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00:00There's a quote from a book that I love.
00:27The devil whispers in the warrior's ear
00:29and said, you cannot withstand the storm.
00:36The warrior smiles and he whispers back,
00:41I am the storm.
00:46This is all I've got.
00:49This is all I have.
00:51I'm going to try and ring Hester.
01:12It's been two and a half weeks now since we checked in,
01:15so I'm just going to ring and just see how she is.
01:20Okay, well, that's unfortunate.
01:24I think that's the reality of swimming around Iceland,
01:28that I'm on a completely different schedule.
01:30My life is dictated by tides and weather,
01:34whereas normal people back on land in society,
01:39their life is governed quite rightly by work,
01:42family commitments, friends, a social calendar.
01:45I'm not, that's not me.
01:46I am now a sea-dwelling nomad
01:49who is cast out of society.
01:54So when I've tried to ring people,
01:56it's not surprising that they don't pick up.
01:58So far, I've swum 180 brutal miles
02:01up Iceland's west coast in the kingdom of the bull.
02:05And the clock is ticking.
02:07The swim is not going to plan.
02:09And the baby is due in 15 weeks.
02:13I'm really hard on myself
02:15just because I know that
02:17the ocean does not care if you are chafing,
02:21if your tongue is falling off,
02:22if you are cold.
02:24It does not care.
02:25I've still got 820 miles to go
02:28if I'm to swim all the way around Iceland.
02:39So the storm has now passed.
02:41It's just sending so much cold air
02:42from the Arctic, angry Arctic air.
02:46But it feels like the Nordic gods
02:48kind of blessed us, at least for this morning.
02:51Don't know how long for,
02:52but every opportunity we get,
02:54we just need to swim.
02:59The weather wind has dropped off
03:01and we're heading back out to the start point
03:03to get Ross back in.
03:09There's going to be a little bit of
03:14sort of residual cold air
03:16still blowing through,
03:18but I'm told, fingers crossed,
03:20touch wood,
03:23that the swimming pool is open today.
03:32So right now, we're heading back
03:34to the exact spot I got out of the water
03:36five days ago.
03:39And so our crazy mission
03:44to swim around Iceland restarts.
03:50It is about 2.30 in the morning.
03:53The sky is bright
03:55because we're up in the high latitudes
03:56and it's a great sight to see.
04:02Our first swim out of Isafjorda
04:04and we have company
04:05as news gets around of the swim.
04:09The sun's rising,
04:27Ross is in the water
04:28here on our starboard side
04:29and we've got Talitha
04:30and look, they've put a sign out
04:32encouraging Ross along his way.
04:34Fantastic.
04:42Nice.
04:43Oh, no way!
04:45Yeah!
04:45Oh, ho, ho, ho!
04:47It's armed.
04:50Thank you, guys.
04:53Initially, I was really excited to get in.
05:09That excitement dwindled quite quickly.
05:12The water temperature
05:14is noticeably colder,
05:16dropping two, three degrees.
05:19It affects everything.
05:21Your stroke rate,
05:23muscle contractions,
05:24technique.
05:25It doesn't seem like a lot,
05:27but those degrees matter.
05:29I need to be swimming
05:3012 miles a day,
05:32every day.
05:34Mark!
05:34Well done, mate.
05:37Oh, thanks, guys.
05:39Well done.
05:42I've learnt something today.
05:43When a massive storm
05:44blows through from the Arctic,
05:46it obviously just brings
05:48so much cold air,
05:49cold waves,
05:49and then it just kind of leaves it.
05:51So right now,
05:52don't be fooled,
05:53this looks like
05:54really, really nice and calm.
05:55That is absolutely freezing.
05:58However good you think you are,
06:01like, halve it.
06:02That's how I feel.
06:03So, like, my numbers
06:05that I should be hitting
06:06back home
06:07come to Iceland
06:09and I'm f***ing.
06:12It's not a spectator sport, is it?
06:14No, it's not a spectator sport.
06:15No.
06:16That's why Bob's got time.
06:19What's in the back of my head is,
06:21I know it's only going to get colder,
06:23but we're only going north.
06:25We flirt with the Arctic Circle.
06:29So, yeah, if I'm cold now,
06:30I'm worried that this is just
06:36an aperitif,
06:39like an amuse-bouche
06:40for the main course
06:42that's about to come.
06:44I'm not looking forward to it.
06:47And if the cold wasn't bad enough,
06:50conditions are about
06:50to get a whole lot worse.
06:52So, we've got eyes on him.
07:00Seemingly out of nowhere.
07:02About six hours ago,
07:03it was pretty glassy,
07:04pretty relaxed.
07:06But the wind has really picked up
07:08and it's generating
07:09these pretty big waves.
07:10We're getting a lot of breakers now
07:12and the wind is hitting him
07:14right on the nose.
07:15So, the tide's going
07:17the same direction,
07:18but the waves and the wind
07:20are pushing him backwards.
07:22Everything else is against him
07:23except the tide, really.
