Antarctica

Gave the bus pass its first outing (having driven to Sedgefield) on the X12 to Durham where I visited the current exhibition at the Palace Green Library, “Antarctica: Explorers Heroes Scientists” which displayed books, artefacts and photographs from the South Pole expeditions of Scott (in the Terra Nova) and Shackleton (in Endurance), the pair making a fascinating contrast: Scott reached his aim of the pole (albeit days after Amundsen) but perished along with four colleagues on the return journey and his mission tends to be remembered as an heroic failure; Shackleton never even got beyond the ice flows that crushed the ship, but his remarkable exploits to get everyone back home is considered (rightly) a triumph; what both had in common were dedicated and talented photographers in Herbert Ponting and Frank Hurley who produced the spectacular images reproduced for the exhibition today.