Ramadan and runaway trains are giving a father and son cycle duo plenty to navigate en route to Asia.

Mark and Sam Swain, from Canterbury, are poised to leave Istanbul after clocking up 2,500 miles on a 12-month cycle ride to Japan since mid August.

They face a crunch meeting today at the Iranian embassy in order to keep to their preferred route but could opt to go through Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenestan en route to Tokyo.

But the pair, from Temple Road, were separated when a train they were boarding moved off with Sam and his bags stranded on the platform in Orsova, Romania earlier this month.

After a few hours on bench with no money or passport, they were reunited when Mark returned on a later train with the bikes.

They were joined by Mark’s wife Lorna for a few days break in Istanbul last week to take in sights including the Blue Mosque and the cauldron that is Turkish football in a European Championship

In an email on Monday Mark, 50, said: “We are still building up our strength here in Istanbul awaiting our Iran visas, that are by no means a certainty.

If they don’t materialise by our visit to the Iranian High Commission, we will set off visaless then check by phone every couple of days and maybe return by bus from wherever we are. If we are refused we will go to Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan.

“However this carries its own problems such as snow on the Himalayas and needing to fly over Afghanistan (and maybe now Pakistan) to India.

“This is tedious but makes life more interesting. Every day we think of / are told by others of an alternative route - Oman by boat then boat to Bombay.

“A cargo captain off on sick leave with a bad back suggested going by boat to South Africa then boat to India.

“He was helping his uncle run a makeshift shooting gallery on the beach with an air-rifle, balloons on a washing line and cigarettes standing on rocks.

It is Ramadan at present so embassies tend to slow down from their usual sleepy pace to a grinding halt.

“Such is life.”

Their 11,000 mile ride will raise money for the Rising Sun Domestic Violence Project in Canterbury.