'Home seems impossibly far away as we step out onto a rough base of ice and snow. The temperature is -25 C. This is considered warm . . .'

Michael Palin's journey from North to South Pole sees him tackling Arctic ice floes, scaling Sudanese sand dunes and white-water rafting on the Zambezi. Pole to Pole chronicles this awe-inspiring overland adventure by train, truck, bike and Ski-Doo as Michael races against time to finally stand in Scott's shoes in the Land of the Midnight Sun.

"Palin is the Python we all want to go abroad with" - Observer

"Coupled with his eye for detail, he has the diarist's willingness to try anything and to laugh at himself ... travel-writing of unpretentious charm and enjoyable originality" - Independent

"Brisk, fresh and makes you want to go where he has gone" - Daily Telegraph

"A glorious travel book. There's never a dull moment, either, in the stunning photography or the entertaining travel notes" - Daily Mail