A HEREFORDSHIRE farmer who completed his own Tour de France is having another two-wheeled adventure.

Anthony Howlett is used to taking the long road - he’s cycled from Bromyard to Biarritz and covered the length of Britain.

But the 63-year-old wants a hat-trick, and will swap Edwyn Ralph for the Emerald Isle later in a fortnight's time.

Mr Howlett is planning a 1,000 mile round trip of Ireland over a fortnight, starting on June 13.

He leaves Dublin for Holyhead on June 29, and could cycle through Snowdonia and Mid Wales before returning home.

It’s a remarkable feat for the farmer, who only took up cycling on a 16-year-old German racing bike in 2006.

“I’m crippled when I’m doing the milking in the parlour, but put me on a bike and all my pains and troubles go away,” he said.

“I’m not just going for the Guinness - Ireland looks beautiful, and it’s one of the few European countries that’s still got its feet in agriculture. I feel that if I don’t do it now I won’t be able to in the future.”

The farmer cycled from Lands End to John O’Groats in 2007 and toured France the following summer, reaching the Bay of Biarritz and the Mediterranean. He has encouraged more people to take-up cycling, and considered tours of America and Asia.