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00:23There's a quote from a book that I love.
00:27The devil whispers in the warrior's ear
00:29and said,
00:31you cannot withstand the storm.
00:36The warrior smiles
00:39and he whispers back,
00:43I am the storm.
00:46This is all I've got.
00:49This is all I have.
01:11I'm going to try and ring Hester.
01:12It's been two and a half weeks now
01:14since we checked in,
01:15so I'm just going to ring
01:16and just see how she is.
01:21Okay, well, that's unfortunate.
01:24I think that's the reality
01:26of swimming around Iceland,
01:28that I'm on a completely different schedule.
01:30My life is dictated by tides and weather,
01:33whereas normal people back on land in society,
01:38their life is governed quite rightly by work,
01:42family commitments,
01:43friends,
01:43a social calendar.
01:45I'm not,
01:45that's not me.
01:46I am now a sea-dwelling nomad
01:50who 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,
01:59I've swum 180 brutal miles
02:01up Iceland's west coast
02:03in the kingdom of the bull,
02:04and the clock is ticking.
02:07The swim is not going to plan,
02:09and the baby is due
02:10in 15 weeks.
02:13I'm really hard on myself
02:15just because I know that
02:18the ocean does not care
02:20if you are chafing,
02:21if your tongue is falling off,
02:23if you are cold.
02:24It does not care.
02:25I've still got 820 miles to go.
02:28It's time to swim all the way around Iceland.
02:39So the storm has now passed.
02:40It's just sending so much cold air
02:42from the Arctic,
02:44angry Arctic air,
02:46but feels like the Nordic gods
02:48kind of blessed us
02:49at least for this morning.
02:51Don't know how long for,
02:52but every opportunity we get,
02:54we just need to swim.
02:59Well, the wind has dropped off
03:01and we're heading back out
03:02to the start point
03:03to get Ross back in.
03:13There's going to be a little bit
03:14of sort of residual cold air
03:16still blowing through,
03:18but I'm told,
03:20fingers crossed,
03:20touch wood,
03:22that the swimming pool
03:23is open today.
03:32So right now,
03:33we're heading back
03:34to the exact spot
03:35I got out of the water
03:36five days ago.
03:42And so our crazy mission
03:44to swim around Iceland
03:45restarts.
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
04:06of the swim.
04:25The sun's rising,
04:27Ross is in the water
04:28here on our starboard side
04:29and we've got Talitha
04:30and look,
04:31they've put a sign out
04:32encouraging Ross along his way.
04:34Fantastic.
04:43Nice.
04:43Oh, no way!
04:47It's out.
04:51Thanks, guys.
04:57Thanks, guys.
04:58Thanks, guys.
05:00Thanks, guys.
05:07Initially, I was really excited
05:09to get in.
05:10That excitement dwindled
05:11quite quickly.
05:13The 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 12 miles a day
05:31every day.
05:34Mark!
05:36Well done, mate.
05:37Well, 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
05:47so 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,
06:02halve it.
06:02That's how I feel.
06:03So, like,
06:04my numbers that I should be hitting
06:06back home
06:08come to Iceland
06:09and I'm f***ing.
06:12It's not a spectator sport,
06:13is 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,
06:22but we're only going north.
06:25We flirt with
06:26the Arctic Circle.
06:28So, yeah,
06:29if I'm cold now,
06:34I'm worried that this is just
06:36an aperitif,
06:39like an amuse-bouche
06:41for 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,
06:49conditions are about to get
06:51a whole lot worse.
06:54So 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
07:14in bright on the nose.
07:15So,
07:16the tide's going the 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.
07:27He's swam about 500 metres
07:29in 20 minutes,
07:30which I think
07:32might be his pants sister.
07:36Swim, yeah.
07:37And he's just saying,
07:38it's awful.
07:40Big 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.
07:54Weather 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 quite stoic
08:14and brave.
08:1599% of us would be
08:17probably dead.
08:18Dead!
08:19Or buried.
08:21In a precarious situation.
08:26Your mind goes to some
08:27strange places
08:27when getting smashed
08:28by waves.
