THREE motorcycling easy riders are ready to hit the roads of Europe on a carefully planned road trip.

It will see them roar across 10 countries in 10 days and all to raise a saddle bag full of cash for Meningitis Now.

James Bownass, 43, of Holywell, Paul Williams, 50, and Damien Williams, 40, from Llandudno are hoping their epic ride will raise more than £5,000 in memory of their friend, Andrew ‘Pud’ Jones, of Pentre Halkyn, who passed away after contracting meningitis in April 2017.

James Bownass says their biking challenge will be tough and has taken months of planning and preparation.

He said: “It’s not going to be a Sunday leisure ride; it’s going to be very, very hard. We are flying out to Romania while our bikes are being taken out by Williams Light Haulage of Wrexham.

“Even the flights are quite a challenge. We are flying Liverpool to Bucharest on Saturday, June 15 and then onto Timisoara where we will be reunited with the bikes.

“We will be riding through Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Lichtenstein, Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg, France, Belgium and Holland in 10 days.

"We then head back on the ferry to England and back into Wales.

“It’s costing all three of us a chunk of money to take on the challenge but if we can raise £5,000 in Pud’s memory for Meningitis Now it will be worth it.”

Damien Williams says they are taking all the spare engine parts and tyre repair equipment they may need with them as food rations, tents and camping equipment.

He said: “The machines we are riding are hardly new. They are pre-2,000 and none has low mileage on the clock.

"James will use a BMW F650GS, Paul a Honda Africa twin and I’ll be on a Honda Trans Alp 650.

“All the bikes have been stripped down and rebuilt to ensure they are up to the challenge. I bought my bike just before Christmas and to be honest it was in a shocking state.

"It’s been a labour of love getting it prepared.”

Paul Williams, proprietor of Flint firm Boss Horse Boxes, says the route they will travel on is not for the faint-hearted.

He said: “We will be travelling on some iconic roads such as the Transfagarasan Pass in Romania which is more than 2,000 metres (over 6,700 feet).

“It’s going to be a tough challenge but we relish the challenge and we’ll thrive on it. It’s a good job we all get on so well.

"The roads we are going on are exactly what these bikes were designed for and we have prepared and planned so carefully.

“We have spent all our free time since December on this challenge which is 100% self funded. Every penny we raise through sponsorship and donations will be going to Meningitis Now in Pud’s memory.”

James Bownass said: “Andrew 'Pud' Jones was such an amazing man. He worked as an engineer and he and his partner had just had their child, who is now three, when he contracted meningitis and died in April 2017.

“We want to raise awareness of meningitis and warn people to get checked out. Pud just had a cold and thought that’s all it was. I would never have thought you could go from a cold to a viral infection so quickly.

“And I’d heard of children getting meningitis but never really knew it can affect adults too.”

To donate to the fundraising visithttps://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/giving/ and search for ‘James Bownass’.