FOR some people the thought of travelling from Oxford to London by public transport is a nightmare.

But a couple from Iffley were so keen to have an adventure they used public transport to go all the way to Hong Kong – a journey of more than 12,000 miles.

Phil and Emma Whiting dined with Mongolians in a traditional yurt, strolled through Chinese rice terraces watching the harvest and attended a Russian Orthodox mass along the way.

Mr Whiting, an artist, captured many of the scenes in a series of sketches, telling the tale of an adventure that began at Oxford station on September 20.

It took them three weeks to travel by train through Europe, Russia and Mongolia before eventually arriving in the Chinese capital, Beijing at the end of October.

Once there they travelled within China for more than a week before going to Hong Kong to meet their son Oliver and celebrate his 30th birthday.

They also took buses, taxies, horses, ferry boats and undertook a fair amount of trekking on foot to get to their final destination.

Mr Whiting, 69, said:"We have both long been interested in recent history and world affairs.

"As a professional artist working in the field of post conflict, memory and human rights I have been commissioned by various NGOs such as Amnesty International and organisations such as The Guardian to highlight such issues in the work I do.

"My wife Emma, 61, has accompanied me in recent years and we have visited many places together including Syria, Lebanon, the Arctic Circle, Russia and Nepal.

"The cue for this recent venture was our son Oliver, who teaches in Hong Kong and invited us to celebrate his 30th birthday on November 6 with him."

He said: "It was important that we stopped off at various places for a few days such as Berlin, Moscow, Suzdal, Irkutsk, Lake Baikal, Ulan Bator – where we spent two nights sleeping out on the steppes in traditional yurts – Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai, Guilin, Huangshan, Yangshuo and Xiamen."

To capture their expedition Mr Whiting, who is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, sketched some of their most treasured memories.

Whether they were at a Russian Orthodox mass or the Hong Kong races, he would quickly sketch an image before working on it later when they returned to their digs for the night.

He will now choose the best of his sketches as the basis for larger paintings, which he will work on in his Oxford studio.

He added: "I wouldn't say China was my favourite country but it is certainly the country that has left the greatest impression on me.

"It is the present super power without a doubt, everywhere you go there are vast building projects.

"Their engineering genius over 3,000 years of history is simply mind blowing."

The couple are already planning their next adventure, but one that will certainly be more low key either in Snowdonia or the Western Highlands of Scotland.