08:29Sir Albert Camus,
08:31French philosopher,
08:32he turned around and said,
08:33struggling alone
08:34is enough to fill a man's heart.
08:37That's what I was thinking
08:38for the last few hours.
08:40The struggle alone
08:42is enough to fill a man's heart.
08:46Why is everybody staring
08:48when I keep speaking?
08:50The ability to pick yourself up
08:52and get back in the water
08:54every day,
08:54especially when you wake up
08:55and it looks like it does now,
08:57is testament to
08:58pretty insane willpower.
09:01That wasn't swimming,
09:02that was surviving.
09:13With it still blowing hard,
09:14we wait it out in the shelter
09:16of one of the Westfjord's
09:17many bays
09:18till the tide works
09:19in our favour.
09:23This is a really nice rare treat
09:26just because
09:26I spend so much of my time
09:28swimming,
09:29just staring into this blue abyss,
09:31whereas when we pull up
09:32into a fjord like this
09:33just for a little bit of shelter,
09:34it is amazing.
09:37It's inspired so much
09:39of literature
09:39when you look at
09:40Tolkien, Lord of the Rings.
09:42And when you're here,
09:44you see why.
09:46It really does.
09:48We all like this magical realm.
09:51That sounds so cheesy,
09:52I know,
09:53but
09:54make a peek at that.
10:02over the next few days,
10:03we finally round the dramatic
10:05headland of the Westfjords
10:06and enter the realm of the eagle.
10:16So that was a bit of an emotional swim.
10:18If you look over there,
10:19just those cliffs,
10:20that is the West Coast.
10:22So it feels like we're leaving that behind,
10:25almost like closing that chapter
10:27ahead of this glacially cold water.
10:36Greenland and its ice sheets
10:37are now some 180 miles
10:39to the north of us.
10:41The speed they're melting at
10:42is scary.
10:45Each year,
10:46some 200 gigatons of meltwater
10:49is being released.
10:51It's going to make conquering
10:52the north coast
10:52even more of a challenge.
10:55This is 2, 3 o'clock
10:56in the morning right now.
10:58No darkness really messes
11:00with your head.
11:01And with every arm stroke,
11:03every leg kick,
11:04I'm also slowly destroying my body.
11:0710K last night,
11:0810K this morning,
11:10and it is bleak.
11:11Sometimes 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,
11:2412 hours immersed
11:26in seawater
11:27and pissing in my wetsuit,
11:29my skin is rotting.
11:33Right, I'm not Tom.
11:34I'm classing that one
11:35as 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,
11:45you've got to convince
11:48yourself
11:48that it's a good idea.
11:50Past swims,
11:51I've ended up in hospital.
11:53But to pull out of 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 going
12:00right now
12:00is the work ethic
12:01and amazing support
12:02of the team.
12:08He's such an awful patient.
12:11The swim
12:12isn't becoming easier.
12:14We're just
12:15becoming stronger.
12:21Ross!
12:22Did you get dolphins?
12:24No way!
12:25That's cool!
12:31It's so humbling.
12:33Iceland
12:34just 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,
12:52dark times.
12:55Every day,
12:56Solomon continues to collect
12:57water samples
12:58for Iceland scientists
12:59to analyse back on land.
13:01I'm just about to do
13:02another 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 are found
13:20in marine life,
13:21the study will identify
13:22just how widespread
13:24they are
13:24in Iceland's remote 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 identify
13:40biodiversity hotspots
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
13:54again
13:54as another huge storm
13:56starts to build
13:57in the Atlantic.
14:02So after weeks
14:03of back-to-back swims,
14:04we gun it for shelter
14:05into Iceland's
14:06most northerly mainland port.
14:12I'm in my bunk,
14:13exhausted,
14:15when a crazy thing happens.
14:20We get a call
14:21to help rescue
14:2230 pilot whales
14:23which are stranded
14:24in the next bay.
14:26It's carnage.
14:28There's whales
14:28beached everywhere.
14:37I think, guys,
14:38let's go, let's go,
14:39let's go.
14:40Oh, Jesus,
14:41so bad.
14:44Oh, God,
14:46there's so many.
14:48Jeez.
