All of you have been so kind. My office sprang a surprise party, and even commissioned a cake, while everyone in the Lords has been so supportive and enthusiastic. I am being crushed by an avalanche of emails, each of which I will try to answer. It is really humbling and frankly astonishing to hear how many people were following my scribblings from Antarctica and sharing them with their family and friends.

The donations continue to roll-in for Marie Curie Cancer Care and CINI, but if you know of anyone who might like to offer support then please encourage them. People can still contribute online or by sending a cheque made payable to Marie Curie Cancer Care to me at the House of Lords. Every taxpayer should also please complete the gift aid form that can be downloaded from http://www.lordforsyth.com/giftaid.pdf.

Many people have asked about photographs. Although there is nothing worse than boring people with your holiday snaps, I have taken the risk and have placed a hundred photos of the climb on the website. These are captioned and enable you to follow my progress from start to finish. The first 15 are low resolution, but from base camp onwards there are some excellent high quality images taken by David Hamilton. He is not only a good mountaineer, but also an accomplished photographer. You can view them now by clicking this link http://www.lordforsyth.com/slideshow.html.

All that remains is to say thank you to all the donors - who have exceeded my wildest expectations with their generosity - and of course my support team. Mandy Naumann my PA has just been fantastic. John Hayes designed, created and ran the website and administered the blog - and dealt with my postings sometimes in the middle of the night. And David Hamilton who guided me to the summit and helped me to fulfil a lifetime dream. Thank you all.

It has been a terrific challenge and certainly took me out of my comfort zone. I have learned one important lesson though. Never sit next to Sir Ranulph Fiennes at dinner!

Michael

We had learned from the VHF radio that the nice Canadian pilot of the Twin Otter had slipped while getting out of his plane at Base Camp and had badly broken his arm. As a result there would be a plane there today and the prospect of an immediate flight out to Union Glacier.

The long descent was particularly scary on the section with fixed ropes between Low and High Camp which I had hated so much on the ascent. Walking down a steep snow and ice covered slope with the Low Camp a sheer drop of 3,000 ft below was tedious and a little unsettling. There was a safety rope but my brain was sceptical about its efficacy. I was back to carrying everything and the big pack just added to the stress of it all.

Then we were safely down at Low Camp and the sledges took some of the burden. My heart began to sing as the effects of high altitude receded. I was so lucky to be here in this untainted glorious place - but I was focussed now on getting home and back to work. My flight out was not until next Tuesday, as there is only one Ilyushin a week, and even that is weather dependent.

We had climbed the mountain far faster than anyone had anticipated. By 6.00pm yesterday we were back at base and I could savour that beer-on-ice that Fran had promised me. 'Would I like to go to Chile tonight?' I was asked. Of course - but how? The pilot had to be treated on the mainland and an Ilyushin was coming, loaded with fuel to collect him - and I could go on that flight at 2.00am if I wanted.

Fantastic. A beautiful flight back in the Twin Otter over countless unclimbed peaks, followed by two enormous helpings of fillet steak, mashed potatoes, vegetables and beetroot - all washed down with a Chilean red at Union Glacier - completed a perfect day! It was just sad that my good fortune arose from such bad circumstances. By 2.00am the wind was at 22 knots and sending a deep carpet of spindrift across the glacier and the blue ice runway.

I, of course, had packed all my severe-weather gear and it was now in the hold of the aircraft I was about to board. So it turned out that catching the plane home was the closest I came to getting frostbite on the entire trip! The walk across the slippery ice with the icy wind adding to the severe cold made me quite nostalgic for boarding at Heathrow! With gusts of 25 knots it was questionable whether we would take off, but the Russian crew just carried on regardless and in scenes that would have fitted comfortably into a Bond movie.... charming young ladies, including a medic from Skye, buzzing around on skidoos, offering assistance.

The whole operation run by ANI (Adventure Network International) is faultless. The company was founded by former members of the British Antarctic Survey, and they certainly know what they are doing in a continent that punishes mistakes severely. The camp manager told me my steak was so good because the cost of the best steak money can buy is insignificant compared to the expenditure required to get it there and cook it.

This expedition would never have succeeded without my guide, David Hamilton, who is not only an outstanding mountaineer but also a great photographer. He looked after me brilliantly - and if you fancy doing something daft involving serious mountains then he's your man.

