A HAMPSHIRE adventurer has finally embarked on his latest Arctic challenge – 48 hours late.

Former Army officer Adrian Hayes was forced to postpone the start of his 2,000-mile trek across Greenland after vital equipment failed to arrive on time.

Adrian and one of his two fellow explorers, Derek Crowe, had to wait two days for their skis and other items to turn up.

When the equipment finally arrived, the three men boarded a fishing boat for a threehour voyage to the expedition’s starting point.

An expedition spokesman said: “The trip was full of joking, photographing and final readying of kits.

“One whale sighting and many icebergs later, the boat chugged into a fjord, at the end of which an ice cap rose out of the water.

“We took a small skiff from the boat and dropped the team off on a pile of rocks next to the slope of the ice cap.

“The team waved as we pulled away. Looking back I could see them organising the kits for the hike and scouting out a route.”

Adrian, who has already conquered both poles and reached the summit of Mount Everest, is attempting to complete the longest unaided Arctic expedition.

He and his two Canadian companions will use large kites to propel them across the ice on skis from the Atlantic coast to the Arctic Circle.

One of the expedition’s aims is to highlight the threat of global warming and the need to live a more sustainable way of life.

Adrian, 49, grew up in Totton but currently lives in Dubai, where his wife Dawn and their two children are following his progress.