Mike Gibson from Darley Dale squeezed into the tuktuk for up to 13 hours a day, with his friends Matt Ramsden and Mike Hemingway.

The team returned on Sunday, after the epic 3,536km fortnight-long charity trip.

Mike said: "It wasn't bad considering we did it on appalling roads which often resembled cart tracks, and in something about as comfortable as a motorised wheelbarrow.

"Indian roads are crazy. We had to dodge an ox and cart on a dual carriageway."

Mike fell badly ill, with what he dubbed "Delhi belly", and has no recollection of parts of the trip.

He said: "It was a very interesting trip though I don't remember probably one-and-a-half of the days.

"I was sat in the back of the tuktuk with a fleece on and my jaw chattering, even though it was 30 degrees.

"And one of the other guys drank some water by accident and was instantly sick," he added.

Mike said the illnesses made the team realise the importance of the work of the Frank Water clean water project, which it was raising money for.

The trio, who called themselves Team Midlife Crisis, visited a water purification centre run by the charity in a village.

Mike said: "They filter the dirty water using sand and other things – it was the best water we'd tasted.

"The whole village came out to see us and we were treated like celebrities which was odd."

Team Midlife Crisis appeared in Indian newspapers and on the television news.

Mike said: "It was hard – no doubt about it. But we met loads of great people and the country was lovely."

The team was competing in the 2008 Rickshaw Run event. It has raised £5,300 towards its £7,000 sponsorship target.

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