Thanks for the responses so far guys. Firstly, my EASA licence says it is a PPL(A), a CPL(A) and an ATPL(A), and was given to me more than a decade after I last flew a piston engines aircraft so I'm guessing it is still valid as a PPL. Also I am indeed a graduate of an integrated course from which I qualified with an MEP rating, but never flew one again.
So the consensus is that I need to obtain an SEP rating, and that would enable me to fly the Cessna 172. Does anyone have any idea what the requirements are to obtain that? I know helicopter type ratings tend to be 5 hours.
GS