IT’S hot as hell here in UK just at the moment, breaking seasonal records with a June high of 36.1°C (97°F). Now, I realise that’s child’s play compared with the world’s hotspots but here it warrants a red extreme heat alert, indicating risk to life.

At the very least it’s uncomfortable, and makes sleep difficult. So here’s a selection of photos from my travels in Alaska, New Zealand and Lapland to chill out your laptop while you shelter in the shade with your iced tipple of choice.

The lead image in this post is of the Hubbard Glacier, snapped during a cruise of Alaska’s Glacier Bay. I previously posted about the trip here where there’s a full review and many more photos. Staying in Alaska, here’s Mount Denali (nee McKinley).

It’s rare to get a good look at the peak as it’s usually shrouded in cloud but we were lucky to visit Denali National Park on a day when the skies were clear and blue. More on that, together with more pictures, in my review here.

There’s nothing like cold mountain water to refresh you on a hot summer’s day, and here’s a photo taken during a cruise of Milford Sound in New Zealand. Stand at the prow of the boat and you’re guaranteed a welcome waterfall soaking!

Staying on South Island, one of my favourite places in the world is the road from Twizel to Mount Cook in New Zealand, and when the mountain reveals itself in all its snowy scenic splendour, it’s simply breathtaking. There are more pictures here.

It can get pretty cold in Finnish Lapland too, where I went on a snowmobile safari with Salla adventure specialists Kola Extreme, speeding across frozen lakes and landscapes. If you want ice, they’ve got it just about everywhere!

Last, but not least, here are a couple of aerial shots as we flew over Greenland on a flight from Icelandic capital Reykjavik on our way to far-flung Anchorage in Alaska.

Have a n-ice day, whatever you’re doing in the heatwave. Keep cool, keep safe and keep well.