THE M40 in Oxfordshire was busier than usual this morning when hundreds of bikers assembled to ride with two-wheeled adventurer Charley Boorman.

Enthusiasts gathered at the Cherwell Valley Services, off Junction 10, near Ardley, to wish Mr Boorman luck on his latest epic trip.

Mr Boorman - who rode across the world with actor Ewan MacGregor - started his latest adventure By Any Means today - a motorbike trip that will take him around the world, finishing in Australia.

Mr Boorman aims to complete the journey "by any means", using native forms of transport from whatever country he finds himself in.

This morning he rode from Oxfordshire to London's Ace Cafe, a famous haunt for motorbike enthusiasts, and from there set off to Ireland where he officially started his adventure.

Biker Martyn White, 44, from Twyford, near Banbury, took this dramatic photograph of the convoy.

He said: "There must have been more than 1,000 bikers on the road and it was a sight to behold."