A couple who are cycling from Thailand to Australia, covering 100km a day, camping in mosques and encountering wildlife along the way, have said they will complete the challenge “no matter the cost”.
Olly Hargreaves, 26, and Ellie Ormerod, 25, became a couple in 2021 after he cycled around 320km from Cheshire to Winchester in just two days to ask her to be his girlfriend.
In April 2025, Olly set off to fulfil his childhood dream of cycling to Bangkok from Cheshire, inspired by his dad’s own journey to Australia in the 1980s, with Olly and Ellie navigating a long-distance relationship along the way.
Despite breaking his collarbone, Olly reached Bangkok in December 2025, where the couple reunited and began travelling together towards Australia, eventually deciding to continue the journey by bike.
Now cycling through Indonesia, with near-misses on the road, the pair said the challenge has strengthened their relationship even more.
Ellie, from Macclesfield, told PA Real Life: “It’s been so nice to travel the way Olly has wanted to travel since he was a little boy and experience more of the wild side of this type of travel.”
Olly, from Cheshire, added: “I have learnt that Ellie has no quit, even when things are becoming difficult and unenjoyable she wants to complete the goal we initially set out to complete, no matter the cost.”
Olly and Ellie met at Poynton Sixth Form in Cheshire in 2016 and became a couple in 2021.
“He cycled down from Poynton to Winchester in two days to surprise me and ask me to be his girlfriend… the surprise took place in the middle of Winchester high street,” Ellie said.
However, Olly still wanted to achieve his childhood dream of cycling around the world – he was inspired by his dad, Phil Hargreaves, 62, who cycled from the UK to Australia in 1984.
He managed to save around £6,000 for the trip and set off on April 17 2025, with the aim to cycle from Cheshire to Bangkok.
The couple remained together, calling each other as much as they could.
Ellie explained: “There were days where I cried on the phone to Olly, telling him how lonely I felt.
“We spent pretty much all of our spare time together before he left, so when he set off he really did leave a big Olly-sized hole in my heart.
“Having that time dedicated to just me was so empowering, and I’m actually grateful that I got that time to work on myself and focus on just me for a bit.”
Olly pedalled through Germany, Austria, Croatia and the Balkans, enduring long climbs and nights bivouacking in chapels before travelling through Turkey, Georgia and Kazakhstan.
His journey continued along the Silk Road in Uzbekistan, the Pamir Highway with his dad in Tajikistan, and through the high mountain passes of Kyrgyzstan, India and Nepal, where he cycled through tiger-infested jungles.
However, he broke his collarbone while cycling to Pokhara and was “gutted” that this meant he could not reach the finish line by bike. Instead, he flew to Bangkok on December 1.
Ellie then met Olly in Bangkok, and the pair headed to Australia together on February 19, backpacking along the way.
“I was really sad to leave home… I was almost grieving the life I’d just spent the past two years building,” Ellie said.
After experiencing a “few difficult border crossings” in Thailand, they decided to continue their journey by bike.
As this was not the original plan, they had to send 25kg worth of items home, keeping only the essentials such as a tent, blankets, a few clothes and waterproofs.
Along the way, Olly plotted routes using his bike computer, which functions as a GPS.
The pair made their way down the coast of Thailand to a ferry terminal, travelling to Koh Tao.
They then took a night boat back to the mainland and cycled to Khao Sok National Park, where they saw wild elephants, hornbills and gibbons, staying in a floating bungalow in the middle of a lake.
On a typical day, they set off at around 6am and cycle roughly 40km before stopping for breakfast, only pausing again for food, drink or a “nice picture stop”, and, on average, they cover around 100km a day.
The pair then cycled to Krabi in southern Thailand, and continued through Malaysia, including George Town and Kuala Lumpur, between March 7 and March 20.
Olly said: “We frequently saw hornbills, different types of macaques and even some dusky leaf monkeys, which I think may be Ellie’s new favourite animal!”
They found it “tough” to find camping spots but discovered that mosques were very welcoming.
He said: “Every time we asked if we could stay under the shelter of the mosques, we were greeted with open arms, and they almost always brought out food and drink which they insisted we had!
“(It was) a really nice experience every time, and we got to speak to the locals whilst they were around there.
“One of the mosques even had a room specifically for travellers to stay in that they offered up to us – just goes to show the kindness that is out there in the world!”
However, they soon realised the only ferry to reach Java in Indonesia from Singapore was departing in one week, meaning they “had to do some serious days in the saddle” to make it in time and still see some of Singapore.
They managed to cycle to Singapore in four days, covering at least 120km each day.
Luckily, they made it in time and caught a boat to Batam, Indonesia, on March 23, where Olly secured tickets to Jakarta, the capital.
The boat journey was 38 hours long and the pair could only get tickets for the lowest class – they were given yoga mats to sleep on, which they said “was a bit of a shock”.
They have since travelled through the ancient Javan city of Yogyakarta, visiting the world’s largest Buddhist temple, Borobudur, and Malang.
However, while in Indonesia, Ellie said that on one day alone, four or five cars nearly ran her over.
Olly explained: “One of them was nearly a head-on collision.
“Over here, if you give them an inch they quite literally take a mile, and that’s becoming a real threat to our lives.
“Ellie is definitely becoming more fearful of traffic and it’s making her quite upset.”
On April 13, they began cycling up Mount Bromo, an active volcano standing at 2,329 metres high.
They then plan to travel to Bali before flying to Perth on May 1, marking the end of their bikepacking journey.
Looking back on the experience so far, Ellie described it as a real challenge.
She said: “It’s the niggles of self-doubt and negative thoughts that creep in – this is definitely the hardest thing I’ve done.”
They believe the experience has helped them communicate even “more easily”, as they have had to support each other throughout.
However, she admits they have had moments of tension, especially when cycling up steep hills.
“He tries to cycle next to me, singing and dancing, whilst I’m dying trying to catch my breath,” she laughed.
“l just tell him to go away, leave me alone and meet me at the top!”
The pair believe the experience has changed their perspective on life.
Olly said: “I think life back home is taken too seriously. Doing a trip like this really shows how little you really need to have what some might call a good life.
“I have seen people with so little who want to give so much and are genuinely very happy.
“I urge anyone who has the chance to go out and see the world. There is so much waiting for you!”
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