Troops in record ice cap crossing

The team completed the Nansen's Endeavour expedition in 27 days

A team of Scottish soldiers has completed a treacherous crossing of the Greenland ice cap in record time.

The group of regular recruits and members of the Territorial Army followed a route first conquered 120 years ago and rarely attempted since.

When famed Arctic explorer Fridtjof Nansen led his team across in 1888 it took roughly 43 days.

The Scottish team completed the 450 mile trip in 27 days. Their aim had been to do it in 30-35.

They were the first in 20 years to complete the crossing.

The group gathered at the Queens Barracks in Perth to talk about the highs and lows of the trip.

'Eye-opening terrain'

Major Jonjo Knott, who is in his final year of GP training at Edinburgh University, said: "It was very tough indeed, it was 27 days of constant toil, so every member of the team had to make every step the whole way across and going from sea level up to 3,000m almost.

"Certainly the most difficult part was the final week coming down the ice caps, dealing with the crevasses and ice fields slowed our progress an awful lot.

The group were the first in 20 years to complete the crossing

"The crossing of Greenland is one of the world's great journeys and one of the world's great ski journeys, so that was something that drove all of us."

The group was also aiming to raise the profile of the Help for Heroes charity, which supports injured servicemen and women.

They were carrying out scientific research along the way, looking into the melting of the ice cap and also how their bodies were responding to the trek.

Captain Magnus Jeffrey said it was a hard adventure.

"There was lots of shuttling with heavy rucksacks through crevassed terrain," he said.

"Even once you got off the glacier there was lots of rocky moraine to contend with and the three days of bushwhacking to get out through a valley.

"The size of the terrain in the ice field on the way down was fairly eye-opening and certainly for the guys who hadn't been on a glacier before it was very much a baptism of fire, but we got through it and everyone came back."