Mr Hellawell and his BMW bike, nicknamed Lucy

Ted Hellewell from Cardiff is aiming to start at the Pacific Ocean, detour north to see the Arctic Ocean before heading east across the plains to finish at the Atlantic.

The 67-year-old retired mineral surveying lecturer is taking his 1130cc BMW bike - named Lucy - to carry out the journey.

His 8,000-mile sponsored ride will raise money for the Marie Curie cancer care centre, Holme Tower, in Penarth, where his wife Dorothy spent the last seven weeks of her life.

The journey had always been an ambition for the couple, and following Dorothy's death last year, Mr Hellewell decided it would be an opportunity to do something in return for the care she had received from Holme Tower.

He is hoping to raise �10,000 through his journey which will start in May and is expected to last for about 80 days.

'Supportive'

He said his three children did have some concerns when he first told them of his proposed trip.

"They all had reservations at the start. They were concerned about the sort of dangers I might face.

"But having shown determination to do it, they've been very supportive," he added.

Mr Hellewell will begin on the west coast of Canada in the city of Vancouver.

He originally planned to go straight across the Trans Canada Highway to the east, a distance of approximately 3850 miles.

Mr Hellawell with nurses from Holme Tower

However, he was persuaded by a tourist officer in the northern province of Yukon to make a detour to visit the Arctic Ocean as well, which will add over 4,000 miles to his journey if he makes it all the way to the sea.

About 900 miles of the trip north would take place on a gravel surface rather than a sealed road.

Mr Hellewell is planning to break his trip with a visit to a former student in Calgary, Alberta, before rejoining the main Trans Canada Highway to journey east.

He said: "Almost immediately, the landscape will change to one of the vast plains of central Canada, know in my school geography days as the bread basket of the world.

Detour

"When the corn is high, I'm told that travel on the Trans Canada Highway is just like riding on a track through a cornfield with no hedges."

His travels will take him past the Great Lakes and to Toronto, where he plans a 200-mile detour to see Niagara Falls.

For the last stages, he will pass through the capital Ottawa, French-speaking Quebec and on to New Brunswick where he will see the Atlantic for the first time.

His journey will end in the city of Halifax in the eastern province of Nova Scotia.

Mr Hellewell said in his weblog: "How will I feel physically and emotionally when I reach my final destination?

"Frankly, I've no idea, but I'll let you know the answer to both questions when I'm there."