Cornwall to Antarctica: The dentist on a mission to cross the South Pole

  • Watch Charlotte Gay's report here.

A dentist from Cornwall is hoping to become one of only a handul of women to cross Antarctica completely alone and unsupported.

Cat Burford, who works in Penzance and Truro, is aiming to travel 700 miles across the frozen continent while carrying all her kit.

She is currently entering her final few months of training ahead of the expedition in November.

"This is what I've always wanted to do so I don't I don't see it as crazy. It's taken a long time to get here. I think I'm just ready to go now," she said.

Cat has been sharing updates from training on her social media account. Credit: The Molar Explorer

Cat, who is also known as The Molar Explorer, will be totally alone for 50 days as she hauls her kit 700 miles in -50°C temperatures and 60mph winds.

Yet, this isn't just a spur of the moment idea. Cat was inspired by her school geography teacher who taught her all about the largest desert on earth, Antarctica, and after the Covid-19 pandemic she decided she'd finally make plans to get there.

She said: "When you do Antarctica, what I discovered was that you can't just pay lots of money and go, whether you think you're able or not.

"You've got to get permission to actually be there. And so for that, I had to kind of build a bit of a polar CV."

Her three year training programme has taken her on group expeditions in Norway and solo trips to Greenland, all to build her survival skills such as learning how to cross country ski, camp on ice and cook in some of the most hostile conditions in the world.

Outside of regular orthodontistry Cat teaches expedition dentistry for World Extreme Medicine. Credit: The Molar Explorer

By day, Cat works in NHS orthodontics and jokes the tyre pulling strength sessions she's been doing outside of work are the ideal way for her to de-stress.

"Being a dentist is a very stressful job," she said.

"Certainly in Cornwall, we're known as the dental desert. There aren't enough of us down here, so when we're working, we're working hard.

"So this is a really nice kind of balance to that."

Cat on one of her many training expeditions learning the skills she needs to survive 50 days at the South Pole. Credit: The Molar Explorer / Shackleton Challenges

During her Molar Explorer mission, Cat will be raising money for oral health charity Bridge2Aid and Community Action Nepal.

However, she's still looking for sponsors and financial support to be ready for the trip in November, and most importantly needs a lightweight sled.

"So the pulk I'm pulling behind me, that costs about between £5,500 - £6,000 and that's obviously a bit of kit I can't go without."