I am typing this on a keyboard in Punta Arenas, Chile, and I am hoping to be home on Saturday - a week ahead of schedule. Previous blogs were done with a tiny pointer, letter by letter, on a PDA. This computer, the bath, the loo that flushes - all have a special luxury status for me, which I know will soon disappear as I go back to taking things for granted again.

One thing I did discover today and which I will always treasure, is the fantastic support so many of you have shown by donating to Marie Curie and CINI, and by leaving messages on the blog and emailing me privately. The second revised fundraising target has been smashed and the donations now total £366,514.

I have received over 1000 emails since summit day and I will do my best to answer them all when I get back to Britain. I'm particularly impressed with the messages that have been left on the blog by friends - many of whom have been using this method of communication for the very first time! It's great for me and the charities to see such public support.

There is a lot of criticism of Parliament and the City at the moment - some of which is fully justified - but there is another side to the story here. Jan Royal, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lords has sent me the most generous messages of support and concern, as has the Lord Speaker. Parliamentarians of all parties and none have rallied to support these charities - including every living former Prime Minister. The current Prime Minister, David Cameron, had three attempts at putting a kind message of encouragement on my website prior to summit day. Unknown to me it was being rejected automatically by the server. It turns out that it was the inclusion of the word 'God' in 'Godspeed' that triggered the anti-spamming software.

The Chancellor has sent me a note enclosing a donation, with comment that he was not sure he should be supporting me in my insane enterprise. I have replied indicating that I was supporting him with his, and that reward does not come without risk. Competitors and colleagues in the City have been hugely generous, as have senior figures in the regulatory institutions. The United Kingdom is a great country, and when it comes to charity the things that divide us all melt away. Thank you.

Michael

The incredible view from the top of the bottom of the world!

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Using the sat phone to record my message from Mount Vinson

The cold is still intense and it is essential to wear goggles and a face mask to protect from frostbite. I was apprehensive, as I had not slept well and had not acclimatised fully. But it was the right call, as we enjoyed a perfect day on the mountain and reached the summit at 5.00pm local time (8.00pm GMT). It was very hard work and at one point I thought I might have to turn back as I fought to breathe in the thin, cold air.

Vinson is a spectacular mountain with a tiny summit and astonishing views of Antarctica. The summit ridge is ice-covered and very narrow with big drops on either side.

Getting there had involved a lot of hard work and training. Oddly, my first thoughts were about getting down again safely with all my digits intact. We have been so lucky with the weather and reached the summit in an amazing five days.

Michael

Summit joy

As it turns out, it is not too bad - and David very kindly offers to carry my blogging equipment and sat phone. The ascent is arduous, however, and I am now quite glad that Dermott Hayes has tortured me in the gym for the past nine months with his squats and planks and anaerobic exercises. The technique is to build a rhythm... moving one crampon at a time and co-ordinating deep breaths.

By the time we get to the top I am absolutely exhausted. Dominic Jude - flying a union flag from his pack - arrives over the top with his splendid gang and guide Victor, and they administer hot tea. How organised! Dominic has very kindly lent me a sweat buff which I had not anticipated needing. There was great amusement that it is covered in peace campaigner slogans. I can't think why!

Throughout the past five hours I have been baking hot, but with an hour further to go a wind appears from nowhere and I am soon chilled to the bone. With hindsight I should have put on more clothing but I was so tired and with the camp only an hour further that I risked it. When I got to camp I was shivering and it took plenty of soup and tea, and all my down clothes and sleeping bag, to restore my core body temperature. A valuable lesson has been learned.

I have not said much about food - which is the best I have ever had on any high mountain. Tonight - chicken soup followed by spaghetti bolognaise. Last night chicken curry with mashed potatoes. All organised by David and achieved by melting snow to make hot water - which is added to surprisingly good powdered meals. He is constantly pressing me to have another hot drink, as liquid intake is crucial in avoiding altitude sickness. Tomorrow we have the chance of a summit bid, depending on the weather and how fit I feel.

Michael

1. Shattered at top of the steepest section

2. Wishing I could see the top

We try to set a vigorous pace, but this is very hard work and the sledges seem - rather like airport trolleys - to have minds of their own. I confess I was more than a little relieved to see Low Camp ahead after 4.5 hours of relentless effort.

We had dragged the sledges 5.5 miles through 2,150 feet of ascent. That doesn't sound much but I assure you it was not easy. Although today's weather is good, this camp is subject to prolonged and severe storms, and walls of snow blocks have to be constructed to prevent tents being shredded by the wind or crushed under the weight of spindrift snow.