07:24He's swam about 500 metres
07:29in 20 minutes,
07:30which I think
07:31might be his pants sister.
07:36Swim, yeah.
07:37And he's just saying,
07:39it's awful.
07:41Big C's put a huge amount
07:42of strain on the shoulders,
07:44ligaments and tendons.
07:46Add the cold to the mix
07:47and it's a recipe for injury
07:49and a fast ticket home.
07:51Weather is looking brutal.
07:56This is when you thrive,
07:58thinking of you,
07:59cheering you on.
08:00Those waves have not got
08:01nothing on you, brother.
08:03Keep going.
08:03You can do this.
08:04Never, ever give up.
08:06Come on.
08:12I think he's being
08:13quite stoic and brave.
08:1599% of us would be
08:17probably dead.
08:19Dead!
08:19Or very...
08:21In a precarious situation.
08:26Your mind goes to
08:27some strange places
08:27when getting smashed
08:28by waves.
08:30Sir Albert Camus,
08:31French philosopher,
08:32he turned around and said,
08:33struggling alone
08:34is enough to fill
08:35a man's heart.
08:37That's what I was thinking
08:38for the last few hours.
08:40The struggle alone
08:41is enough to fill
08:43a man's heart.
08:44Why is everybody staring
08:48when I keep speaking?
08:49The ability to pick
08:51yourself up and get back
08:53in the water every day,
08:54especially when you wake up
08:55and it looks like it does
08:56now, is testament to
08:58pretty insane willpower.
09:01That wasn't swimming,
09:02that was surviving.
09:03with it still blowing hard,
09:14we wait it out in the shelter
09:16of one of the West Fjord's
09:17many bays
09:18till the tide
09:18works in our favour.
09:23This is a really nice
09:25rare treat
09:26just because
09:26I spend so much
09:28of my time swimming,
09:29just staring
09:30into this blue abyss.
09:31Whereas when we
09:31pull up into a fjord
09:33like this just for a little
09:33bit of shelter,
09:35it is amazing.
09:37It's inspired
09:38so much of literature
09:39when you look at
09:40Tolkien,
09:41Lord of the Rings.
09:42And when you're here,
09:44you see why.
09:46It really does
09:47feel
09:48like this magical realm.
09:51That sounds so cheesy,
09:52I know,
09:53but
09:53take a peek at that.
10:02Over the next few days,
10:03we finally round
10:04the dramatic headland
10:05of the West Fjords
10:06and enter
10:07the realm
10:07of the eagle.
10:16That was a bit
10:17of an emotional swim.
10:18If you look over there,
10:20just those cliffs,
10:20that is the West Coast.
10:22So it feels like
10:24we're leaving that behind,
10:25almost like closing
10:26that chapter
10:27ahead of this
10:28glacially cold water.
10:36Greenland and its ice sheets
10:37are now some
10:38180 miles
10:39to the north of us.
10:41The speed
10:42they're melting at
10:42is scary.
10:45Each year,
10:46some 200 gigatons
10:48of meltwater
10:49is being released.
10:51It's going to make
10:52conquering the north coast
10:53even more
10:53of a challenge.
10:55This is 2,
10:563 o'clock
10:56in the morning
10:57right now.
10:58No darkness
10:59really messes
11:00with your head.
11:01And with every arm stroke,
11:03every leg kick,
11:04I'm also slowly
11:05destroying my body.
11:0710k last night,
11:0810k this morning,
11:09and it is bleak.
11:12Sometimes you get in
11:12on motivation.
11:15And there's other times
11:16where you just have to
11:17get in with discipline.
11:20After over 30 days
11:22of constant friction
11:23from my wetsuit,
11:2512 hours immersed
11:26in seawater
11:27and pissing in my wetsuit,
11:29my skin is rotting.
11:33Right, I'm not...
11:33Tom, I'm classing
11:34that one as a win.
11:36That one less.
11:38One less?
11:39I can literally
11:41put my finger in it.
11:42Every day
11:44and every tide,
11:46you've got to convince
11:47yourself
11:48that it's a good idea.
11:51Past swims,
11:51I've ended up
11:52in hospital.
11:53But to pull out
11:54of this swim
11:54because of an injury
11:55or an infection,
11:56that would be
11:57absolutely gutting.
11:58The only thing
11:59that's keeping me
11:59going right now
12:00is the work ethic
12:01and amazing support
12:03of the team.
12:03He's such an awful patient.
12:11The swim
12:12isn't becoming easier.
12:14We're just becoming strong.
12:21Ross!
12:22Did you get dolphins?
12:24No way!
12:25That's cool.
12:26It's so humbling.
12:33Iceland just gave us
12:35a little present there.
12:36They were probably wondering
12:37what the rubbery,
12:39salty Englishman
12:40was doing.
12:42It's almost like
12:43Mother Nature
12:44just sends you
12:44some training partners
12:45just to help
12:46get a few more miles out.
12:48And having a few things
12:49in your back pocket
12:50can really help
12:51to get you through
12:52those lonely,
12:53dark times.
