Antarctica

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Antarctica: the vast wilderness

The coldest, windiest, driest, highest continent

Dave and I were lucky enough to join a rare hiking expedition on the Antarctic Peninsular – it was by accident, actually. I’d booked bunkbeds on a Russian research ship for our honeymoon (yeah, I know, seasickness, bunkbeds – it’s what romance is made of) and we only found out once we were in Antarctica that we were part of a one-off trip. We got to visit areas of Antarctica that are seldom seen by human eyes.

The pictures speak for themselves as to the heart-stopping beauty of this vast and inhospitable wilderness – its virtually impossible to take a bad shot!

Here is a glimpse of our time in Antarctica:

Leopard Seal on an iceberg in Antarctica

Antarctica: through the lens

Antarctica in winter: only the hardiest remain

It was approaching winter when I voyaged to Antarctica and was lucky enough to set foot on the Antarctic Peninsula and many of its surrounding islands.

Dave and I were on a research expedition ship with a Russian crew and it was late enough in the season to get stuck in pack ice as the temperature plummeted and our eyes narrowed against freezing winds.

Most newborn life had already headed north for the winter so there were only the hardiest species remaining. They don’t see many humans, so the vast majority were trusting enough to get up close and personal with, though the rule is that you let animals come to you, rather than imposing on their personal space.

Here is a glimpse of some of the remaining wildlife as Antarctica approached winter that year:

Fur seal in Antarctica

A Fin Whale, the 2nd largest species on Earth after the Blue Whale

Icebergs Antarctic Peninsula

Antarctica: Icebergs

Antarctica: the unique beauty of icebergs

Nothing could have prepared me for the sheer variety of icebergs that I was to see in Antarctica. Each was a unique moment in time – some would last days, some many years – and all were beautiful in their own right.

Some were the size and shape of department stores while others were grooved and gnarled by water and wind. Some were blinding white while others shimmered turquoise blue in the low sunlight. Some were pulled fast by the current while others seemed suspended in calm waters. Some were translucent as they melted on remote beaches while others were solid and bobbed just off shore. All were majestic and mesmerising.

Here are some photographs that Dave and I took of icebergs around the Antarctic Peninsula.