Arran couple dash across India in honeymoon tuk-tuk fundraiser
Adventurous couple Kirsty and Stewart McConaghy decided to use their honeymoon as a charity fundraiser for the Scottish Air Ambulance by travelling across the full length of India in a tuk-tuk.
The route from Fort Kochi in the south to Gangtok in the north covered 3,261km and took 14 days while also raising more than £2,000 for their chosen charity.
Kirsty (nee McBain) kept a travel diary which detailed each day’s adventure and tribulations which can be found at @kirstymcconaghymacbain.
Kirsty and Stewart, from Blackwaterfoot, were joined by her brother Marc and his wife Ploy, who both live in Thailand, and some Australian friends.
Speaking on the final day of their adventure, Kirsty said: “We made it! Our rickshaws were in fine form, we gave them a rest every 10 minutes from the vertical downhill we had from Darjeeling as the brakes were working very hard and engine screaming in first and second gears.
“We got to Rangpo where we had the best and warmest welcome by Sikkim tourism. Sikkim was our finishing state with most friendly and welcoming people. We had to get a permit and a stamp on our passports to go onto this state, we were greeted with a scarf and tea and coffee while we waited. Such a treat.
“We did out final assent to Gangtok, a city in the mountain with no rubbish in sight as plastic is not allowed in Sikkim. It’s a great, vibrant city and the views are amazing and colourful, I would definitely come back.
“Yesterday we crossed the finish line. I can’t believe we crossed the whole country in that tuk-tuk. I thought I was going to die multiple times a day but we met and experienced some amazing things, had the most amazing journey, and met the most amazing people.
“Thanks to everyone who has sponsored us on our crazy journey and raised a whole lot of money for this amazing charity, Scottish Air Ambulance."
The fundraiser is still open for donations and can be found by searching for Kirsty MacBain at Justgiving.com.
All proceeds will go to Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance which is Scotland’s only charity-funded air ambulance service.
It relies on public support to keep flying and responding to time-critical emergencies.
It can reach 90 per cent of Scotland’s population, including Arran, within 25 minutes, and provide a vital lifeline to communities all over the country.