12:54Every day,
12:56Solomon continues
12:57to collect water samples
12:58for Iceland scientists
12:59to analyse back on land.
13:01I'm just about
13:02to do another trawl
13:03for the microplastics
13:05that can be analysed
13:07when we get back
13:08to Reykjavik.
13:10And every time I do this,
13:12my fingers smell
13:12of dead fish.
13:14It's the joys of science.
13:17As more and more
13:19microplastics
13:19are found in marine life,
13:21the study will identify
13:22just how wide
13:24spread they are
13:24in Iceland's
13:25remote waters.
13:29Iceland has committed
13:30to protecting
13:3030% of his waters
13:32by 2030.
13:34What Solomon is doing here,
13:36collecting eDNA samples
13:37each day,
13:38will also help
13:39identify biodiversity
13:41hotspots
13:41around the coast.
13:43And I'm going to be honest,
13:44that makes all the cold,
13:46brutal miles
13:47worth it.
13:51And then inevitably,
13:52bad weather threatens us again
13:54as another huge storm
13:56starts to build
13:57in the Atlantic.
14:01So after weeks
14:03of back-to-back swims,
14:04we gun it for shelter
14:05into Iceland's
14:06most northerly mainland port.
14:08I'm in my bunk
14:13exhausted
14:14when a crazy thing
14:17happens.
14:20We get a call
14:21to help rescue
14:2230 pilot whales
14:23which are stranded
14:24in the next bay.
14:27It's carnage.
14:28There's whales
14:28beached everywhere.
14:30I think, guys,
14:38let's go,
14:39let's go,
14:39let's go.
14:40Oh, Jesus,
14:41so bad.
14:45Oh, God,
14:46there's so many.
14:48Jeez.
14:51Everywhere we look,
14:52there are pilot whales
14:53washed up.
14:54Some with their blowhole
14:55submerged,
14:56literally drowning
14:57in the shallows.
15:23If the whales
15:23spend too long
15:24out of the water,
15:25the weight of their
15:26body starts to
15:27collapse their
15:28internal organs.
15:34Some of them,
15:35there was no real
15:36sign of life.
15:37Like, the eye was
15:38closed, it wasn't
15:39breathing, the tail
15:40wasn't flapping,
15:41and you're just like,
15:42please, just praying,
15:44hang on.
15:49We're going to push
15:49it out of the head
15:50first.
15:51We battled to keep
15:54some two tons of whale
15:56upright.
15:59Okay,
15:59people at the front
16:00left, people at the back,
16:01push.
16:02That's the way it goes.
16:06Okay.
16:12Pilot whales are prone
16:13to mass strandings.
16:15If one gets in trouble,
16:16their social bonds are so
16:18strong,
16:18it often results
16:19in the rest
16:20of the pod joining.
16:28The pilot whales
16:28were further out
16:29in the fjord
16:29playing with the jet
16:30skis,
16:31and then as the jet
16:32skis came back,
16:33they got confused
16:34with the boats,
16:35the fishing boats
16:35coming across them
16:36as well,
16:37and they got lured
16:38and then distracted
16:39and ended up
16:40stranding.
16:42Slowly,
16:42after two hours
16:43in near-freezing water,
16:45we start to turn
16:46the tide
16:47as whale
16:48after whale
16:48refloats.
16:51And I just opened
16:53and looked at me
16:54and then all of a sudden
16:55blowhole went,
16:56tail went,
16:57and it went out
16:57into the open ocean.
16:59It is immense.
17:02Do you know what we could?
17:03You can see them
17:03all off there,
17:05making a pod
17:05by that dinghy.
17:07They're waiting
17:07for the rest
17:08of their group
17:08to get called in.
17:09After a massive
17:23community effort,
17:24over 30 pilot whales
17:26safely return
17:27to the sea.
17:32Ready?
17:32Good, good.
17:35Good, good.
17:37What?
17:38There's times
17:46to be a good athlete
17:48and there's times
17:49to be a good human
17:50and the swim can wait.
17:54This was a time
17:54to be a good human
17:55and I'm getting a bit
17:58emotional.
18:00We saved one whale
18:02and then you just
18:05wanted another one
18:05and you wanted
18:06another one.
18:08Genuinely,
18:09yeah,
18:10I'm...
18:12Peaceless.
18:14This guy had a dry suit
18:16the whole time.
18:16Yeah,
18:17I'm toasty warm.
18:18Don't worry about
18:18these guys.
18:19He's used to it.
18:20He's got a dry suit.
18:22I am freezing.
18:24Team whale.
18:26Good day
18:27for pilot whales.
18:27I was exhausted
18:33coming into Siglofjorda,
18:36but saving pilot whales
18:38is just completely
18:39reinvigorated,
18:41like, morale on board.
18:43It's the reason
18:44we're doing this
18:45with the eDNA samples
18:46and microplastics.
18:47It was just this huge
18:48reminder of why
18:49we're doing it.
