We've made it! - 57 days, 4 hours and 5 minutes

It was a grey smudge in the distance, barely visible on the horizon, at first I thought it was a trick of the light reflecting off an overgrown sastrugi, I knew in my heart what it was, but wouldn't believe it, I put my head down and looked at my skis as they shuffled forward. 10 minutes later I glanced up again, squinting in the bright sun - it was finally the South Pole. For hours it didn't seem to get any closer, by camp time it was 22.85km away, I wanted to continue on, but we were shattered - tomorrow we would reach our goal.

I awoke excited and raring to go, the accumulated exhaustion in my legs was gone, the lack of decent food and clean clothes were distant memories. I was first to have my skis on and harnessed to my sledge like pony and trap. I slowed my pace after an initial rush of blood and made sure I savoured what would be my last steps on Antarctica (well for this year anyway!)

I wanted to enjoy these last moments alone with my thoughts.

Suddenly the smudge became a building, then other black dots joined to become a compound, soon a whole village on the ice appeared before us. Engine noises, the smell of diesel, lone figures rushing between buildings, all strange visions - was I dreaming?

A single shape clad in black, walked purposefully towards us, the first person we have seen in 2 months. Shelly a communications officer at the US run South Pole station, escorted us to the actual geographic South Pole marker, an engraved brass plate atop a nondescript pole, it reads '90 South, January 1 2008 Geographic South Pole, NSF' - NSF is the National Science Foundation, who run the research here (amazing stuff, Dark matter, neutrinos and helio seismology!)

It was -25c, I was overwhelmed, we had done it, defied the critics (there were many in the 'know' who doubted we would do it,) and delighted our supporters, we had walked from the edge of the Antarctic continent to the bottom of the earth. As chief photographer, I had to snap out of it and set up the team shot for the press - the 1st Irish team to ski to the South Pole. None of us really knew what to say or do after so long on the ice, the bright coloured flags, strong smells and people were an overload to our senses.

Shelly kindly ushered us into the space station looking building for coffee and a cookie, I went straight to the toilet and sat on the loo seat for the first time in 58 days.....incredible.....no more cold bum - we have finished!