping the toughest part is behind us."

To donate visit: www.gofundme.com/f/help-us-raise-funds-for-daisy-lodge-in-cong-comayo?lang=en_GB&utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link