18:50Yeah, records are nice,
18:52but really,
18:52ocean conservation
18:53is so much
18:54more important,
18:55but never
18:55did I ever think
18:57when starting
18:58this swim around Iceland
18:58that I would be
19:00delivering pilot whales
19:01back out
19:02into the open ocean
19:03by hand.
19:04Hands down,
19:05one of the greatest
19:06things I've ever done.
19:07With the storm
19:11still raging
19:12out at sea,
19:13we're stuck
19:13in Siglofjorda
19:14for another day.
19:17There's not much
19:17to do here,
19:18so I decided
19:19the town's
19:19one big attraction,
19:22the Herring Museum.
19:27This town,
19:28it used to be
19:28the most famous
19:29herring town
19:30in Iceland
19:31for the majority
19:31of the 20th century,
19:33but then it collapsed
19:33in the late 1960s,
19:35and there's been
19:36no herring fishing
19:37of the north coast
19:38ever since.
19:39Oh, wow.
19:40After it collapsed,
19:41Icelanders stopped
19:42fishing herring
19:43for about 20 years
19:44in order to give
19:45the stock a chance
19:46to recover.
19:47Back then,
19:48on those small boats,
19:50they were fishing
19:50about 700,000 tons
19:52on the biggest seasons.
19:53Oh!
19:54Yeah.
19:55So now,
19:56Icelanders are fishing
19:56about 100,000 tons
19:58annually.
19:59And so we're hoping
20:00that we might
20:01see the herring return.
20:03Yes.
20:04And at least
20:04that we can
20:05keep it stable.
20:06And also,
20:07if I'm not mistaken,
20:08we have a local legend.
20:09We do.
20:10We have an original
20:11herring girl.
20:11Wow, so when it was
20:13like the 1960s
20:14and this place
20:14was just like
20:15hustling and bustling,
20:16it was crazy,
20:17that's when you were
20:18actually working
20:18here as well?
20:20She was a little girl.
20:21Yes.
20:22She was nine.
20:25She's the last one standing.
20:27And to keep the history
20:28of the town alive
20:29and remind its visitors
20:30of what's been lost here,
20:32Siglofjorda holds
20:33a really special
20:34herring festival.
20:36And Laufey
20:37has been training
20:38up a whole new generation
20:39of herring girls.
20:42That's amazing.
20:44She's so fast.
20:47So this is immense.
20:48The whole town
20:49has turned out.
20:50It's kind of like
20:50a mini festival.
20:52And now,
20:52we actually get to see her
20:53in action.
20:54She's amazing.
20:57She's like the
21:00Serena Williams
21:01of herring cutting.
21:05Got it, got it, got it.
21:07This way around?
21:08Oh.
21:09There?
21:09Oh.
21:11There?
21:12Squeeze.
21:13Squeeze?
21:14And now,
21:14pull it.
21:16That's done.
21:18I've only been
21:19one barrel a day.
21:20I've only been
21:21one barrel a day.
21:22I've only been
21:23one barrel a day.
21:25I've only been
21:27one barrel a day.
21:30Are we out of here?
21:33Let's go.
21:34Are we out of here?
21:41Oh, nice.
21:42When I get
21:43the last kilometers,
21:45just think of
21:45the herring girls.
21:47Waiting, waiting for you.
21:50This is for you.
21:53I didn't know a lot
21:54about herring going into it.
21:55I know a lot
21:56now, and I think
21:57what's so good as well
21:58is knowing that
21:59the eDNA samples
22:00that we're going to be
22:01collecting all the way around
22:02are going to help
22:02inform decisions
22:03on what areas
22:04need protecting.
22:05And that's going to be
22:05so important
22:06because fishing
22:07is just crucial
22:08to Icelandic culture,
22:09its way of life,
22:10to its economy.
22:11I've really fallen
22:12in love with Siglofurda,
22:13and if our research
22:14can just help
22:15maybe, just maybe,
22:17bring back the herring,
22:18it'll make every
22:19chafe wound,
22:20every bit of my tongue
22:21falling off,
22:22well,
22:23it'll make it worth it.
22:23Siglofurda has been
22:26an amazing insight
22:28into Icelandic culture,
22:29but now
22:30I need to get going.
22:31I'm already
22:32one week behind schedule,
22:34and with the baby due
22:35in September,
22:36I can't afford
22:37any more delays.
22:40Hey, babe.
22:40No, I'm here.
22:43How's the Viking baby?
22:44We're watching.
22:45We're watching.
22:46We're watching.
22:46We're watching.
22:47We're watching.
22:48We didn't know
22:49how long it was going
22:51to take with the baby,
22:51so we didn't want
22:53to put life on hold,
22:54and then all of a sudden
22:54we realise,
22:55right, baby's on the way.
22:56We had a very hard
22:57conversation,
22:58and it was like,
22:59well, now in Hester,
23:00who's amazing,
23:01because I've been
23:02with her 13 years,
23:03she was like,
23:03Ross, you can't not go.
23:04Oh, what was it?
23:13It was good.
23:14Yeah, yeah, yeah,
23:15she's well.
23:16It's just,
23:17yeah, I...