At 9,000 ft I am beginning to feel the effects of altitude which - as I have explained before - are more severe here because the atmosphere is at its thinnest at the poles. We will need to decide whether to have a rest day tomorrow or press on to High Camp at 12,400 ft. From there we would make a summit bid after resting to acclimatise. Low Camp is in the shade from about 3.00am to 11.30am, so it is not possible to set off until afternoon as temperatures drop spectacularly - by 25 degrees or more - when the sun is behind a mountain. Climbing during periods of shade greatly increases the risk of frostbite.

The route to High Camp is the most difficult part of the climb and involves 3,350 ft of ascent over rock and blue ice. We will not be able to use sledges here so everything will be on our backs. We will decide tomorrow whether to tackle it now or rest, and will stay in our sleeping bags till late morning awaiting the heat of the polar summer sun.

Michael

Pulling the sledges

After sorting out my tent David Hamilton and I set off to tackle a 2800-metre peak above camp to help me acclimatise to the altitude - which is exaggerated here because of the thinness of the atmosphere at the poles. We did the first section on skis with skins on them, and then changed to crampons for the steeper ice. Although it was well below freezing, the absence of wind and the very strong sun made it surprisingly hot, and I was forced to strip off my layers and wear a sun hat! This was not in the script.

The view from the top was stunning. The unpolluted still, cold air enables you to see for very long distances, with the vast expanse of Antarctica spread out below, and Vinson and the next three highest peaks standing like sentinels before us. I was also able to trace our precise route up the mountain. Tomorrow we will set off rather late (on account of the New Year celebrations) to establish our Low Camp. It is a Hogmanay I will never forget, celebrated in bright sunshine at -20 degrees. I hate warm champagne but this morning it was freezing in my glass as fast as I could drink it.

Thanks so much to everyone who has left messages on the blog and sent emails, etc. It is really appreciated, but for technical reasons I cannot reply from the mountain. Let's hope 2011 is a good year and brings peace and prosperity.

Michael

1. Climbing a 2800-metre mountain near base camp to help with acclimatisation (Vinson's peak can be seen in the background)

2. Wilderness: the view from the summit of the 2800-metre peak

3. Twin Otter leaving after the drop-off below base camp

Fran Otio is a Yorkshire lady who has been coming here since 1997. Within minutes of meeting her you feel you have known her for years. Nothing is too much trouble. She even managed to produce a proper pot of tea today as a special treat. She is coming to cook for us at base camp and has offered to sleep with my wet wipes to keep them from feezing when I am up the mountain. How often do you get an offer like that!

I guess I am probably the oldest person here, and the youngsters have some breathtaking achievements to relate. John Strange from California holds the record for being the youngest person to climb the Seven Summits at age 17. The Seven Summits are the highest mountains in each continent, of which Vinson is one and Everest is the most challenging. He is here to fly to the South Pole and is planning to visit the North Pole after that. When I asked him what his parents thought about this he replied that they were very supportive as they had both done the Seven Summits and that the family were called 'Strange' with good reason! There is a successful CEO of a large European retailer, who has come to climb Vinson and perhaps one of the many unclimbed lesser peaks as a personal challenge. There's a Russian entrepreneur who enjoys adventure travel and wants to fly to the South Pole to see-in the New Year.

Then there are the serious scientists from mainly American universities, as well as a few itinerant members of the British Antarctic Survey. One of them is doing seismic research to try to establish how quickly the polar ice cap is melting. Another is using GPS technology to understand the movement of glaciers and predict the effect of temperature increases on glacier behaviour. The view among the scientists is unanimous that global warming is a real challenge and that the expiry of the Antarctic Treaty in a few years' time is a moment of danger for those who want to protect this unspoilt wilderness. The continent is rich in minerals and has extensive coal and oil deposits.

The guides include some of the world's best mountaineers. It was a particular pleasure for me to meet Victor Saunders, who is of my generation and although a Scot lives in North London. He travelled up Ben Nevis at the weekends in the eighties and established some of the hardest climbs on the mountain - including Shield Direct, which was the first route on Ben Nevis to be given grade 7 status (which just means it's impossible for mere mortals).

By one of those extraordinary coincidences Dominic Jude, who I met at a reception for CINI in the House of Lords, is here to climb Vinson and will be tackling Everest next spring as he tries to complete the Seven Summits. He is part of a group climbing the mountain at the same time as me. Included in the party is a tough young Australian soldier training to be a medic. He is just back from Afghanistan and his accounts of IEDs, suicide bombers and the task out there are humbling. One alarming thing is his view that the British troops are far less well-protected against IEDs in their Landrovers than the Australians in their vehicles, and that lives are being lost as a result.

