A Cromer couple and their sons have spent two days and hundreds of pounds getting home from a holiday in Tenerife.Jim and Janice Woolston heard of the volcano ash problems the day after flying into the Canary island off Spain on a Ryanair plane from Stansted.

A Cromer couple and their sons spent two days and hundreds of pounds getting home from a holiday in Tenerife.

Jim and Janice Woolston heard of the volcano ash problems the day after flying into the Canary island off Spain on a Ryanair plane from Stansted. Tackling the logistics of finding a way home spoiled the rest of their week, and saw them arrive home just as the UK flying ban, caused by the Icelandic volcano ash, was lifted after six days.

'We kept watching the story on Sky news and decided to set off for home early,' said Mr Woolston, a beer delivery lorry driver.

The couple, and sons Shane, 23, and Darren, 41, set off on Monday morning - a day ahead of schedule - grabbing a free flight to Barcelona to get back to the mainland.

'We tried to train or bus to France, but they were on strike, so we went for a hire car. The first price we were quoted was �1,000 but when we refused the company found a car that needed to go back to Paris and we got it for �400.'

After an 11-hour drive with heavy toll fees which the family, running short of euros, had to pay by credit card, they tried to get a shuttle train to the UK, but were told there was nothing until the following weekend - unless they split up their party.

It saw the parents take a morning train and the sons follow on two more in the afternoon. They regrouped in London to get another train to Stansted, collect their car and arrive home at 11pm on Tuesday - after two days with little sleep and having paid out nearly another �2,000.

Mrs Woolstson, from Howards Hill, said: 'It spoiled the holiday. Darren (a priest at St Giles in Norwich) said we should treat it like an adventure, but I just wanted to get back home. Next year I will be taking a coach holiday in England.'

Last year the family had another volcano scare when Spain's Mount Teide began to grumble, but luckily failed to erupt. Their holiday photo album shows Mrs Woolston and Shane praying outside a local church that nothing would happen.