A TEA-loving motorcyclist who set off from East Lancashire on a 14,000-mile road trip to South Africa has written a book about his travels.

Alan Whelan took almost five months to complete the epic journey to Cape Town, drinking tea with locals along the way.

In his book, African Brew Ha Ha: A Motorcycle Quest from Lancashire to Cape Town, he recounts his road trip on a British-made Triumph bike, bought from a Blackburn dealership, which survived without a tyre change.

Alan, 50, whose wife Olive is originally from Johannesburg, said: “I think taking tea is a great ritual. So everytime I stopped and had a cup of tea with someone, I collected the bag, although in some parts they don’t have tea bags at all.

“Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman did their road trip, but this was a new twist on it.” London-born Alan, who now lives in Lytham, was inspired to write the memoir after holidays in South Africa with Olive .

The former journalist passed through 20 countries before reaching his destination. And by making friends in the South Africa, he persuaded members of a teabag craft group to throw a party as he rode into Cape Town at the end of his trip in February 2008.

He said: “There were about 100 people waiting for me. There were even people there from the British Embassy. Hopefully the fun I had on the trip comes through in the book. It is all about the people I met and the friends I made. If you are in Africa and you mention Blackburn Rovers, you have a friend.”

Alan, who now runs a PR company, bought his bike from Philip Youles Motorcycles in Copy Nook, Blackburn.

* African Brew Ha Ha: A Motorcycle Quest from Lancashire to Cape Town, published by Summmersdale, price £7.99.