A local man plans to cycle more than 1,000km from Seville to Santiago de Compostela in aid of charity.

In April Mike Phillips from Newport and Peter Munt-Davies from St Ishmaels will check their bikes onto a flight to Seville and pedal their way northwards along the Camino de Santiago in Spain.

The pair will ride the Via de la Plata which is the longest route in Spain. Large sections of this route have remained unchanged for over 2000 years when it began as a Roman trade route. The terrain is hilly and much of the way is off road so they will ride mountain bikes and aim to complete the whole trip in three weeks.

Mike is riding in aid of two charities.

He said: “I decided to do this trip early in 2014 as I fancied a little adventure. Subsequently, in 2014, I lost two good friends, Kathleen and Stephen, so I have decided to raise some funds for two charities that they would have supported in life, Macmillan Cancer Care (Kathleen) and The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales (Stephen).

The benefit for me so far is that my overall fitness has improved no end due to the training, a combination of spinning and cycling, that I have been doing in order to get fit for the trip. Stephen did this trip himself some years ago and gave me invaluable advice – ‘Wear earplugs in the Hostels at night in order to shut out the snoring.’ I think I'll do that!”

Peter said: “Ever since my first visit to Santiago I have wanted to do the Camino. Now that I have the time and opportunity to do so I would like to use the experience to raise money for the Commonwealth Countries League Education Fund. I was a teacher for some years in Jamaica and fully appreciate the vital importance and value of education, especially for women and girls.”

To support their fund raising efforts visit their Just Giving pages.