HEXWORTHY explorer Pen Hadow has opened an exhibition in Torquay celebrating Britain?s adventurers.

Pen is just one of many West Country explorers featured in the exhibition, as is Buckland Abbey?s former owner, Sir Francis Drake.

A modern fibreglass sledge used by Pen is one of the main exhibits, alongside the contrasting wooden sledge used by Captain Scott on his Antarctic trip more than 90 years ago.

To open ?Great Explorers? at Torquay Museum, Pen Hadow, who was recently granted the freedom of West Devon Borough, gave a speech describing the challenges he faced getting to the North Pole.

He said: ?One of the most difficult things is to believe it will be all right. It?s easy to get into a spiral. If I had to stop to scratch one of my knees, I was cross with myself for wasting time.?