Wrap up warm and take a journey to the icy ends of the earth. From the countless attempts to find the fabled North-West Passage in the Arctic Circle, to the race to reach the South Pole, read about the triumphs and the tragedies of history's polar explorers.

The lost chronometer: the timepiece that sailed with Charles Darwin and Sir John Franklin
Learn more about the marine chronometer that journeyed on board HMS Beagle before being lost at sea during Sir John Franklin's disastrous expedition
11 Mar 2022
What the Endurance shipwreck discovery tells us about the ship's final hours
For more than a century, the wreck of Shackleton's ship Endurance has lain undisturbed in the icy waters off Antarctica. Its remarkable preservation is a testament to the ship's original builders and designers.
05 Jan 2022
Sledge from Shackleton Antarctic expedition goes on display to mark 100th anniversary of polar explorer’s death
100 years on from the explorer's death, a sledge used during Shackleton's Nimrod expedition has found a new home in the National Maritime Museum. Curator Jeremy Michell looks back on the efforts to save this important polar relic for the nation.
Shackleton's death and legacy
100 years on from the death of Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton, curator Jeremy Michell looks back on the life and legacy of the polar explorer
What's it like to camp in Antarctica?
Find out what it's like to live and work in the Antarctic with British Antarctic Survey scientist Joanne Johnson
RRS Sir David Attenborough: inside the UK's new polar research ship
Learn more about one of the most advanced polar research vessels in the world
RRS Sir David Attenborough – timeline and key dates
Follow the timeline of the new polar research ship, from naming and construction to sea trials and beyond
Polar science and RRS Sir David Attenborough
Find out more about the facilities, equipment and advances that make RRS Sir David Attenborough a pioneering research vessel
09 Sep 2021
Secrets of the glass plate: The Edward Augustus Inglefield photograph collection
Assistant Curator Alex Grover gives a brief insight into his ongoing research into this small but significant collection of polar photographs
What happened to the crew of Erebus and Terror?
Sir John Franklin's final voyage in 1845 in HMS Erebus and HMS Terror became the worst disaster in the history of British polar exploration