Newport's polar explorer, Richard Parks back in Wales (From South Wales Argus)

Intrepid polar explorer Richard Parks now back in Newport

2:47pm Sunday 3rd February 2013 in News By Natalie Crockett

NEWPORT explorer Richard Parks returned back home to Wales at the weekend.

And the former Newport Gwent Dragon flanker wasted no time in getting back to his rugby roots by watching the Wales v Ireland rugby match at the Millennium Stadium.

Letting his fans know via Twitter on Saturday he wrote: "Hey guys back in the #UK and sunny #Wales, awesome to be home just in time for the rugby! All the best to @welshrugbyunion for today."

He later posted a picture of himself with a Welsh flag standing next to his Everest expedition gear, saying how proud he was that it was still on display at the stadium's player's lounge.

The former Wales player has spent the past week recovering in Punta Arenas, Chile, after he was forced to pull out of his latest expedition to the South Pole just days from the end.

Mr Parks, 35, abandon hopes of completing the trek in one of fastest recorded times after a series of setbacks meant he ran out of time to complete the epic journey safely.

The gruelling 39-day challenge saw him cover 605 miles in some of the toughest conditions ever seen in Antarctica and saw him lose two and a half stone in weight.

But he says has no regrets about his decision to quit and says he will use the experience gained from this trip to help him plan his next "top secret" challenge planned for 2014.