AN Allendale RAF veteran has taken on a third epic bike ride to raise money for the Royal British Legion.

Former military man Ray Bather is no stranger to this sort of challenge.

The 60-year-old took on the 300-mile Centurion Ride from St Quentin in France to Dunkirk on the Channel coast in 2017, in memory of fallen Northumberland Fusiliers from the First World War.

The following year, he completed a 600-mile cycle, following the liberation route from Normandy to the Rhine at Arnhem.

Ray was following in the footsteps of his grandfather, Ray Bather Snr, a member of the 51st Highland Division.

The division was part of the Western allied effort to liberate mainland Europe from Germany on D-Day.

During the ride, Ray visited 51 war graves, placing a poppy on each one.

On his most recent ride – a 200-mile journey from Staffordshire to Allendale – Ray visited various Commonwealth War Graves Commission Headstones on the route.

However, he says that this year’s ride, which will see him climb the equivalent of Mount Kilimanjaro, will be his last.

Ray set off from Mayfield in Staffordshrie on Saturday, May 18.

He then spent the next week cycling to Allendale, passing through Bakewell, Penistone, Halifax, Baildon, Ripon, Barnard Castle and Allenheads.

He finally arrived in Allendale on Saturday, May 25 during the May Fair.

For the first time, Ray cycled the majority of the route unsupported, all whilst wearing his Second World War battledress.

Ray’s previous efforts have raised thousands of pounds for the Royal British Legion, with the proceeds going to rehabilitation centres for servicemen and women injured in conflict.

His latest adventure can be sponsored by visiting his Facebook page, Pennine Grit.