Brit' Couple's Flying Antarctic Record

British couple Conrad and Hilary Dickinson, from Hexham, yesterday flew past the world-beating Sir Ranulph Fiennes and into the record books with the longest ever unsupported trek across Antarctica. After completing a 52-day, 690-mile, trek from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole on December 23rd the couple picked up supplies and specially designed kites for the return trip.

The kites - above - enabled the couple to do do the return leg in an astounding 17 days, reaching speeds of up to 41 Kmph, and completing a 70-day, 1380-mile, round trip that beats the 1993 record set by Fiennes and Dr Mike Stroud. Dragging 300 lb sledges the couple were able to cross snow bridges and crevasses unroped as the kites made use of the notorious katabatic winds to return them to Hercules Inlet in a third of the time of the outward journey.

The Dickinsons, who are not professional explorers, learned how to use the kites on training trips in Canada, Greenland, Norway and Northumberland. Highlights of the record breaking trip included covering an amazing 120 miles in just 22 hours on Sunday, and a final day of 46 miles.

As well as beating the distance record, which had stood for 11 years, they also became the first British married couple to reach the South Pole unsupported, and Hilary became the oldest British woman to make the trek successfully. On their return "Hilary is looking forward to a glass of Chardonnay and me a pint of Ruddles in the Tap and Spile in Hexham. A curry from the Diwan-i-am restaurant in our home town would round off the 'dream' evening, "s aid Conrad via satellite phone.