23:20It was amazing
23:22speaking to her,
23:24but we were just
23:25talking then,
23:26and it just kind of
23:27hit home.
23:29She's had another scan,
23:31which is amazing.
23:32Baby's Heartbeat,
23:35basically an Olympian.
23:37Their words are not mine.
23:38No, no, I'm joking.
23:40But, er...
23:40It's an amazing heartbeat.
23:43She sent me some
23:43scan pictures and stuff.
23:44That's amazing,
23:45but, um...
23:48They'd say it's 12 weeks.
23:50Yeah, and hearing that,
23:52that's, um...
23:54That's a hard deadline.
23:56We've been storm-bound enough.
23:57You know, Siglerford
23:58has been amazing,
23:59but we cannot stay here.
24:00We've got to swim,
24:01and if there's a storm,
24:03become the storm.
24:07We've got a country
24:08to swim around
24:08and a baby to deliver.
24:15And as we finally
24:16leave Sigler, Florida,
24:17we leave with
24:18a new crew member,
24:20Irish swim legend
24:21Gar Roche.
24:22She has come to help me
24:23try and improve
24:24my swim times
24:24and get back
24:25on schedule.
24:26It's utterly impossible
24:28for someone
24:28to appreciate
24:29what Ross has actually
24:30gone through here,
24:31but, um,
24:31he's a pretty
24:32extraordinary human being.
24:34Ross has had a lot
24:35of time to get
24:36a bit of rest in
24:37and recovery.
24:38Now we're hoping
24:39to go out
24:40into a bigger
24:41weather window,
24:43but we've just
24:44got to see
24:44how the wind
24:45plays out
24:45from now on, really.
24:46As we head back
24:50to our last swim
24:51position,
24:51we set course
24:52for the tiny island
24:53of Grimsey
24:54in the Arctic Circle
24:56and beyond
24:57the distant town
24:58of Røyverhoppen,
25:00a gateway to the east
25:01and the kingdom
25:02of the dragon.
25:11Our newest crew member,
25:13Gar,
25:13adjusts to life on board.
25:1657 strokes per minute.
25:18Yay, the boil is consistent.
25:21We've gone so much
25:22further north.
25:23This is a whole
25:23different ballgame.
25:24We're going on tide,
25:26currents, wind.
25:27That could be midday,
25:28could be midnight,
25:29could be 4 a.m.,
25:304 p.m.,
25:30so there's no
25:31circadian rhythm to this.
25:33So it's huge
25:34disorientating.
25:35It is relentless.
25:37And with Gar's
25:37encouragement,
25:38we slowly eat up the miles.
25:43Stopped.
25:44One of the orcas.
25:51There was quite literally
25:52something in the water.
25:53There was just this eerie
25:54kind of shapes.
25:56There were noises.
25:59They got pretty close.
26:00They really checked you out.
26:00I was being tracked
26:04by some orcas.
26:09It was so close.
26:12Iceland's orcas,
26:13or killer whales,
26:14are residents here
26:15all year round.
26:21There's the one
26:22around the back yard.
26:23And increasingly,
26:25I'm becoming
26:25a full-time maintenance job
26:27as Tom and Gar
26:28try to keep my salt saws
26:30clean and dry.
26:34It's a very difficult
26:35balance to try
26:35and treat the wounds,
26:36but then you're
26:36sending them back
26:37into the water.
26:38So there's no time
26:39for these wounds to heal.
26:39So it's a matter of
26:40trying to waterproof
26:40those wounds,
26:42heal them in the
26:43short time he has
26:44on the boat,
26:44and then protect them
26:45when he gets back
26:46in the water.
26:47So this is a
26:48massive challenge.
26:49Although morale is good,
26:58progress is painfully slow.
27:01I'm still creeping along,
27:02but it's at an
27:03embarrassingly slow speed,
27:05sometimes even
27:06going backwards
27:07as we struggle
27:07with town's occurrence
27:08and to find any times
27:10that can help
27:10sweep us east.
27:12And there are still
27:13some 600 miles to go
27:14to complete the swim.
27:16I'm worried.
27:17I need to pull
27:18something out of
27:19somewhere because
27:20I'm not missing
27:21the baby's arrival
27:22and I'm not not
27:24swimming around Iceland.
27:27I'm just going to
27:28have to swim faster.
27:39Finally, the distant
27:41outline of Grimsey Island
27:42starts to appear
27:43on the horizon.
27:48And as its steep cliffs
27:57beckon,
27:58it marks another
27:59major milestone.
28:01It was always going to
28:02be really, really special
28:03just because when you
28:04look on a map,
28:05we've officially swum
28:06into the Arctic Circle
28:08over 400 miles,
28:10which sounds crazy.
28:13I love the story
28:14of how this tiny island
28:15was formed.
28:16Legend has it,
28:17three trolls
28:18were digging
28:18a vast trench
28:19trying to separate
28:20the Westfjords
28:21from mainland Iceland.
