Edinburgh woman completes Mount Everest double

Mollie Hughes first climbed Everest in 2012

A woman from Edinburgh has become the youngest Briton to climb Mount Everest from the north and south sides.

Mollie Hughes reached the summit at 01:14 GMT (05:34am local time) with climbing guide Jon Gupta.

The 26-year-old, originally from Torbay in Devon, successfully climbed the mountain from its south side in 2012.

Climbing the 8,848m (29,029ft) mountain from the north, starting in Tibet, is thought to expose mountaineers to colder and windier conditions.

The final day of ascent goes over three prominent rocky steps on the north-east ridge at an altitude of more than 8,500m (27,887ft) in the so-called "death zone".

Mollie Hughes said climbing the mountain from the north was "definitely more difficult"

In a message from the summit, Ms Hughes said: "I am elated, exhausted and know I still have the hardest part to do - the long and difficult descent to base camp.

"Jon and I have already spent more than four weeks acclimatising on the mountain."

She added: "The climbing has been really, really hard but our mental and physical strength got us up here. I can confirm that the north side is definitely more difficult than the south side!"