Heading north

Northumberland-based farmer Jamie Wood is right now on the race of a lifetime to the North Pole braving blowing snow and a wind chill factor that has sent temperatures plummeting to minus 30 degrees centigrade.

Jamie and his Polar Warriors team mates Angus King from Yorkshire and Paul Moxham left the start line on 21st April – 100 years to the day after the American Frederick Cook controversially claimed he conquered the North Pole for the first time.

The challenge was to complete a 350 nautical mile race against eight other teams to the finish line at the magnetic North Pole; a journey which was expected to take between 12 and 14 days depending upon the weather conditions and the team’s speed.

Back at home in the UK, Jamie helps to run two family farms in the foothills of the Cheviots. His trek is raising money for the Great North Air Ambulance which he feels provides a vital service in his community in rural Northumberland.

And if want to move seamlessly from the North Pole to the South Pole, here's the story of a land agent's epic adventure.