'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 *

Michael Palin has written and starred in numerous TV programmes and films, from Monty Python and Ripping Yarns to The Missionary and The Death of Stalin. He has also made several much-acclaimed travel documentaries, his journeys taking him to the North and South Poles, the Sahara Desert, the Himalayas, Eastern Europe and Brazil. His books include accounts of his journeys, two novels (Hemingway's Chair and The Truth), three volumes of diaries, Erebus, the Story of a Ship and Great Uncle Harry. From 2009 to 2012 he was president of the Royal Geographical Society. He received a BAFTA fellowship in 2013, and a knighthood in the 2019 New Year Honours list. He lives in London.