Ex Cockney Sahara was a ten-day arduous Adventure Training expedition to the remote Moroccan Sahara desert. The trip comprised four days travel and six days trekking. The aim of the exercise was to complete a medium distance trek and introduce novices to an unusual and harsh environment thus promoting further adventure.
Arriving in Marrakech in the rain seemed incredulous for a group of 14 members of the London District Reinforcement Team based at Horse Guards, London, about to embark on a six-day trek through the Sahara. Two lengthy days driving ended at a town called M'Hamid, the end of the road and the beginning of the desert. Exercise Cockney Sahara was to take the team through some of the world’s most barren landscape of the Sahara to a significant sand dune, known colloquially as Eric (Erg Chigaga).
Setting off in a heat of 35°C focused the mind on the main enemy in this austere place, the complete lack of water and our reliance in this country on the plentiful ready supply of it. Camp was set up after covering just 6 kms which took nearly two hours, a gentle introduction to walking in a landscape, much of which felt more like walking up the down escalator; the faster you climbed, the faster the sand slipped from under your feet and you went nowhere fast. Night comes quickly in the desert but reveals the most magnificent array of the stars and planets with the total absence of light pollution. Armed with a stargazers guide, we studied and appreciated the importance of the night sky to aiding navigation. Snug in our tents that evening, we suddenly became aware of the increase in the wind and the start of a sand storm that would continue throughout the next day. Walking in a sand storm brings the reality of how sand can get absolutely everywhere, ears, nose, eyes and even into closed bags. The abrasive nature of sand made sure that feet, especially hot swollen ones, were looked after meticulously and the lack of water taught us the importance of wet wipe washes to remove the sandy grime that encased us.
With very few features by which to navigate, reliance on magnetic compasses, the sun and a Global Positioning System (GPS) were essential. Available mapping was poor due to the shifting landscape and only the mountains to the South were a constant feature - mountains which formed the Moroccan – Algerian border. Without our navigational aids it would be very easy to veer badly off course as the desert offers two paths to follow: an easier route by navigating around the edges of the dunes on the harder ground or the more direct route over the dunes, up the never ending ascents and descents on the fine, red Sahara sand.
We passed one of the old wells in the middle of nowhere, now not used by the nomadic people of the desert as it has dried up. Shards of pottery and fragments of metals covered ancient sites of habitation all over the place making you wonder who had lived here and how long ago.
Despite the lack of visible water, for part of our trek small resilient plants struggled to survive in the harsh conditions. Over the whole trek we saw no wild life at all but every morning around the camp where animal prints, including those of foxes, hares, rats and the long trials of dung beetles. Despite there being no animals visible, crows appeared every time we stopped, scavengers to the end.
Day 3 and the wind had subsided to a strength that was very pleasant in which to walk. Mid-afternoon saw us camped below our goal, the sand dune known as Eric. The challenge was issued - ascend Eric by the sheer face or take the easy route up the ‘shoulder’. The more sensible of us ignored the challenge and made the longer, less arduous route and, on reaching the top, we took our seats to watch the spectacle of the sun setting and our more adventurous colleagues battling with the mountain of sand.
The return journey was very similar to the outward journey, dune after dune, all looking the same. On the penultimate day, the wind dropped and it became a battle of mind over matter as the day’s walk seemed never ending. Many false peaks were climbed only to be confronted by yet another peak. It was here that the true camaraderie of being part of a military unit came through, laughter, jokes, those inevitable innuendos and offers of help and support.
Reaching M'Hamid felt good. The desert experience, although in terms of distance we only covered about 90 kms, was sobering and exhilarating and to cap it all, and to remove that hidden sand, we visited a local hamman before returning to Marrakech.
