As Britain recovers from the big freeze; many of us dream of relaxing holidays and sunnier climes. Not so Belvoir’s Mike and Stephanie Goddard. Never ones to follow the crowd the couple headed off for a trip to the Arctic Circle where they experienced a night in Sweden’s famous ice hotel, followed by a lesson in igloo building, sledging, husky driving and night time temperatures of -30 degrees!

 

“The challenge of venturing 200km north of the Arctic Circle for a week’s winter survival holiday certainly lived up to our expectations,” says Mike. “It was something I’d always wanted to do and was completely exhilarating.”

 

The adventurous couple made the most of the five hours of daylight, with a packed schedule of snow-filled activities. As well as a night in the glamorous frozen ice hotel, they also stayed in a remote log cabin with no electricity or facilities. “It did have a sauna though,” says Mike, “but afterwards you had to jump out and run across a frozen lake to submerge into a hole in the icy water before a second sauna session and a roll in the snow! It was very invigorating.”

 

After a lesson in igloo building Mike and a fellow camp member braved the elements to sleep in their home made accommodation. “It was even colder than the ice hotel,” admits Mike. “We slept on reindeer skins and had a sleeping bag each, plus hot drinks and a few warming tots of whisky. The temperature outside was -30 and inside the igloo it was -17! It was a cold and somewhat frightening experience as the igloo was built on a frozen lake and throughout the night the ice shifted and cracked very loudly.”

 

Stephanie, who admits that prior to this her ideal vacation was somewhere warm and sunny, says: “It really was the best holiday ever. Driving your own team of huskies across a frozen lake as the first sun of the year shows itself above the horizon was just beyond words and something we shall never forget.”

 

Now safely back in the UK, Mike is busy preparing for his next great challenge of 2010 – a trip to Tanzania to climb Mount Meru, which at 15,000 feet is the fifth highest mountain in Africa. Meru was chosen because it offers the best ridge ascent, and dramatic cliff falls through Africa’s wildest remaining natural habitat area. The climb is not without danger as rhino, elephants and lions occupy the region.