AFTER completing a 25,500-mile journey halfway around the world and back without a hitch, the short journey from London to the North-East should have been no problem.

But Joanne Bowlt and Tim Nicholson's 50-year-old Morris Oxford broke down in South Yorkshire only a month after returning from their marathon challenge.

This week, the couple, who met as students in Oxford, made a successful second attempt to visit family and friends in the North-East.

Ms Bowlt, born in Guisborough, east Cleveland, before moving to Stokesley, North Yorkshire, and Mr Nicholson, 38, drove the classic car from Oxford England to Oxford, New Zealand, in aid of the Red Cross.

Starting in May 2004, they returned home last July. A month later, they set off to visit Ms Bowlt's grandmother, Molly Danby, in Eaglescliffe, near Stockton.

While on the A1, smoke poured out from underneath the bonnet, forcing the couple to call the AA and then return home.

Ms Bowlt, 36, said: "It is quite ironic really. The engine had to be taken out and rebuilt. If that had happened on the journey, it would have caused us severe problems."

The pair had quit their jobs in London and sold their flat and cars to finance the trip.

They read about the Morris Oxford's 50th anniversary and bought a model to drive the route because of their links with the city.

Raising money for the Red Cross also let them see sights not normally accessible to the average tourist, including projects in Egypt and India.

Ms Bowlt said: "The trip was incredible - much more than we realised it would be. But it was like a job more than a holiday. It was such an experience. We were so focused on getting to the end, we didn't realise how much interest there was.

"When we finished our parade into town in New Zealand, there were 6,000 people there but only 1,400 people live there."

The welcome also included 600 classic cars, a sheep-shearing delegation and a marching band.

"It was the biggest thing the town had ever seen," Ms Bowlt said.

Since returning, she has been visiting schools and writing a book about the trip.

The couple's website can be found at www.oxford2oxford.co.uk