Driving 10,000 miles across two continents sounds gruelling. Steve Pratt speaks to three students who are planning to do just that.

OUTSIDE, rain is drenching Durham city centre. Inside, the coffee shop the two Hugos and Simon – known collectively as The History Boys – are a world away in the desert.

These Durham University undergraduates are talking about Mongolia, the destination of a 10,000-mile charity drive they’re undertaking this summer.

They’re heading for Ulaan Baatar, the Mongolian capital, in a Ford Transit van and raising several thousand pounds for Save the Children along the way.

The route, yet to be finalised because of visa processing and everchanging border restrictions, will take in some or all of the following – Italy, Croatia, Greece, Turkey, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Russia.

Their vehicle will be donated on arrival to the GoHelp charity, which will sell it and all the other rally drivers’ vehicles to fund other projects in Mongolia.

The History Boys aim to boost the charity aspect by filling the back of their van with the type of sporting equipment that’s much needed by schools in that country.

Their route takes in three deserts, two mountain ranges and what they describe as “some of the most desolate and remote areas on earth”.

You can imagine their relief when Simon Howes, 21, passed his driving test over Easter, as it means they have three drivers to share the considerable mileage now.

The Mongolian Charity Rally is an offshoot of the Mongol Rally, established in 2004 purely for adventure.

“We went down to London in February to the Mongolian New Year celebrations, and had a chat with the guys running it,” says 21-year-old Hugo Davison. “The normal rally is still very much profit driven. This one wants to keep the charity aspect of the drive as the main core. It’s not a race as such, more about the challenge of getting there.”

The rally doesn’t have an official start, with drivers setting off individually.

The History Boys estimating it will take them six weeks to reach Mongolia.

“The vehicle you take has to fulfil a working vehicle criteria. They don’t want people turning up in useless, rusty cars. Ford is one of the most popular makes in Mongolia,” says Hugo Brent, 21. “Ours took a long time to find. It’s an ex-Newcastle City Council van, ten years old and with 60,000 miles on the clock.”

It’s been converted to gas, which is fine in the Middle East where there are big natural gas supplies but not so good on the A1. The trio has been making sure they can fill up on their journey to the coast and across to Europe.

They’re also raising several thousand pounds for Save the Children through a series of fundraising events, from a big university barbecue to sky-diving, before they embark on their summer adventure.

“Although this is a massive challenge and charity based, it’s hopefully going to be a lot of fun as well,”

says Hugo Brent. “People say ‘oh, it’s a holiday’, but we’re trying to centre our sponsorships so we can give back to people.”

That led them to contact schools in Mongolia to find out their needs.

“We’ve been in email contact with them and asked what they wanted,”

explains Hugo Davison. “The main thing they said was that the kids like to play sports. Football, basketball and volleyball. They need kit, so we’re going to cram the back of the van with as much sports stuff as we can.”

They’re busy asking local clubs to donate sports equipment to give to the Mongolian schools.

THEIR route is changing all the time as they hear reports from people who’ve already set out on the rally and encountered border problems. Visas are one of the biggest costs of the trip at more than £500.

“There are basically two routes.

The southern one goes through Turkey, which we’re planning to do, or the northern one, staying mainly in Ukraine and Russia, then dropping down into Mongolia,” says Simon.

“As we’re history students – we all study the Ottoman Empire and Byzantine history – we wanted to take a route that’s going to interest us as well. All the history around there is fantastic. They are places we study but wouldn’t necessarily go to otherwise.”

Hugo Davison is the only one of the trio to have visited Mongolia before, that was briefly last summer. There are only 80 miles of tarred roads in the country, the rest is desert.

“The capital has a couple of grids, with a department store and internet cafe and a couple of ex-pat bars.

Many of the Mongolians live in yurt – sheepskin tents. Every time they feel like a change, they just move,” he says.

They’ve yet to decide how to return home, after leaving their vehicle behind.

The choice is the Trans- Siberian railway to Moscow or to Bejing, following the route of Genghis Khan.

More information and sponsorship details at thehistoryboys.org.uk