Solicitor Dan Woodley has quit his job to cycle from Brighton to Sydney, taking in 25 countries and raising cash for Amnesty International.

His epic journey will begin in May from his home in Rottingdean and take him across Europe and through Iran, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia and on to Indonesia and Australia.

Dan has resigned from his job in Peacehaven to make the trip, which he has been planning for 18 months.

He said: "I have wanted to do something like this for a long time. I went to New Zealand for a wedding a couple of years ago and I was on the plane, I thought, 'I'm flying over the whole world and not getting to see any of it. I've got to do this properly'.

"You see the world in a totally different light from a bike - you feel, smell and hear everything everywhere you go."

Dan plans to cycle for six hours and cover about 60 miles a day.

He said: "I have planned the route so that I can see some the places I really want to see. I'm taking a little detour over the Alps and there is a place called Baluchistan between Pakistan and Iran that I would really like to see.

"The route from Istanbul to Kathmandu in Nepal is the old hippie trail, which should be fascinating.

"I know places like Kosovo or Iran and Tibet could present problems and if there is a war going on it might get difficult but I want to try to see as much as I can.

"I've done my homework and studied different cultures and I've got about 20 phrase books so I hope I'm going to be OK. If not, I'll deal with it.

"Because I'm cycling through some relatively dangerous places and some where there are human rights problems, I thought it would be appropriate to raise money for Amnesty International."

Dan is travelling alone and will carry everything he needs with him, including a tent. Although he has saved £10,000 for the trip, he plans to exist on £10 a day.

He will keep in touch with family and friends through a web site, www.whereisdan.com He hopes sponsorship of his trip will raise between £10,000 and £20,000 for Amnesty International, the human rights charity.

Donations can be sent to the charity or cheques, made out to Amnesty International, can be sent to him at 5 Challoners Close, Rottingdean.