Pedalling pensioner Patsy Grant has clocked up thousands of miles on two wheels to keep fit.

A familiar sight in and around Carlisle, the super-fit 80-year-old from Scotby cycles most days.

Wearing her visible yellow or pink tops, she thinks nothing of cycling to Brampton, or making the the 30-mile round trip to Caldbeck – a daunting task even for a younger person.

“It takes me two hours to get there and half-an-hour to get back,” joked Patsy. “It’s very hilly.

“On my 75th birthday I didn’t get off the bike once – I just took every hill slowly.”

Eleven years ago Patsy was diagnosed with colon cancer, and then four years ago with Type 1 diabetes, but that hasn’t stopped her from gearing up for her daily dose of exercise.

“The consultant told me that I would recover more quickly from the cancer because I was so fit,” she explained. “He was right.

“I have never looked back.”

Patsy and her late husband Albert sold the March Bank Country House Hotel, near Longtown, 29 years ago, where she worked as a chef proprietor for 10 years.

During this time she received many accolades for her food but, after retiring from the professional kitchen, she decided to get fit.

She tried unsuccessfully to get into walking but then had a Frontiera road bike made for her – and has not looked back since.

Her children Elizabeth Burke, Louise Bulman and Dominic Grant decided to surprise her with an 80th birthday lunch recently at The Lakes Distillery at Bassenthwaite, when she was presented with her very own yellow jersey in recognition of her cycling achievements.

The birthday guests all contributed towards a cycling holiday, which she plans to take as soon as the weather warms up along the Lancashire coastline.

And, while there has been a rise in MAMILs (Middle-Aged Men In Lycra) in recent years, Patsy says there is no chance of her becoming a PIL (Pensioner in Lycra).

“I don’t like wearing lycra,” she admitted. “I have made my own cycling trousers and wear shorts in the summer.”

Despite her prowess on the bike, her three decades of cycling have not been without mishap.

Patsy recalled: “I was run over once. I was coming down Warwick Road and was hit by a car. I was flat out and woke up in hospital.

“It didn’t put me off though.”

Patsy cycles with her daughter Elizabeth – even taking the train to Newcastle and cycling back – and has enjoyed a holiday on two wheels around Mull in the Inner Hebrides.

Her granddaughter Fionnuala, 25, said: “My grandma is a source of daily inspiration and I am in awe of her achievements.

“She is a shining example of how to maintain health and fitness in old age.”

Mum Elizabeth added: “I am very proud of mum who got me cycling to work years ago. Recently she beat me cycling up the hill from Lanercost where we had cycled for a day out.”

Reflecting on her active style – and with no signs of slowing down now she is an octogenarian – Patsy said: “You feel so much better for the exercise and fresh air, and cycling is so easy on your joints.”