TONY Jenkins avoided the boredom of a long-haul flight - and opted for a motorcycle ride home of 5,000 miles instead.

He rode all the way to Risca from Saudi Arabia on his cherished 1,340cc Harley-Davidson - and helped raise money for Guide Dogs for the Blind.

But after taking 19 days to complete journey, Mr Jenkins, pictured, now has to make the return trip to complete his challenge and raise £2,000.

Mr Jenkins, 35, of Gelli Crescent, said: "I just wanted to do something that was personally challenging and I thought I would combine it with a good cause.

"Some people climb mountains but I can't do that so I rode a bike for charity."

First he had to save six weeks holiday in his job as a British Aerospace maintenance data systems supervisor.

He travelled home via Jordan, Syria, Turkey, Greece, Italy, France, Luxembourg and Holland.

During his 19-day journey, he endured dense sandstorms in Jordan and had to alter his route after officials in Bulgaria refused to allow him into the country with an Arabic number plate.

Mr Jenkins also had to contend with flash floods in Izmet, northern Turkey, when heavy rain looked like swamping him and his bike.

He said: "My bike got stuck in a ditch but thankfully a shopkeeper came to my rescue and took me into his home until the torrential rain subsided."

One of his biggest problems was loneliness.

He said: "I don't mind my own company but after a week you begin to get a bit lonely."

The highlight of the trip came while sightseeing in Turin. He said: "I was taking loads of photographs of all the places where the 'Italian Job' had been filmed and I suddenly realised I was lost.

"I noticed two policemen who looked like they weren't too busy so I approached them with a picture of my hotel in the hope they could direct me.

"The next thing I knew, they were giving me a full police escort through the streets of Turin until I got to my hotel."

Mr Jenkins is now making the final preparations for the return leg which he begins on September 9.

And on his way he's hoping to take in Romania and Bulgaria.