EDEN adventurer Helen Skelton has reached the South Pole after a gruelling 500 mile charity challenge.

The 28-year-old Blue Peter presenter took just 18 days to cross the Antartic by ski, kite and in a world first, by bike.

Battling snow storms and temperatures as low as - 48 degrees Celcius, the former Appleby Grammar School pupil arrived at the pole at 10.40pm last night (Sat, Jan 21).

She celebrated her victory for charity Sports Relief by staking a flag in South Pole's frozen ground.

Miss Skelton said: “This has been a massive adventure and at times it felt like it was never going to end. My body hurts in so many different places, mentally I'm exhausted and I’ve only washed once in the last 30 days, so to be finally standing at the pole feels incredible."

During her challenge she set a new Guinness World Record title for the Fastest 100km by kite ski by covering the distance in seven hours and 48 minutes.

British explorer, Sir Ranulph Fiennes, said: "I take my hat off to Helen Skelton. I have to admit when she first told me that she was going to cycle part of the way to the South Pole, I laughed. But through pure grit and determination she has got there and shown that yes you can use a bike to reach the Pole. Her incredible efforts are a great example of willpower."

Miss Skelton - whose family live in Kirkby Thore - is no stranger to physically demanding challenges.

For Sport Relief 2010, she broke two Guinness World Records by kayaking 2,010 miles down the Amazon River and in February 2011 she became the first person to high-wire walk between the chimneys of Battersea Power Station for Red Nose Day.

Miss Skelton hopes her incredible efforts will inspire people around the UK to enter the Sport Relief Mile and raise money to help people living in the UK and the world's poorest countries.