14:50everywhere we look,
14:52there are pilot whales
14:53washed up,
14:54some with their blowholes
14:55submerged,
14:56literally drowning
14:57in the shallows.
15:23If the whales spend too long
15:24out of the water,
15:25the weight of their body
15:27starts to collapse
15:28their internal organs.
15:34Some of them,
15:35there was no real sign of life.
15:37Like, the eye was closed,
15:39it wasn't breathing,
15:40the tail wasn't flapping,
15:41and you're just like,
15:42please,
15:43just praying,
15:44hang on.
15:53We battle to keep
15:54some two tons
15:55of whale upright.
15:59OK,
15:59you've got the front lift,
16:00you've got the back,
16:01push.
16:02That's the way you've got it.
16:12Pilot whales are prone
16:13to mass strandings.
16:14If one gets in trouble,
16:16their social bonds
16:17are so strong,
16:18it often results
16:19in the rest of the pod joining.
16:27The pilot whales
16:28were further out
16:29in the fjord
16:29playing with the jet skis,
16:31and then as the jet skis
16:32came back,
16:33they got confused
16:34with the boats,
16:35the fishing boats
16:35coming across them as well,
16:37and they got lured
16:38and then distracted
16:39and ended up stranding.
16:42Slowly,
16:42after two hours
16:43in near freezing water,
16:45we start to turn the tide
16:47as whale after whale
16:48refloats.
16:51An eye 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.
17:01Let's do what we could.
17:03You can see them all
17:03off there,
17:04making a pod
17:05by that dinghy.
17:07They're waiting
17:07for the rest of their group
17:08to get called in.
17:21After a massive community effort,
17:24over 30 pilot whales
17:26safely return to the sea.
17:45There's times
17:46to be a good athlete,
17:48and there's times
17:49to be a good human,
17:52and the swim can wait.
17:54This was a time
17:54to be a good human.
17:57And I'm getting a bit emotional.
18:00We saved one whale,
18:03and then you just wanted
18:05another one,
18:06and you wanted another one.
18:09Genuinely, yeah, I'm...
18:13Peaceless.
18:15This guy had a dry suit
18:16the whole time.
18:17Yeah, I'm toasty warm.
18:18Don't worry about these guys.
18:20He's used to it.
18:20He's got a dry suit.
18:22I am freezing.
18:24Team whale.
18:26Good day for pilot whales.
18:32I was exhausted
18:34coming into Sigloforto,
18:36but saving pilot whales
18:38is just completely reinvigorated.
18:41Like, morale on board.
18:43It's the reason
18:44we're doing this.
18:45With the eDNA samples,
18:46the microplastics,
18:47it was just this huge reminder
18:48of why we're doing it.
18:49Yeah, records are nice,
18:51but really,
18:52ocean conservation
18:53is so much more important.
18:55But never did I ever think
18:57when starting this
18:58swim around Iceland
18:59that I would be delivering
19:01pilot whales
19:01back out into the open ocean
19:03by hand.
19:04Hands down,
19:05one of the greatest things
19:06I've ever done.
19:10With the storm still raging
19:12out at sea,
19:13we're stuck in Sigloforto
19:14for another day.
19:17There's not much to do here,
19:18so I decided
19:19the town's one big attraction,
19:22the herring museum.
19:27This town,
19:28it used to be
19:28the most famous herring 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 no herring fishing
19:37off the north coast
19:38ever since.
19:38Oh, wow.
19:40After it collapsed,
19:41Icelanders stopped fishing herring
19:43for about 20 years
19:44in order to give the stock
19:45a chance to recover.
19:47Back then,
19:48on those small boats,
19:50they were fishing
19:50about 700,000 tonnes
19:52on the biggest seasons.
19:53Oh!
19:54Yeah.
19:55So now,
19:56Icelanders are fishing
19:56about 100,000 tonnes annually.
19:59And so we're hoping
20:00that we might see
20:01the herring return.
20:03Yes.
20:04And at least
20:04that we can keep 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 here 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.
20:49The whole town
20:49has turned out.
20:50It's kind of like
20:50a mini festival.
20:52And there,
20:52we actually get
20:53to see her in action.
