North Pole trek adventurer dies

Sir Wally was honoured for his feat last year

A man hailed as one of Britain's greatest polar explorers has died.

Sir Wally Herbert and his team became the first to make a surface crossing of the Arctic Ocean and North Pole on foot without motorised transport in 1969.

The 72-year-old, from Laggan near Aviemore, had suffered from diabetes and heart trouble and died in Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.

A tribute organised by Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Pen Hadow was held in York-born Sir Wally's honour last year.

He was admitted to hospital in Inverness last week and he died there on Tuesday morning.

Sir Wally leaves his wife Marie and a daughter Kari.

SIR WALLY HERBERT Born on October 24, 1934, in York Military service with the Royal Engineers from 1951-54 1957 - Completed first crossing of the Antarctic Peninsula after setting out from Hope Bay Herbert, Allan Gill, Fritz Koerner and Ken Hedges become the first people in history to complete a surface crossing to the North Pole without an airlift in 1969

At last year's event in his honour hosted by the Royal Geographical Society, Sir Wally was officially recognised for his achievement of crossing the Arctic Ocean and North Pole from Alaska to Tavloya, a small island north-east of Spitzbergen.

Until then American Robert Peary, who trekked the North Pole in 1909, had been credited with the achievement but that has always been hotly debated.

Sir Wally, who was knighted in 1999, was an author and artist.

The adventurer completed his epic 15-month, 3,800-mile (6,115km) journey, with three colleagues and four dog-sled teams.