TWO men who set off from South Lakeland to cross the Sahara in an ageing Land Rover left to a heroes' send-off this week.

Kendal duo Clive Bradley and Darren Ready were waved off by crowds at K Village on Monday as they embarked on their 4,500-mile trip to just south of Dakar.

The men and their 40-year-old Land Rover ambulance, which cost £100, have joined another 200 vehicles, which are taking part in the Plymouth to Banjul rally.

At the end of the four-week trip the men, who are raising money for charity, hope to donate the ageing ambulance to a hospital in Banjul, which currently uses a horse and cart for an emergency vehicle.

The pair, who will dodge mine fields in Senegal and sweeten border officials with a supply of football T-shirts, will travel across France and Spain before catching the boat to Morocco and heading south to Banjul.

The 35-year-olds said as well as being for charitable purposes the trip was also a way of staving off a mid-life crisis.

"Myself and my co-driver Darren were just thinking we wanted to do something worthwhile this year," explained Mr Bradley.

"We talk about it lots (doing something worthwhile) but we don't do anything. We found out about the hospitals over there and the fact that the vehicle we're going to replace is a horse-drawn cart.

"After that we started talking about the trip seriously. This is going to be a one off so we really wanted to make a difference."

The men who both work at the Dove Nest, near Ambleside, will also be dropping off medical supplies and children's toys when they reach the Gambia.