It was an adventure that took them 43 days and almost 11,500 miles.

And along the way, Meltham brothers Sam and Jack Farnell became experts in changing tyres and dealing with car breakdowns.

Their battered 16-year-old VW Polo had nine punctures, two broken wheels and a couple of breakdowns.

But the intrepid pair managed to join the finishers of the daunting Mongol Rally, which is dubbed the toughest in the world.

The pair joined 200 teams from around the world taking part in this year’s Mongol Rally.

The challenge took them halfway round the world on a route which included 17 countries before the finish in Ulan Ude, Russia.

Lost Terriers Sam and Jack Farnell on the Mongol Rally

They hope their efforts have raised £1,000 for charity by taking part in the road trip, dubbed as the greatest motoring adventure on the planet. The brothers are backing the Huddersfield Town-backed Yorkshire Air Ambulance appeal and the environmental charity Cool Earth.

The brothers, who are both Huddersfield Town fans, dubbed their team “Lost Terriers” and it was emblazoned on their car.

Their route took them from London into France, Belgium and Germany. Then they followed a route including the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Iran, and, finally, Mongolia.

Sam, 22, and Jack, 20. were delighted.

Sam said: “A highlight of the trip must be driving none stop through Germany to catch up, finding a team in the middle of nowhere and following them to a party where loads of other rally teams were partying.

“Another highlight of the trip, other than some of the insane landscapes we saw, would have to be the amount of generous people we met along the way. It is quite difficult to put into words how helpful the local people were of the various countries we visited. Especially Iran, where we received plentiful amount of gifts on the road, invites to cafes. Prior to our arrival we had no real idea as what to expect.

The lost highway in the wilds of Iran for Mongolm Rally drivers

“Making it to the Gates of Hell in Turkmenistan was also an experience, arriving at 2am on horrible roads to find the pit of burning gas.

“An eye opener for us both were the number of corrupt police we encountered. Almost all would ask for bribes or smokes, we did well to avoid most of these and got wiser as the trip went on”.

You can still support the brothers on www.virginmoneygiving.com/team/lostterriers