A team of eight motoring enthusiasts are setting off on Friday morning on a mountain-topping charity mission – in Reliant Robins.

Dubbed the Tour de Lard after a friend remarked about the physiques of some of the team, the challenge will see a trio of Reliant three-wheelers and two vintage motorbikes set off from The Moon and Stars pub in Rushden to Col de la Bonette – the highest paved road in Europe.

The group are being led by Mercedes technician Charles Gutteridge and lawyer Chris Hill, both from Baldock.

Chris said: “It is definitely a challenge and it will be fairly tough but we have got a good set of people.”

In 2013 the group raised £12,600 for charity when they travelled from John O’Groats to Land’s End on 50cc mopeds – a total Chris hopes to beat this time.

This trip is raising money for Jubilee House, in Welwyn GC, which cares for children and adults with learning disabilities. The event is being sponsored by Quantum Care which runs Jubilee Court Care Home in Stevenage – where the group meet for a photo last week.

Chris has worked with the charity and said: “It is just an amazing little charity and the dedication of the people who work for them is fantastic.

“They work on a shoestring budget and we wanted help them.”

Chris and Charles will be joined by Dave Manchester, Steve Pettyfer, Dave Blyth, Nigel Darken, Rob Jameson and Brian Littlechild, who all live in north Herts.

They plan on returning to Hertfordshire in 10 days after covering nearly 2,000 miles.

Chris says they will have to make up distance in the first few days by driving long hours, which will enable them to spend longer tackling the steep hills.

“The hardest part will be the hills. The last hill is the steepest one in Europe. I’m confident that we will get at least one vehicle up the top and hopefully more,” he said.

There will be no luxuries for the men along the way and they will sleep in campsites wherever they stop.

The group will be running a blog of the journey which you can read at www.facebook.com/Tourdelard2.

To donate visit www.virginmoneygiving.com/team/tourdelard2.