20:56She's amazing.
20:59She's like the
21:00Serena Williams
21:02of 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,
21:14I'll call it.
21:16Pull it.
21:16That's done.
21:18I'll only do
21:19one barrel a day.
21:29Are we out of here?
21:32Let's go.
21:34Are we out of here?
21:38Oh, nice.
21:42When it gets
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 now.
21:57And I think
21:57what's so good as well
21:58is knowing that
21:59the eDNA samples
22:00that we're going to be
22:00collecting all the way around
22:02are going to help
22:02inform decisions
22:03on what areas need 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 in love
22:12with Siglofurda.
22:13And if our research
22:14can just help
22:15maybe, just maybe,
22:17bring back the herring,
22:18it will make
22:18every chafe wound,
22:20every bit of my tongue
22:21falling off,
22:22well,
22:22it will make it worth it.
22:25Siglofurda
22:26has been an amazing
22:27insight into
22:28Icelandic culture.
22:29But now,
22:30I need to get going.
22:31I'm already
22:32one week behind schedule
22:33and with the baby
22:34due in September,
22:36I can't afford
22:37any more delays.
22:40Hey, babe.
22:42No, I'm here.
22:43How's the Viking baby?
22:44I'm watching.
22:45I'm watching.
22:46I'm watching.
22:46I'm watching.
22:47I'm 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
22:53and then all of a sudden
22:54we realise,
22:55right, baby's on the way.
22:56We had a very hard conversation
22:58and it was like,
22:59well,
22:59now in Hester,
23:00who's amazing,
23:01because I've been with her
23:0213 years,
23:03she was like,
23:03Ross, you can't not go.
23:11How was it?
23:13It was good.
23:14Yeah, yeah,
23:15she's well.
23:20It was amazing speaking to her,
23:24but we were just talking then
23:26and it just kind of hit home.
23:29She's had another scan,
23:31which is amazing.
23:33Baby's heartbeat,
23:34basically an Olympian.
23:37Their words are not mine.
23:38No, no, I'm joking.
23:41It's an amazing heartbeat.
23:43She sent me some scan pictures
23:44and stuff,
23:44that's amazing,
23:45but it's 12 weeks.
23:50Yeah,
23:51and hearing that,
23:52that's a hard deadline.
23:55We've been storm-bound enough.
23:57You know,
23:57Siglerford has been amazing,
23:59but we cannot stay here.
24:00We've got to swim
24:01and if there's a storm,
24:05become the storm.
24:07We've got a country to swim around
24:08and a baby to deliver.
24:15And as we finally leave Siglerford,
24:17we leave with a new crew member,
24:20Irish swim legend Gar Ross.
24:22She has come to help me
24:23try and improve my swim times
24:24and get back on schedule.
24:26It's utterly impossible
24:28for someone to appreciate
24:29what Ross has actually
24:30gone through here,
24:30but he's a pretty
24:32extraordinary human being.
24:34Ross has had a lot of time
24:35to get a bit of rest in
24:37and recovery.
24:38Now we're hoping to go out
24:40into a bigger weather window,
24:43but we've just got to see
24:44how the wind plays out
24:45from now on, really.
24:49As we head back
24:50to our last swim position,
24:51we set course
24:52for the tiny island of Grimsey
24:54in the Arctic Circle
24:56and beyond the distant town
24:58of Ruyverhoppen
24:59a gateway to the east
25:01and the kingdom
25:02of the dragon.
25:11Our newest crew member, Gar,
25:13adjusts to life on board.
25:1757 strokes per minute.
25:18Yay, the boy is consistent.
25:21We've gone so much further north.
25:23This is a whole different 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.,
25:31so there's no circadian rhythm
25:32to this.
25:33So it's huge disorientating.
25:35It is relentless.
25:36And with Gar's encouragement,
25:38we slowly eat up the miles.
25:43It's not.
25:46What are they, orcas?
25:49Oh!
25:51There was quite literally
25:52something in the water.
25:53There was just this eerie
25:54kind of shapes.
25:56There were noises.
25:58They got pretty close.
26:00They really checked you out.
26:02I 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 round
26:22the back yard.
