Ref. 73110-83IT will be no ordinary booze cruise when five drivers from BP Castrol in Swindon fill their car boots with red wine and champagne.

They will be navigating some of France's hidden routes and, when they reach home on Friday, November 19, their cargo will be sold in aid of the Prospect Hospice and the Mayor of Swindon's charity, the Family Contact Centre.

The event, which will start at midnight on November 17, will coincide with the release of this season's new Beaujolais wine.

Castrol project manager Ted Green, who is organising the Swindon competitors, knows little-used back roads in France which might give them the edge.

The Swindon team made up of Ted, Ralph Morgan, Chris Stratford, Grant Warnsby and Ian Kennedy will compete against crews from Tring, Hemel Hempstead and Camberley.

Ted says the event was not a race but a navigational and driving challenge.

The idea is to find the shortest distance between the two points. There is one stretch of Roman road, for instance, that doesn't even appear on maps.

The object of the challenge is all about having fun, as well as raising money for worthy causes.

But there is a strict no drinking rule until it is over.

Castrol will give a donation to the winning team, which will be passed on to its chosen charity.

Competitors will drive vehicles lent by motor dealers.

Castrol crews from Swindon who took part in last year's Castrol Beaujolais Champagne Challenge raised more than £8,000 for the Prospect Hospice, in Wroughton.