TO THE POLES WITHOUT A BEARD by Catherine Hartley

Take one thirty-something media bunny, bred on a diet of booze, fags and shattered relationships...and add ice, snow, freezing winds and months of hardship. One New Year's Eve, Catherine Hartley made an unusual resolution - to be the first British woman to walk to the South Pole. She had no training, no experience...and no beard. What she did have was determination and the will to overcome the scepticism of those around her and to bring her to the Antarctic two later, the most unlikely of adventure travellers.

Catherine was miserable, dying for a cigarette, unfit and soon exhausted. She braved crevasses, frostbite, mind-numbing winds, and her own doubts. But she found the ability to survive, then to succeed, even to enjoy herself. Once was not enough - a year later, she was off again, to the other end of the earth, and an even harsher and icier wilderness. She and her companion Fiona Thornewill became the first British women to walk to each Pole, the first woman of any country to walk to both, unaided by dogs or machines. This book is a hilarious and loveable story of self-discover, and how to make even our most implausible dreams come true.

Soft cover, good condition. The cover shows very minor signs of wear. Some foxing.