26:24And 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.
26:57Although morale is good,
26:58progress is painfully slow.
27:01I'm still creeping along,
27:02but it's an embarrassingly
27:03slow speed,
27:05sometimes even going
27:06backwards as we struggle
27:07with town's occurrence
27:08and to find any times
27:09that can help sweepers
27:11east.
27:11And there are still
27:12some 600 miles to go
27:14to complete the swim.
27:16I'm worried.
27:17I need to pull something
27:19out of somewhere
27:19because I'm not missing
27:21the baby's arrival,
27:23and I'm not not swimming
27:25around Iceland.
27:27I'm just going to have
27:28to swim faster.
27:39finally, the distant outline
27:41of Grimsey Island
27:42starts to appear
27:43on the horizon.
27:56And as its steep cliffs
27:57beckon, it marks
27:59another major milestone.
28:01It was always going to be
28:02really, really special,
28:03just because when you look
28:04on 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 a 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 turned
28:26to stone,
28:28one managed to fling
28:29her shovel into the sea,
28:30and Grimsey Island
28:32was formed.
28:35So today was an awesome day
28:38and also a really,
28:40really bad day
28:41all wrapped into one.
28:44So in the Royal Navy,
28:45this is a tradition
28:46that if you sail
28:47across the Arctic Circle,
28:49you have to jump in the water
28:50and hold the Blue Nose Ceremony.
28:52Woo!
28:55One, two, three!
29:14It's a huge achievement.
29:16Woo!
29:20The entire team jumps in.
29:22It was brilliant.
29:23Everyone had a great time.
29:27That 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.
29:37Also, a little bit feverish,
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,
29:47and if it gets
29:47in your lymph nodes,
29:49it can be fatal.
29:51Woo!
29:53I've got to,
29:54I've got to sleep
29:55if we're to hit
29:56the next tide as well.
30:09This can be such
30:10a lonely team 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,
30:19but ultimately,
30:20it's just got to be me
30:20with my face
30:21in the water.
30:23And,
30:24I mean,
30:25I'm realising that,
30:27you know,
30:28there's times
30:28to stop
30:30and smell the roses,
30:32and there's times
30:33just to be face down
30:34in the dirt,
30:35just hard at work.
30:37And,
30:38today was one
30:39of those days.
30:41No roses
30:42were smelt today.
30:43None whatsoever.
30:44Now,
30:45officially,
30:46get a blue nose.
30:48And become a Viking.
30:49Yeah,
30:50and become a Viking.
30:52Hey,
30:53Big Dog,
30:53Eddie here.
30:54But this is what
30:54you're made for,
30:55Big Dog.
30:56Keep going.
30:56Do not give up.
31:03As the crew
31:04stock up on food
31:04and fuel
31:05for the last push
31:06across the north coast,
31:09and 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
31:14and pay my respects
31:16to the Arctic Circle.
31:23So,
31:23I have been on Grimsy Island
31:25now for 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.
31:33I'm kind of like
31:33your strange English brother.
31:34Yeah.
31:35It's come from the sea.
31:36Welcome.
31:37Thank you so much.
31:38Your family
31:38actually live on Grimsy.
31:40Yeah.
31:40So,
31:40you know a lot about this.
31:42Everything.
31:43This,
31:43I'm most intrigued about.
31:45Yeah.
31:46Una,
31:46what is it?
31:47This,
31:48this is a big ball.
31:50Right.
31:51And it's
31:52the monument
31:52for the Arctic Circle.
31:54The Arctic Circle
31:55goes through
31:56Grimsy 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
32:05to tell you
32:06that you're looking
32:07at the Arctic Circle.
32:09This is incredible.
32:10It feels special, right?
32:11It is.
32:11It's the only place
32:12in Iceland
32:12that you can walk
32:14over it.
32:15You'll tell me
32:16if this moves.
32:17Yeah,
32:17I will.
32:17I'm looking.
32:18It's eight tons?
32:19Yeah.
32:19Right.
32:22There's 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 them,
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
32:57Grimsy's most famous visitors.
33:01Look at the puffins,
33:02bless them.
33:02They're not the most
33:04aerodynamic.
