Polar Preet is 2° from South Pole and feeling 'positive'

British Army officer Captain Preet Chandi has said that the last couple of days of her journey have been "pretty tough".

Capt Chandi, also known as Polar Preet, has completed day 45 of her 1,100-mile solo trek – a challenge that will see her become the first woman to cross the continent alone with nothing but a 120kg pulk.

The 33-year-old physio and polar explorer is currently 2° from the pole, which she has described as "positive" on her daily blog.

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Capt Chandi has recently fallen behind schedule and has had to make up the lost time.

Soft snow has made it difficult for her to pull her pulk. Soft sastrugi, which is the equivalent of snow sand dunes, have also made her trek more difficult.

More than a quarter of the way into her journey, the adventurer has spent her second Christmas in a tent surrounded by snow and ice.

She has had to battle temperatures of -50°C and wind speeds of up to 60mph as she continues her quest to be the first woman to cross Antarctica on her own and unsupported.