CYCLING 1,117 miles solo across France and Spain is no mean feat, especially for an 83-year-old, but Mike Langley from Crapstone is living proof that age is just a state of mind writes Alison Stephenson.

Mike had the romantic notion of getting on his bike from his caravan home in the Dartmoor village, cycling to the ferry in Plymouth, finding himself in St Malo and heading south — and that is just what he did.

In 28 days the retired civil engineer travelled from Brittany to Santiago braving 'bitterly cold' temperatures, near constant head winds as well as climbing across the Pyrenees.

'I thought it would be tough but it was much harder than that,' he told the Times.

'At times my shoes were full of frozen water and I was dressed in lots of layers the whole trip really.'

Some days saw him cycle from 9.30am to 7pm and it was just a case of 'eat, sleep, cycle,' he said. 'It was a hard task but I made sure I slept between 10 and 12 hours a night and ate plenty of carbohydrates. I made sure I had a good continental breakfast with plenty of croissants, butter and jam.'

Mike said although he had tried many sports he had not really excelled in anything. neither was he one for challenges, but since taking up cycling again after many decades he found he was hooked.

'I suppose I am pretty fit generally and have a good diet so that stood me in good stead for this cycle ride,' he added. 'This is probably the biggest thing I have ever done. It has made me feel happy.'

Another incentive for Mike was raising money for 'Medical Detection Dogs', a relatively new charity that works with the NHS and universities to train specialist dogs to detect the odour of human disease.

Some dogs can be trained to detect signs of cancer at an early stage while others are trained to help people living with medical conditions, using their keen sense of smell to alert their owners to changes in their conditions.

Mike is hoping to raise in excess of £500 and is planning to visit Medical Detection Dogs base in Oxfordshire to see its work first hand.

For now he can be seen around West Devon partaking in his new hobby.

'I think I am a bit hooked really and I think I might even do a bit of hosteling,' he said.

'There was a time when youth hostels were just for the youth but there is no ban on age anymore.'

Mike is still collecting donations. Go to: wwwjustgiving.com/mikethebike-camino