33:05Yeah,
33:05they 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.
33:20They look like
33:20an old married couple.
33:22Oh, yeah.
33:22They're definitely fine.
33:23Look,
33:24they're facing away
33:24from each other.
33:27Around the world,
33:28puffin numbers have dropped
33:29by some 50%
33:31in my lifetime.
33:33Iceland's north coast
33:34is one of the few places
33:36where their numbers
33:37are actually increasing.
33:43I can't believe
33:44this is your back garden.
33:46There's moments like this
33:47when I see
33:47just like that.
33:48I'll do another lap
33:50of Iceland.
33:51Do you want to know
33:52how we say
33:52puffins
33:53in Icelandic?
33:55Lundt.
33:56Lundt.
33:57Yeah.
33:57Lundt.
33:58Yeah, well done.
34:05Grimzi's been amazing,
34:06hasn't it?
34:07Grimzi has been
34:08class.
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 Grimzi,
34:25its waters give us
34:26a last rare treat.
34:31So over there,
34:33you've got,
34:33it kind of looks
34:34like a jacuzzi.
34:35You've got all
34:36these herring.
34:56We've got a humpback
34:58full of breech
35:00and full of flutes.
35:02Incredible.
35:04This is a thing
35:05with Iceland.
35:06I'm just constantly
35:09conflicted between
35:10being a swimmer
35:12and a wildlife
35:14enthusiast.
35:16Oh!
35:23I think this is
35:24one of these times
35:24where swimming can
35:26wait because this
35:27is awesome.
35:30During the summer
35:31months, Iceland is
35:32home to over
35:3215,000 humpbacks.
35:35It's the largest
35:35population in the world.
35:38We've got humpbacks,
35:39we've got minky whales.
35:44Oh, oh, right there.
35:58Fuck, you're a whale
35:59prophet as well.
36:01Whales,
36:01so come on,
36:02come on,
36:02come on,
36:02come on,
36:03come on,
36:03So when I see
36:03one of them,
36:04I'm like,
36:06family.
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've conquered the bulls.
36:34Over the north coast,
36:35we've conquered the eagle.
36:36Next up, the dragon.
36:40This last section of the north coast
36:42is my absolute nemesis.
36:44I'm battling tides and counter-currents
36:46that are so bad that every time I stop for food,
36:49I actually end up going backwards.
36:50It's taking its toll and psychologically,
36:53it's torture.
36:56If it carries on,
36:57it could spell the end of the swim.
37:09He's putting some absolute miles in
37:11right now.
37:14He's been in and out a few times
37:16for a bit of food.
37:20But he's also in and out
37:21to get some protective lotion
37:24on his face.
37:30Every now and then,
37:31they would just swim
37:32into a lion's mane jellyfish.
37:35The only exposed bit is his face,
37:37so he's just taking jellyfish
37:38to the face.
37:43They're everywhere.
37:48You feeling better?
37:50Oh, thanks, guys.
37:53Yeah, it was a swarm of lion's manes.
37:56A swarm of juvenile lion's mane.
37:58It's very painful.
38:01Here we go.
38:03Your face is puffed up,
38:04you poor fake.
38:06Has it?
38:06Yeah.
38:07And the worst it's been?
38:09Yeah.
38:09Oh.
38:11I'm sugar-coated, Luke.
38:15The lion's mane
38:16are a particularly nasty jellyfish.
38:18Oh, it's not the pain.
38:19I just feel a bit dizzy.
38:21I'm probably not going
38:22to sleep tonight now.
38:26It's like a stinging nettle,
38:27but when you start getting
38:28like six, seven, eight,
38:30the toxins just start
38:32like attacking
38:33your lymph nodes
38:35and you start...
38:36Toxins accumulate, yeah?
38:37Yeah.
38:38It's a toxin.
38:39You just feel
38:41nauseous and just, you know.
38:44Can I have your eyes, Russ?
38:45Yep.
38:47I prefer just putting
38:48really hot water
38:49onto a cloth,
38:50to act like a poultice
38:51for Ross
38:51than to give him
38:52a bit of relief
38:52from the pain.
