Mine had expired by more than 20 years and unless the rules have changed over the past 4 months it's very straightforward to renew.
Write to CAA for an assessment, they'll give you a full rundown, mine went like this:
1. I needed to renew my PPL - I had to do a skills test for that
2. I Attended a 2 day AOPA instructors seminar
3. I took the FI test following a few flights with my son in order to practice the patter
It's amazing how it all comes flooding back and like you say it's a breath of fresh air from handling the big jets - not that I don't still enjoy my everyday job, it's just that light aircraft flying is a lot more fun!
Good luck and I hope the renewal runs smoothly.
Last edited by sapco2; 31st Aug 2012 at 07:12.