Round-the-world cyclist Alastair Humphreys is 29-years-old on Sunday and has already accomplished more than most.

He has circled the earth, cycling 45,000 miles in four years and is finally back home in the village of Airton near Skipton.

Yesterday he rode in over the rise in the road from where he was last seen, with a farewell wave and a smile, by his mum and dad, Jenny, 61, and David, 62, four years ago.

His parents' small cottage was decked out in welcoming bunting and Union Flags and a crowd waiting to shower him with congratulations.

And to help him overcome any feelings of anti-climax, Jenny, has one of Alastair's quotes from his diary emblazoned on the kitchen wall: "The end is a goal not a catastrophe," it says.

Alistair said: "It's hard to know what to do now - I'm almost 29 - I don't want my life and great experiences to end now. I need to keep busy or I'll go mad."

He still does not want to get back to the mundane world of making a conventional living, just yet.

He has set his goal at joining the rat-race when he reaches 50, turning his biology teaching qualification into something useful then.

Meanwhile, he intends to re-live his monumental journey in which he crossed five continents, spanned 60 countries and crewed a vessel across the South Atlantic for good measure.

He is to meet a literary agent on Wednesday to make arrangements to publish a book about his adventure.

"That is one of the main reasons I cycled round the world and I hope it pays off," said Alastair.

He plans to contact boyhood hero and friend, writer Bill Bryson for advice.

He is also hoping to inspire the spirit of adventure in youngsters by speaking at schools and to spread the message as an after dinner speaker.

Raising money for Hope for Homes for Children is still high on his agenda and so far there is £13,000 pledged.

He rode the marathon to collect cash for the charity which supports 10,000 children orphaned or abandoned by war, HIV/Aids or poverty.

"I'm disappointed with the amount so far - I hoped to raise £1 for every mile. I'm hoping now I'm home I can encourage some big firms to contribute," he said.

He is now having to get used to the hurly-burly of life back in Blighty - a far cry from the times when he spent days hardly seeing another human being.

"Cycling back through Europe has helped me get acclimatised," he said.

"The world is a vast place, but it is also small because new technology makes communication so much easier."

Even though Alastair had stayed in regular contact with his family, his mum was glad to see him back home safely.

"I was surprised how relieved I was. I only pressed the panic button once when I hadn't heard from him for a fortnight. It was a great relief when I got his next e-mail," she said.

During his trip Alastair was ambushed in Peru, held up by gunmen in Siberia and chased by an irate Turk with a rolling pin.