Back to reality - almost

19th December

The wind dropped, the front moved slower than expected, the runway was cleared and the plane arrived at 13.05. By 15.05 we were in the air and at 19.30 we landed back in Punta. I’m sad to have left, but I’m glad to be heading home.

Sitting in the pub last night was a strange, strange experience; it was so different to Antarctica that it made the last 38 days seem very surreal … but the stories, the photos, the science and the team around me prove that it did happen and, although it wasn’t always fun, every moment was incredible.

We are leaving Punta Arenas early tomorrow morning to fly to Santiago and then it’s to Heathrow, via Madrid, arriving about 16.30 on the 21st. However, there’s no going home once we’re back in the UK as we have a full day of physiology tests to complete on the 22nd. Once the tests are complete then the team, who have been together for more than 50 days, will finally head their separate ways. But even that’s not the end as there are science results to analyse, school visits to do, comments to reply to, teaching materials to create, stories to tell and weight to be put back on!