Four adventurers have been making the most of the sun at Shoreham Beach to prepare for an Antarctic expedition.

The men used the good weather to practise kite-surfing, to help speed them to the South Pole.

Patrick Woodhead, 26, from London, and three colleagues will be using specially-designed kites to pull them across the frozen wastelands.

Patrick said the team hoped to follow in the footsteps of explorers Shackleton and Scott but would be able to travel much faster by harnessing the wind.

He said: "It's 100 years since the first expedition to the South Pole.

"Over the years, polar explorers have realised there is a lot of wind, which usually hampers them to ten miles a day.

"But one guy using a kite has managed 168 miles in a single day.

"The kites are absolutely huge and made of a material developed by Nasa. They are incredibly strong and resistant to extreme temperatures."

Despite experience in mountain climbing and skiing, none of the team had tried kite surfing before but were enjoying the experience.

They will be heading to New Zealand soon for a three-week training camp to hone their skills.

Patrick will be joined by Tom Avery, 26, Nick Stockford, 27, and Andrew Gerber, 27.