39:02If you need a breath,
39:03just tell me.
39:04Lift it up.
39:06It's just extraordinary
39:07perseverance
39:08to keep pushing
39:09through this.
39:14It feels so much better.
39:16Thank you, big man.
39:24This ocean just keeps
39:25throwing problems at us.
39:27It's relentless.
39:29I say Iceland is a place
39:31where motivation
39:31comes to die.
39:33Maybe when I'm really,
39:35really old,
39:35telling this to my grandkids.
39:38Maybe it'll be fun then,
39:40but right now,
39:43no motivation,
39:44no fun.
39:45And I'm just doing it
39:48because I said I would.
39:49Because 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,
39:58but I just,
40:01for whatever reason,
40:04just can't.
40:06I'll go down swinging
40:07if I have to.
40:09All right,
40:10big swim.
40:14It takes nine painful days
40:16to slowly conquer
40:17the last few miles
40:18of the north coast
40:19against the tide.
40:21At that point,
40:22Ross was actually physically,
40:24I think,
40:24mentally and emotionally
40:27reaching as low
40:28as a human can endure.
40:32Everything is going wrong
40:34and I know I'm wired
40:36a little bit differently,
40:37but it just feels like
40:38the tougher things get.
40:40the more determined
40:41I become.
40:43And finally,
40:44we close in
40:45on the Roeverhoppen
40:46Peninsula
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 around
40:53and avoid them,
40:54which would add miles
40:56to the journey.
40:57We, of course,
40:58choose the shortcut.
41:05Just turning to northeast
41:06there.
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.
41:17Woo!
41:17Woo!
41:19Woo!
41:20Woo!
41:21Woo!
41:22Woo!
41:23Woo!
41:24Woo!
41:26Woo!
41:30If there's 30 knots
41:31of wind on the nose,
41:33you put your goggles on
41:34and you swim.
41:38Pretty sure my organs
41:39have been rearranged.
41:40I think at one point,
41:41I kicked myself
41:42in the back of their head.
41:45Woo!
41:52Woo!
41:54Woo!
41:55Woo!
41:59Woo!
42:01Woo!
42:01Woo!
42:02Woo!
42:06We're round the Haglund.
42:08Woo!
42:10The end of the north.
42:12Go away.
42:14The north is over.
42:16It's official.
42:18Woo!
42:18Woo!
42:20So what a cool way
42:22to finish the north coast.
42:24Ross needs this bit of fun.
42:27Get us revenge.
42:32Yeah, we're heading south.
42:34It's a huge relief.
42:35Yeah, the north coast
42:36was brutal, utterly relentless.
42:38So, yeah, spirits are high.
42:43Woo!
42:45Woo!
42:46And so we go from crazy
42:49to calm.
42:53And after nine long days at sea,
42:56and with yet another storm brewing,
42:58we head for shelter
42:59in the small town
43:01of Røyverhoppen.
43:07Standing proud on its headland
43:09to welcome us
43:10into the land of the dragon
43:11are the spectacular pillars
43:13of Arctic Stonehenge.
43:18It's a newly built giant sundial
43:21inspired by Norse mythology,
43:23which, of course, I 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 on my bucket list
43:42for ages.
43:42Basically, it's one of the most
43:44active geothermal areas
43:46in the whole of Iceland.
43:48No idea what to expect,
43:49but keen to go
43:50and take a peek.
43:51And if you're in the mountains,
44:21you're going to be able
44:33Okay, 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.
44:46This 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
45:05and all this steam, that's volcanic activity fusing with the mud.
45:09But 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.
45:30But 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.
45:44So, not good news.
45:47We're going to finish right now,
45:50unless something drastic happens.
45:53Like, mid-November?
45:56That just can't happen.
45:59So the baby arrives late September,
46:02and I need to be back before then.
46:10Next time.
46:12That is not the piss of a healthy man.
46:16Most doctors will say stop swimming
46:18and go to the nearest hospital.
46:20The pressure is on.
46:27More 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,
46:35streaming there now.
46:37Massive amphitheatres and mummified towns next.
46:40Get your ticket to see the Roman Empire by train
46:42with Alice Roberts.
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