A devoted pensioner cycled to France and back just to pick up his wife’s — favourite COFFEE.
Loving David Pedlow, 70, rode to the rescue when he saw that Jackie was running out of her special brew.
She has been drinking the same bargain Grand Mere brand for 35 years – but it is only available across the Channel.
And after recently losing their car David decided to put his new electric bike to the test with a 250-mile round trip.
He set off from the couple’s home in Plymouth, Devon, and cycled the short distance to catch the overnight Brittany Ferry to Roscoff.
After reaching France he rode a few miles to the hypermarket in Saint-Pol-de-L?on where he stocked up with 30kg of the Grand Mere coffee.
Staff helped him fill his trailer with the load which cost 166 Euros – roughly #120 – before he embarked on the return journey that evening to a delighted Jackie.
Retired teacher and accountant David said: “It’s a very basic coffee, which I suspect is why they don’t bring it over here.
“It isn’t posh, but it’s the flavour that Jackie really likes.”
The couple, who met when they were 18 and have one child, discovered their love of the brand during their first visit to France in 1980.
David said: “We went there on holiday and at the first bed and breakfast we stayed at they served the coffee to us in the morning.
“Jackie said ‘what is this?’ – it just rang her chimes!
“We have tried and drunk other coffees, and my father used to be a very coffee-orientated man, but he drank the posh stuff which didn’t do a lot for me.”
Before setting off, David phoned ahead and checked with the Super U supermarche’ they had enough stocks to make his trip worthwhile.
He added: “When I turned up I started to say ‘I am the English man’ but they turned to me and said ‘Ah, you are the coffee man!’
“They had 30 kilograms of coffee in the back office waiting for me. They were out of this world.”
David’s route from Roscoff took him west through Santec along the coast before he cut inland to Saint-Pol-de-L?on.
He said: “I didn’t have any steep hills. Cycling in France is absolutely marvellous as the drivers are so careful. It really is a joy.”
He then jumped back on his bike and towed the load back to Roscoff in time to catch the evening ferry home.
Grateful Jackie, 70, a retired teacher, said: “I wasn’t surprised at all; I expected he might do it as we are experimenting with living without a car.
“The panic sets in when we only have about five kilograms left, as we get through about two kilograms a month.
“I didn’t go with him because I’m not a good traveller, particularly on the sea.
“I would’ve had to take tablets and it takes me a couple of days to get over taking just one of them.
“I don’t want to drink any other brand. I just like the smell of this one – as well as the taste. It is perfect and there is nothing fancy about it.
“I’ll drink three cups of it a day. I’m a very lucky lady as David brings me coffee in bed each day with a biscuit.
“I will then have another at lunchtime and then in the evening. I have tried a few other brands over the years but nothing is quite the same.
“I was not surprised with what David did. He was only away from the house for 25 hours.”
“It was a big relief when he returned. It was worrying him that we were about to run out and it was praying on his mind.
“We were down to about 3kg, which is probably about five weeks supply.”