28:24As dawn broke,
28:25just as all the trolls
28:26were about to be
28:26turned to stone,
28:28one managed to
28:29fling her shovel
28:29into the sea
28:30and Grimsey Island
28:32was formed.
28:35So today was
28:37an awesome day
28:38and also a really,
28:40really bad day
28:41all wrapped into one.
28:42So in the Royal Navy
28:45this is a tradition
28:46that if you sail
28:47across the Arctic Circle
28:48you have to jump
28:49in the water
28:50and hold the
28:51Blue Nose Ceremony.
28:52Woo!
28:55One, two, three!
28:57Yeah!
29:02Come on!
29:04Come on!
29:05It's a huge achievement.
29:16Woo!
29:17Rock, I'm on a hurdle
29:18like jail!
29:20The entire team
29:21jumped in.
29:22It was brilliant.
29:23Everyone had a great time.
29:25That was the good news.
29:29The bad news,
29:31I wasn't involved
29:32in anything.
29:33I was worried
29:34about my wounds,
29:35feeling exhausted.
29:38Also, a little bit
29:39feverish,
29:39which just means
29:40that it could turn
29:41into cellulitis.
29:43I've had that before.
29:44That's a skin infection.
29:45I had it in Loch Ness
29:46and if it gets
29:48in your lymph nodes
29:48it can be fatal.
29:51Woo!
29:51I've got to sleep
29:55if we're to
29:56hit the next tide
29:57as well.
30:07No, no, no!
30:09This can be
30:09such a lonely
30:10team sport.
30:12Sounds odd to say
30:13because I know
30:14that the crew
30:15would swim the miles
30:16for me if they could
30:17but ultimately
30:20it's just got to be
30:20me with my face
30:21in the water
30:22and I think
30:25I'm realising
30:26that there's times
30:29to stop
30:30and smell the roses
30:31and there's times
30:33just to be face down
30:34in the dirt
30:35just hard at work
30:37and today
30:39was one of those days.
30:41No roses were smelt today.
30:44None whatsoever.
30:45Now, officially
30:46get a blue nose.
30:48And become a Viking.
30:49Yeah, and become a Viking.
30:52Hey, Big Dog.
30:53Eddie here.
30:54This is what you're made for,
30:55Big Dog.
30:56Keep going.
30:56Do not give up.
30:58Do not give up.
31:03As the crew stock up
31:04on food
31:04and fuel
31:05for the last push
31:06across the north coast
31:07and after my first
31:10full night's sleep
31:11in quite a while
31:12I'm actually really excited
31:13to go and check out Grimsy
31:15and pay my respects
31:16to the Arctic Circle.
31:23So, I have been on
31:24Grimsy Island now
31:25for 24 hours
31:26and this place
31:27is incredible.
31:28The people,
31:29the landscapes
31:30and Una,
31:31she's basically,
31:31you've adopted me now.
31:33Yeah.
31:33I'm kind of like
31:33your strange English brother.
31:34Yeah.
31:35It's come from the sea.
31:36Welcome.
31:36Thank you so much.
31:38Your family
31:38actually live on Grimsy.
31:40Yeah.
31:40So, you know a lot
31:41about this.
31:42Everything.
31:43This,
31:43I'm most intrigued about.
31:45Yeah.
31:46Una,
31:47what is it?
31:47This,
31:48this is a big ball.
31:50Right.
31:51And it's the monument
31:52for the Arctic Circle.
31:54The Arctic Circle
31:55goes through Grimsy here.
31:58Literally here?
31:59You're standing on top of it.
32:00This here?
32:01Yeah.
32:02And this?
32:03Yeah.
32:03You can look through it
32:04and that's where to tell you
32:06that you're looking
32:06at the Arctic Circle.
32:09This is incredible.
32:10It feels special, right?
32:11It is.
32:11It's the only place
32:12in Iceland
32:13that you can walk
32:13over it.
32:15You'll tell me
32:16if this moves?
32:17Yeah, I will.
32:17I'm looking.
32:18It's eight tongues?
32:19Yeah.
32:20Right.
32:22This is my flip-off.
32:28That's moving.
32:30Yeah, it is.
32:31Definitely.
32:32Sure.
32:33Sure.
32:36Did it move a bit?
32:37Tell me,
32:37I need a wind.
32:40The orb gets moved
32:41each year
32:41to mark the position
32:42of the Arctic Circle,
32:44the most subly point
32:45where the sun remains
32:46continuously above the horizon
32:48during the summer months.
32:51It's time to get back
32:52to the boat
32:53and back in the water.
32:54But before I do,
32:56I've just got enough time
32:57to check out
32:57Grimsey's most famous visitors.
32:59Look at the puffins,
33:02they're not the most aerodynamic.
33:05Yeah, they look so clumsy
33:06trying to fly.
33:09In the summer months,
33:10this tiny island
33:11is home to over
33:12a million seabirds
33:13and over 100,000
33:15breeding puffin pairs.
33:16They look like an old married couple.
33:22Oh, yeah.
33:22They're definitely fine.
33:23Look, they're facing away
33:24from each other.
