Two intrepid cyclists are attempting are about to attempt a famous cycle route in a remarkable time to support the upkeep of their beloved Lake District.

Tree surgeon Jordan Hughes, 27, and his friend Jamie Kirkbride, 30, a wind-turbine technician, both from Kendal, are allowing themselves just 24 hours to complete a Coast to Coast bike-ride from Whitehaven to Sunderland in a bid to raise money for the Lake District Foundation, which helps to fund campaigns and research into environmental and cultural projects.

The route is around 138 miles long, and typically takes riders 3-4 days to complete, and the pair have set a target of £500 on their Justgiving page, but hope to raise more.

Despite neither having much experience in such endurance challenges, Jordan explained their motivation: "We have both grown up surrounded by the natural beauty of this national park, and want to give back and contribute to the continuation of it. The amount of tourists increase every year, and in the time of 'staycation' the influx has been more than ever.

"I don't live in the area now – Jamie does – but when I was there I used to love mountain biking in the Lakes.

"Living down south as I do now, there aren't many mountains so I had to take up road-biking, but I've never done anything like this before.

"Jamie's done some racing before, so he's definitely better than me – I just fancied the challenge and I thought he'd be the one to do it with me."

While the target of completing the route in 24 hours seems ambitious, the duo aim to do it in an even faster time.

"I initially thought we could set aside 24 hours, and have a few hours kip in the middle, but Jamie wanted to do it one go!" said Jordan.

"We think we can do it in about 14 hours – we won't stop for rests as such, but we'll have my dad driving with us in a camper van, so he can provide hot meals and refreshments along the way."

The pair will follow the tradition of dipping their back wheels in the water at Whitehaven at the beginning, and wetting their front wheels at Roker Beach in Sunderland at the end.

Jordan said: "Hopefully, this fundraiser will be something towards maintaining the area so everyone can continue to enjoy it as much as we do.

"Any small amount to keep us motivated in the 24 hours will be hugely appreciated."