WORLD 2014 SPECIAL: ENGLAND FANS WALK TO BRAZIL FOR WORLD CUP

Four England fans have completed a 1966km hike to the World Cup to help build a well in drought-hit northern Brazil.

Adam Burns, 27, David Bewick, 32, Pete Johnston, 30, and Ben Olsen, 31, spent three months on the road before finally arriving in the southern host city Porto Alegre.

Along the way they met countless football fans and friends – including a curious dog, who became their travel companion for the final weeks of their trip.

Mr Johnston, from Guisborough, Yorkshire, said: “The places we’ve seen and the people we’ve met have made this a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

“Walking enables you to discover a country at a pace that allows you to take in the little details you’d otherwise miss.”

The team are trying to raise £20,000 for J de V Arts Care Trust to build a well in Bahia, north-east Brazil, which is suffering the worst drought in 50 years.

Mr Burns, Mr Bewick and Mr Johnston set off from Mendoza, Argentina, on March 3, with Mr Olsen joining them in Buenos Aires a few weeks later.

They crossed the River Plata into Uruguay and walked up the coast to Brazil, hiking through the harsh desert of San Luis, along a live train line in Justo Daract and through swampy marshlands.

Along the way they have been charged by bulls, electrocuted by a farmer’s fence and suffered blisters, sunstroke, and muscle strains.

But they also met countless friends – including the black Labrador retriever who became part of the team and who they named Jefferson.