33:27Around the world,
33:28puffin numbers have dropped
33:29by some 50%
33:31in my lifetime.
33:34Iceland's north coast
33:34is one of the few places
33:36where their numbers
33:37are actually increasing.
33:38I can't believe
33:44this is your back garden.
33:45There's moments like this
33:47when I see
33:47just like that.
33:48I'll do another lap of Iceland.
33:51Do you want to know
33:52how we say a puffins
33:53in Icelandic?
33:55Lundi.
33:56Lundi?
33:57Yeah.
33:58Lundi.
33:58Yeah, well done.
34:05Grimsey's been amazing,
34:06hasn't it?
34:07Grimsey has been
34:08with a rare window
34:10of calm weather
34:11and supplies of pasta,
34:13chocolate spread
34:13and peanut butter
34:14restocked,
34:15our battle to conquer
34:16Iceland's north coast
34:17continues.
34:23As we leave
34:24the shelter of Grimsey,
34:25its waters give us
34:26a last rare treat.
34:31So over there,
34:33you've got,
34:33it kind of looks like
34:34a jacuzzi.
34:35You've got all these
34:36herring.
34:38We've got a humpback.
34:58Full of breech
35:00and full of flutes.
35:02Incredible.
35:03This is a thing with Iceland.
35:06I'm just, um,
35:07constantly conflicted
35:09between being
35:11a swimmer
35:12and a wildlife enthusiast.
35:16Oh!
35:17I think this is one of these times
35:24where the swimming can wait
35:27because this is awesome.
35:30During the summer months,
35:31Iceland is home
35:32to over 15,000 humpbacks.
35:35It's the largest population
35:36in the world.
35:38We've got humpbacks,
35:39we've got minky whales.
35:40Whales.
35:53Oh-ho, right there.
35:58You're a whale prophet as well.
36:01Whales?
36:02I come up my spirit animal
36:03so when I see one of them
36:04I'm like
36:04family.
36:24Big day.
36:25So we've got 60 kilometers
36:26to get to the mainland.
36:27If we get to the mainland
36:27that means the north coast
36:28is officially done.
36:30That means Westfjord's done.
36:32We conquered the bulls.
36:34Over the north coast
36:35we conquered the eagle.
36:37Next up,
36:38the dragon.
36:40This last section
36:41of the north coast
36:42is my absolute nemesis.
36:44I'm battling tides
36:45and countercurrents
36:46that are so bad
36:47that every time
36:47I stop for food
36:48I actually end up
36:49going backwards.
36:51It's taking its toll
36:52and psychologically
36:53it's torture.
36:55If it carries on
36:57it could spell
36:58the end
36:59of the swim.
37:09He's putting
37:10some absolute miles
37:11in right now.
37:14He's been in and out
37:15a few times
37:16for a bit of food.
37:20But he's also in and out
37:21to get some
37:23protective lotion
37:24on his face.
37:30Every now and then
37:31he would just swim
37:32into lion's mane
37:33jellyfish.
37:35The only exposed bit
37:36is his face
37:37so he's just taking
37:38jellyfish to the face.
37:43They're everywhere.
37:44Are you feeling better?
37:50Oh, thanks guys.
37:53Yeah, it was a swarm
37:54of lion's mane's.
37:56A swarm of juvenile
37:57lion's mane's.
37:58Very painful.
38:01Here we go.
38:03Your face is puffed up
38:04before fake.
38:06Has it?
38:06Yeah.
38:07And the worst it's been?
38:09Yeah.
38:09Sugar-coated Luke.
38:15The lion's mane are
38:16particularly nasty
38:17jellyfish.
38:18Oh, it's not the pain.
38:19I just feel a bit dizzy.
38:21Probably not going to
38:22sleep tonight now.
38:23It's like a stinging nettle.
38:27But when you start getting
38:28like six, seven, eight,
38:30the toxins just start
38:32like attacking
38:33and your lymph nodes
38:35and you start...
38:35Toxins accumulate, yeah?
38:37Yeah.
38:38It's a toxin.
38:39You just feel
38:40nauseous and
38:42you know.
38:43All right, mate.
38:44Rise, Ross.
38:45Yep.
38:47Prefer just putting
38:48really hot water
38:49onto a cloth
38:50to act like a poultice
38:51for Ross
38:51and to give him
38:52a bit of relief
38:52from the pain.
39:02If you need to breathe,
39:03just tell me.
39:04Lift it up.
39:06It's just extraordinary
39:07perseverance to
39:08keep pushing through this.
39:13Honestly, it feels
39:15so much better.
39:16Thank you, big man.
39:24This ocean just
39:25keeps throwing
39:25problems at us.
39:27It's relentless.
39:29I say Iceland
39:30is a place
39:31where motivation
39:31comes to die.
39:33Maybe when I'm
39:34really, really old
39:35telling this
39:36to my grandkids.
39:38Maybe it'll be fun
39:39then, but right now
39:40no motivation,
39:44no fun.
39:47I'm just doing it
39:48because I said
39:48I would.
39:50Because I'm stubborn.
