FOUR local men have completed a charity rally from St Austell to the shores of Lake Garda and Salo in Italy, raising more than £3,500 for their chosen charities.

Johnny Hounsell from Tavistock Laundrette, Keith Hall of Dartmoor Photographic, Dominic Masterson of CCLA and Dave Stevens who is retired set off from St Austell with 150 other teams on October 1.

The team, creatively named Four Men and a Map, procured an 18-year-old Peugeot 306 estate, named Whizzy, for around £200 which they drove to Plymouth to catch the overnight ferry to Roscoff.

The route travelled through many different countries, including France, Germany and Austria.

Raising more than £1,700 over their initial target, the men split the grand total of £3721.13 between both charities, Marie Curie and Children’s Hospice South West.

Information about the trip and updates could be found throughout their journey on the Four Men and a Map Facebook page.

Johnny said that he learnt a lot during the rally: ‘First, pack lighter – I do not need hundreds of shirts or trousers.

‘Never, ever, attempt, ever to drive through Paris – ever. Three hours to do 20 miles – I aged ten years.

‘Four largish men stuck together in a box for hours/days at a time can still be talking afterwards and Keith will do any ridiculous thing for a good cause (see ‘the leotard’ on Facebook).

‘The send off in St Austell was amazing, 160 cars parading through the streets with people out of their homes waving and cheering all the way to Plymouth ferry port.

‘My highlights were simple picnics in sunny rest areas: bread, cheese, tomatoes, pate... Whizzy was fantastic, reliable and comfy.

‘We saw lots of fabulous places – Luxembourg City was a real surprise, beautiful/historic – will revisit!

‘Switzerland’s mountains, lakes and passes were stunning.

‘Jumping into Lake Garda with the boys at the end was fantastic. Arriving in Switzerland at lat light, waking in the morning (Johnny’s birthday) to a beautiful sunrise and snow capped mountains all around us!’