A FORMER Martham man and his family were relieved to finally arrive in Norfolk last week following a gruelling round the world trip covering thousands of miles and seven countries.

A FORMER Martham man and his family were relieved to finally arrive in Norfolk last week following a gruelling round the world trip covering thousands of miles and seven countries.

But despite the arduous trek, Christopher Taylor, 41, said shortly after arriving in the county last Tuesday, July 21 that his family had enjoyed their 25-day adventure from Hong Kong passing through China, Mongolia, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany and France.

He said: “It felt like a massive long journey that we have been on and we had some long sleeps on the train. It was a fantastic trip but it was good to get off the train in Britain.”

He had travelled with his wife Justine, 41, and children Martha, 10 and Molly, eight having decided to go by train as a change from flying.

Mr Taylor, who teaches at a Hong Kong school, grew up in Hamilton Walk in Martham and attended Flegg High School before leaving to join the police in London in the late 1980s.

He said he particularly enjoyed one of the train's stop offs in Yekaterinburg because he had taught his schoolchildren about the Russian Revolution and was able to visit the church which marks the spot where Tsar Nicholas II was executed by the Bolsheviks.

Another highlight was staying in a Mongolian Yurt, the traditional home of the Mongolian nomads, where they saw rare wildlife including Golden Eagles and Yaks.

The children particularly enjoyed the French leg of the trip where they visited the Eiffel Tower.

They are staying with Mr Taylor's sister Jo Horne in Norwich for a week before heading up to Yorkshire to visit his wife's family.