THREE intrepid cyclists have made their way to Hungary as part of a charity ride to the Himalayas.

Andy Hay, from Darlington, and two of his friends, Matt Ward, from Bournemouth, and Adrian Snell, from Canterbury, are planning to raise money for Sight Savers International by completing the 10,000km ride by January.

The trio, who met at university in Bath, arrived in Budapest last Tuesday and planned to move on to Romania over the weekend.

Back at home, Andy's parents are keeping in touch with their son by e-mail and on the team's website.

His father, Peter, said: "It is all going to plan so far and they are really enjoying themselves, although it is hard work. Some times they have been doing up to 100 miles a day."

Before he left for the adventure, Andy found out he had gained a first degree in aerospace engineering with German at the university.

Mr Hay said: "He was delighted with that result. He is hoping to go into engineering, but at the moment he is just enjoying his cycling."

The lads hope to raise at least £10,000 for the charity, which seeks to help people with poor eyesight in developing countries

Anyone who would like to follow the cyclists' progress or donate money can log on to their site: www.charityride.org