It's been three years since I did a proper, several month cycle, but now after many months of mental preparation I feel ready for it again.

The last time I had attempted anything like this I was younger, fitter and covering an area which is relatively well travelled - Europe. Of course that's not to say that Africa hasn't been covered by cyclists, just that it hasn't been covered in the same volume and perhaps in the same detail. In many ways that makes things even more exciting however.

My trip will begin in Tangiers, after a ferry ride from Spain. This should be one of the relatively easier parts of the trip as I speak French and am familiar with some of the Northern parts of Morocco.

Eventually after crossing through the country I will cycle across the Atlas mountains and into Algeria. A visa is needed for Algeria, although for Morocco this isn't essential.

Algeria is definitely less touristy than Morocco so I will need to keep my wits about me and try to do my best to get by with French. Generally though I will be keeping to the roads, apart from stopping off in a few planned cities along the way. Alger is definitely a planned stop and I will definitely take a few days there to explore the city, the customs and the food.

Tunisia is next although in comparison to the other countries, it's not nearly as large and I will be through it in no time. Of course it is a fantastic beach location and if I'm making good time I will definitely stop off for a few days to work on the tan. I imagine cycling will have left me with an amazing tan on my arms and face but the rest of me will be quite white - I'll certainly be a sight.

Libya should be an interesting one. It's not a country I've ever imagined visiting before and it's very wide, making my final lef into Egypt a bit longer than I would have liked. Sentiments from the Egypt-Libya war are still quite strong apparently, so I'm not sure what they will think of me entering Egypt, I'm hoping for no problems.

I finish in Sharm El Sheikh where I have a flight home booked.

I had planned to do a little scuba diving whilst there, but posts like that from Ruben have made me a little cautious - although I'm sure that will change once I get there. I've read a little about things to do there and I guess scuba is a big part of that, although I am keen to visit the markets (souks) and cafes mentioned on the BA guide. With only a few nights there however I will have to plan things beforehand and will let you know closer to the time.