39:51I'm too stubborn
39:52for my own good.
39:54I should have probably
39:55any sensible person
39:57would have called it
39:57by now, but
39:58I just
40:00for whatever reason
40:03just can't.
40:06I'll go down
40:07swinging if I have to.
40:09All right.
40:09big swim.
40:14It takes nine
40:15painful days
40:16to slowly conquer
40:17the last few miles
40:18of the north coast
40:19against the tide.
40:21At that point,
40:23Ross was actually
40:23physically, I think,
40:24mentally and emotionally
40:25reaching as low
40:28as a human
40:29can endure.
40:31everything is going wrong
40:34and I know I'm wired
40:36a little bit differently,
40:37but it just feels
40:38like the tougher
40:39things get,
40:40the more determined
40:41I become.
40:43And finally,
40:44we close in on the
40:45Roeverhoppen Peninsula
40:46and there's a tough
40:48decision to make.
40:49Go through the overfalls,
40:50shallow, rough water,
40:52or go the long way
40:53around and avoid them,
40:54which would add miles
40:56to the journey.
40:57We, of course,
40:58choose the shortcut.
40:59Just turning the northeast
41:06tip,
41:07it's exciting.
41:09Wind's against tide,
41:11so it's very choppy.
41:12You hear him laughing
41:13away to himself
41:14because he's bouncing
41:15over all these waves.
41:16If there's 30 knots
41:31of wind on the nose,
41:33you put your goggles on
41:34and you swim.
41:38I'm pretty sure
41:38my organs have been
41:39rearranged.
41:40I think at one point
41:41I kicked myself
41:42in the back
41:43of their head.
42:00Keep going.
42:06We're round the Haglands.
42:07The end of the north.
42:12Go away.
42:14The north is over.
42:16It's official.
42:18Woof, woof.
42:21So what a cool way
42:22to finish the north coast.
42:24Ross needs this bit of fun.
42:27Get us revenge.
42:28Yeah, we're heading south.
42:34It was a huge relief.
42:36And the north coast
42:36was brutal,
42:37utterly relentless.
42:38So, yeah,
42:39spirits are high.
42:43Woo!
42:45And so we go
42:46from crazy
42:47to calm.
42:50And after nine
42:55long days
42:55at sea
42:56and with yet
42:57another storm brewing,
42:58we head for shelter
42:59in the small town
43:01of Roivahoppen.
43:07Standing proud
43:08on its headland
43:09to welcome us
43:10into the land
43:11of the dragon
43:11are the spectacular
43:12pillars
43:13of Arctic Stonehenge.
43:18It's a newly built
43:19giant sundial
43:21inspired by
43:22Norse mythology,
43:23which, of course,
43:24I love.
43:25It's so cool.
43:28And as we wait
43:29for the latest storm
43:30to pass through,
43:31we drive 100 miles inland
43:33to the north of Iceland.
43:38I'm told there's a place
43:39called Mí Ávártan,
43:40which has been
43:41on my bucket list
43:42for ages.
43:43Basically,
43:43it's one of the most
43:44active geothermal areas
43:46in the whole of Iceland.
43:48No idea what to expect,
43:49but keen
43:50to go
43:51and take a peek.
43:52and take a peek.
43:53I'll see you next time.
43:53I'll see you next time.
43:53I'll see you next time.
43:54I'll see you next time.
43:54I'll see you next time.
44:27OK, this place is obscene.
44:36I've genuinely never seen anything like it.
44:38It doesn't feel like we're on planet Earth anymore.
44:40It feels like we just landed on the surface of Mars.
44:43Visually, it's incredible, all the different colours.
44:47This area straddles two tectonic plates,
44:49which are slowly pulling apart about two centimetres each year,
44:53which is why this whole area is so insane.
44:58But my nose, oh, my God, that's the real casualty of today.
45:03So the yellow, that's the sulphur that is just bubbling up
45:06and all this steam, that's volcanic activity fusing with the mud.
45:10But my nose, it is honestly, the smell is biblical.
45:14It's kind of like really, really rotten eggs
45:17mixed with some other stuff that I can't explain.
45:21It's amazing.
45:22But not even this awe-inspiring place
45:32can distract me from one brutal truth.
45:35We're now at least two weeks behind schedule
45:38and I am so unprepared for the birth.
45:40So, not good news.
45:47We're going to finish right now
45:49unless something drastic happens.
45:53Like, mid-November?
45:57That just can't happen.
45:59So the baby arrives late September
46:02and I need to be back before then.
46:11Next time...
46:12That is not the piss of a healthy man.
46:16Most doctors will say,
46:17stop swimming and go to the nearest hospital.
46:20The pressure is on.
46:21More next Saturday, slightly earlier from 7.15.
46:31Or for more right now,
46:32you can dip a toe into Channel 4 Plus
46:33every stage of the quest, streaming there now.
46:37Massive amphitheatres and mummified towns next.
46:40Get your ticket to see the Roman Empire by train
46:42with Alice Roberts.
46:43We'll see you next time.
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