Polar
Northwest Passage Explained
From centuries-old dreams of a short cut to Asia to Amundsen's little sloop Gjøa, the story of the Arctic sea route through Canada.
3 min readPolar Regions and the Arctic
The Arctic and the Antarctic explained: sea ice, the Northwest Passage, the aurora and how the poles differ. Every guide lists the sources it was checked against; the expedition archive keeps the dispatches first published on this domain.
Polar
Arctic vs Antarctic
Polar bears or penguins, sea ice or ice sheet, Arctic states or a treaty: a side-by-side guide to the two ends of the Earth.
3 min read
Polar
Northern Lights in Scotland
Go north, wait for a clear, moonless winter night and watch the alerts: how to give yourself the best chance of seeing the Mirrie Dancers.
3 min readFrom the expedition archive
All expeditions
Expedition archive
Arctic Quest 1831
A solo folding-kayak journey in the high Arctic in 2003, following the route of Sir John Ross to the magnetic north pole.
8 dispatches
Expedition archive
Arctic Quest 1832
The 2004 return to Boothia with a team from the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, searching for the remains of the Victory.
15 dispatches
Expedition archive
Kite Quest 200
The 2005 attempt to cross the North Atlantic from Newfoundland in a kite-powered boat, through the hurricane season.
23 dispatchesElsewhere in the magazine
