• The aim of the expedition is to solve the greatest mystery of polar exploration and settle the debate once and for all – who discovered the North Pole

• The team will depart the UK on 26 February 2005 for Baffin Island, northern Canada, where they will spend 2 weeks making final preparations

• The expedition commences on 15 March when the team are dropped by Twin Otter aircraft at Cape Columbia

• Due to the chaotic nature of the pack ice and the bitterly cold March temperatures, mileage will start as low as 4 miles per day and will build up to an average of 12 miles per day

• Peary had four support parties on his journey to the Pole, carrying vital food and fuel supplies for the onward journey. This meant he could travel with light loads, enabling him to travel at great speed

• The team will recreate this important part of the story by having a Twin Otter ski planes deposit 4 food and fuel caches at the exact locations that Peary’s support parties dropped off their loads and returned home

• Like Peary, the culmination of the Barclays Capital Ultimate North Expedition will be a dash to the Pole, when the team will aim to cover the final 133 miles to the Pole in just 5 days, averaging 27 miles a day