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"Afghanistan for me so far has been a succession of military bases. My destination was Lashkar Gah but thanks to some RAF engineering problems it actually took me more than 2 days to get there. First stop was Camp Roberts at Kandahar airport, which someone told me is currently the world's busiest airport. I've no idea whether that's true, but it's certainly abuzz with helicopters, military planes, charter flights and small unmarked aircraft. Hotel Kandahar will certainly never be the same again.

Eventually, a forty minute flight took me to Camp Bastion, the British headquarters in Afghanistan. It's a vast soulless complex stuck in the middle of the desert. There isn't a neighbouring Afghan for a country mile, which raises the question of who exactly will use these vast buildings that are currently under construction.

Being stuck here for 6 months at a time means that regiments and soldiers try to make themselves feel at home as much as possible.

Finally, I got to Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital and was soon ensconced in another military complex. This one is a lot smaller, and consequently more intimate, but is still filled with the hardware necessary to fight a counter insurgency.

I swear I will eventually leave the military bases but until I do, my first two impressions of Helmand are that is has the most amazingly clear, star-filled sky - and that it regularly covers you in dust."

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