Michael

The view from my tent

A word on the delicate subject of bodily functions in a cold climate. Also sharing my sleeping bag is a pee bottle as I do not want to be faced with the problem of a frozen block of urine at breakfast. As I have explained in previous postings all solid human waste must be removed for disposal in Chile. It is also absolutely forbidden to just go for a pee in the snow, and the urine has to be collected. Hence the bottle.

Rob Jarvis, a highly experienced guide and mountaineer, says in the blog that patience is essential for mountaineering in the Antarctic. So I will just have to wait here in my tent until a window opens to allow a safe flight to the Vinson Massif.

Michael

Camp at Union Glacier

When we arrived the temperature was a very warm -9C - better than the -15C I left in Aberfoyle. I was whisked off to lunch at Union Glacier camp - turkey soup (there is no escaping it anywhere it seems at this time of year) and stew with fresh vegetables and potatoes. The camp is so well managed by a very friendly and efficient team. Despite its comforts I am keen to fly on to the Branscomb Glacier to reach base camp for Mount Vinson and begin the acclimatisation and climb. The Twin Otter is ready to fly, but the weather has now closed-in, threatening my chances. I must just wait for a weather window.

Michael

Yes it's me - with the Russian cargo plane on the blue ice runway in Antarctica

I have built in a day's grace, as departure is planned for 29 December and I am due to arrive on the 27th at Punta Arenas... but it's tight. Going earlier and missing Christmas was not an option. I am limited to 25 kilos of luggage, which is not a lot if it includes clothing and climbing equipment. On the other hand I will need to carry it all, so I have had to opt for being a bit smellier in the tent - with fewer changes of clothes. Sorry David.

Everything has to be checked before leaving to ensure it is clean and free from soil or anything which could introduce seeds, pests or diseases to Antarctica. All activities are governed by the Antarctic Treaty, and quite rightly there are strict rules to protect the pristine environment. One rather worrying part of this is the requirement to leave nothing behind - including solid human waste. This is one aspect to the trip which - whilst I fully endorse the policy - has not filled me with enthusiasm. The flight takes 4.5 hours over Tierra Del Fuego and the Drake Passage, crossing the Antarctic circle at 66 degrees south. Here the sun never sets at the austral summer solstice and never rises at the winter one. Further south the days and nights lengthen until, at the South Pole, the sun rises and sets only once a year.

Thank you to everyone who has called and emailed me to wish me well. It is really appreciated - although when Ran Fiennes rang to wish me good luck I did feel a certain nervousness as to what I was taking on! Annabel Goldie on the other hand asked whether, with these weather conditions, I could not just go up Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh. I see her point and attach a picture of Ben Lomond across Loch Ard taken from near my home in Scotland, when the temperature fell recently to -15C. Today's forecast for Antarctica was -40C - which is apparently quite warm, as the average annual temperature is -55C and the lowest ever recorded on Earth was in Antarctica in July 1983 at -89.2C. Thank goodness I am well-equipped. How the early explorers endured the cold with their tweeds and rudimentary equipment is difficult to comprehend. Now comes the hard part - negotiating Heathrow.

Michael

Ben Lomond across Loch Ard in Scotland, when the temperature fell recently to -15C

John Hayes has done a brilliant job putting together the website http://www.lordforsyth.com and is patiently tutoring me. He has added a splendid facility that enables you to 'fly' over my route - all the way from Scotland. Simply click on the 'Fly-in' link in the graphic at the top of this page.

I cannot lug around a laptop as well as a satellite phone and everything else, so I will have to type with a stylus on a tiny keyboard on the screen of a PDA. I will be practising using gloves and consequently subsequent messages will be brief. Many thanks to everyone for being so generous in supporting Marie Curie and CINI. My target of £250,000 has been blown away and I have set a new one of £350,000. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine getting such fantastic support. Thank you.

Michael

Comms kit and solar charger

I plan to be blogging live from Antarctica throughout the challenge - including the ascent of Mount Vinson itself - subject to being able to sort out and carry the technology.

So please add this website to your favourites and return here between 28 December 2010 and 10 January 2011 to read my thoughts live from the ice. Perhaps you'll also be inspired to add your own contributions (just press the Reply link above).

I have promised my wife that this will be my last 'big adventure' – so let's make it count!

Michael Forsyth