AIRTON'S round-the-world cyclist Alastair Humphreys is keeping his fingers crossed that he will be home for Christmas after more than four years in the saddle.

The 28-year-old Edinburgh and Oxford graduate set off from Daisy Mount, the Malhamdale home of his parents, David and Jenny, at the beginning of September 2001.

He left a country still affected by the foot and mouth epidemic of the previous February to begin his epic fundraising and awareness mission, alone and unsupported.

His aim was to raise money for Hope and Homes for children, an international charity working with orphaned and abandoned children in Eastern Europe and Africa which he became aware of during his university gap year.

Almost immediately his long-planned trip had to be changed after the attack on the World Trade Centre on September 11 and instead of heading for Asia, turned right for Africa.

His plans are to cover almost 50,000 miles through 50 countries and five continents in five years.

At times pure stubbornness against submission has kept him going when he realised the enormity of the task he had set himself.

He has charted his own progress on the website roundtheworldbybike.com and often opens his heart to reveal the desperation he has felt at times.

The final 15,000 miles is being cycled in the company of unversity friend Robert Lilwall, who flew out to meet him, bike and all, as he set off across Siberia.

Now he is on the last leg home, only having to get through Turkmenistan in order to leave Asia and get back into Europe.

In his latest journal entry he emphasises the bureaucratic challenges he has come up against which have been a major difficulty, more so, it seems, than dealing with sub-zero and high temperatures, lack of food, money and damaged wheels.

Alastair writes: "It is now four years since I left England to try to cycle round the world in support of Hope and Homes for Children.

"The September 11 attacks, the Euro, a World Cup or two and an Olympics have all taken place while I have been pedalling.

But some things do not change,snail-paced central Asian visa procedures being one of them. Week after week the Iranians procrastinated until finally they got round to rejecting my application.

"Fortunately Turkmenistan eventually granted me a transit visa, a meagre seven days but a lifeline, hopefully, to making it through to Azerbaijan, the Caucasus and the end of my visa worries. Turkey, Europe and home lie tantalisingly close at last.

"My fourth year on the road is ending with a race against a visa deadline through the baking Karakum desert."

Turkmenistan was his final country in central Asia. Getting in, he says, was difficult. Getting out was even harder.

"As I tried to leave and board the ferry across the Caspian Sea the Customs police busted me for not having registered my presence in the country with the appropriate completely pointless bureaucracy," said Alastair.

"Whilst they laughably tried to fine me more than their entire annual salary for this crime, I tried to explain to them that this rule actually no longer existed.

"After nine very boring hours in various police offices they eventually agreed with me. I was released and very happy to leave. Fingers crossed, I should be home for Christmas."

The next stages of his journey will take him through Albania, Bosnia, Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland, France and then home. At present he is in Instanbul.

Alastair hopes to raise £45,000 for the charity, or £1 per mile. To date donations total just over £10,000. To sponsor him any amount go to the website roundtheworldbybike.com