After an incredible night under the stars, camped in a wadi bed, watching Jupiter, Saturn and Venus, Mark and the team reflected on the peace and serenity of the desert. How the simplicity of life and movement through the desert bought them joy.

Having received some sad news from home, Mark considers the power of the wilderness to help us with our mental health, how that environmental exposure and simplicity can bring us benefits. Drawing on influential leaders, explorers, teachers and Nobel Prize winners Mark reflects on all that the wilderness can give us, be that the desert or the polar regions or just the outdoors.

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The Royal Geographical Society in London was Philby’s second home. On returning to London, he would offload all the information he had gathered on his travels to the cartographers who would update their maps of the region. Today’s expedition team were excited to hear yesterday that Reem will now also take to the stage of the RGS in London on the 8th February to talk about being a female explorer in Arabia.

Back in Saudi Arabia Mark and Ana are trying to get over chest infections but the team’s admiration for Philby and his narrative continues to grow. His descriptions of the land, the way the wadi’s interconnect are all still great navigational aids today for the team.

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The weather has been tough on the team for the last 24 hours. Sand has got everywhere. On day 2 of this leg, Mark and the team visited Graffiti Rock 1 and photographed the ancient rock art, going back 3000 – 8000 year, that tells the story of how some of the early Arabians lived and what they hunted.

One of the key science projects of the Heart of Arabia Expedition is to record flint arrowheads lying in the desert sands. These arrowheads are vital to help us understand how and where people lived and hunted after a few hours of plodding around the desert we hear what they have found….

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The team are back together and have some very special guests with them. Some of Philby’s British family have travelled to Saudi Arabia for the start of the next leg of the expedition. This is the first time the two families have met.

After a great send off, with eagles soaring above them,  Mark and Reem set out on foot from Old Diriyah UNESCO World Heritage site, a place Philby wrote about. They walk along the Wadi Hanifa and are quickly away from the hustle and bustle of modern Riyadh. Back with their walking poles, their thoughts and of course Philby’s manuscript.

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Welcome back to the Heart of Arabia Expedition podcast. Like Philby, Mark, Ana-Maria, Reem and Alan paused their journey in Riyadh. While Philby went into deep conversation with Ibn Saud, today’s team went back to their homes to recharge, refresh and to recap on all that leg 1 bought them.

But now their sights are very firmly lodged on 16th January when leg 2 will begin, leaving from Riyadh and making their way to Jeddah.

So join Mark, sitting on the coast in Oman for this look ahead to leg 2 where he outlines what they team will be doing and how this part of Philby’s time in Arabia became so pivotal to the formation of the nation of Saudi Arabia we know today.

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Mark and the team have arrived in Riyadh, 105 years after Philby. For Philby, this was the start of his hugely influential relationship with Abdulaziz Ibn Saud. Over the course of many hours of conversation these two men became great friends and influential over each other. For Mark, Reem, Ana-Maria and Alan it marks the end of leg 1 of the Heart of Arabia Expedition and a time to get washed and prepare themselves and their kit for leg 2 which starts on January 16th 2023.

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Inspiring young people to journey with purpose is the ambition of the Heart of Arabia expedition. So, on the last the desert camp before Mark and team arrive in Riyadh, they are joined by staff and pupils from the British International School, Riyadh and discuss the benefits of outdoor education to young people. Students Zena, Haneen and Christian who are all doing their Duke of Edinburgh International award explain that outdoor learning in the desert gives them much wider life skills than the classroom does.

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Mark considers what is resilience and leadership in today’s society and how has it changed since Philby’s day. He recalls a conversation with leadership expert, Jo Owen at the expedition launch in London and how that has made him rethink his perceptions of modern leadership today.

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Sitting under an acacia, 1 day’s travel from Riyadh and under a starlit night sky Mark compares his visit to the Abu Jifan watering hole to Philby’s.  While today they were able to draw up some dirty water in Philby’s day his camels engorged themselves at the well. Mark is drawn to Philby’s descriptions of the wildlife he recorded in his journal. It describes a rich biodiversity. But on leg 1 of the Heart of Arabia expedition, to date, the team have seen very little wildlife.

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Camped near Abu Jifan Fort Mark takes time to reflect on how he became interested in exploring the world and the people who have inspired him over the years.  He also reflects on what he calls the ‘oldest university on earth’, that process of learning through listening, sharing and discussing life around the campfire in the desert.

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