Picture: Felicity Aston, before her bid to become the first to complete a solo ski trek across the Antarctic

A Kent explorer looking to become the first woman to complete a solo ski trek across the Antarctic faces a race against time to finish.

Felicity Aston, from Birchington, set off in October - reaching the South Pole just before Christmas.

But the 33-year-old has to reach her destination of Hercules Inlet by the end of the month, or miss the last flight off the continent before winter.

The 1,700km trek to the South Pole followed a previously unexplored route, with Felicity pulling a sledge heavier than her own bodyweight.

She reached the South Pole on December 21 and spent a day resupplying and resting.

She was back on the ice soon, with some special treats to enjoy in her tent on Christmas Day.

New Year's Day saw Felicity skiing through a crevass field.

There have been two resupply points along the route and she checks in with her support team daily via satellite phone.

But Felicity has had no human - or animal - contact until the end of the trip.

Speaking before the trip, she said: "I won't see any life, not even a bird or a fly, during the trek. It's quite a thought.

"People who have done long solo trips tell me their friends and family say they are different when they come back and that is my biggest worry at the moment.

"Thoughts of crevasses are what make me wake up with sweaty palms though.

"If I fall in one of them there's a chance my beacon won't be able to send a signal and I'll be completely alone, with no one even aware of a problem for up to 24 hours."

But when she set off she knew medical help or back-up could take several days to reach her, depending on the weather. However, she has been to the Geographical South Pole before.

In 2009, she led the largest team of women to ever make the 900km trip.

Most of her eight-woman team had little or no previous expedition experience, and all were from a different Commonwealth country.

She also lived there for three years while working as a meteorologist for the British Antarctic Survey, so she should be well equipped to predict the elements, and how to deal with them.

• To follow Felicity's journey, and to find out more about how to sponsor her visit www.transantarcticsolo.com