Swindon Link editor and owner Jamie Hill has issued an update from the Sahara, which he is crossing with Team Link and other fundraisers in aid of Prospect Hospice.
In spite of the extreme heat and - in Jamie's case at least - the difficulties of adjusting to life in a tent, the party are making good progress and are preparing for the next stage of their 60-mile journey.
Jamie describes it as the trip of a lifetime.
He wrote: "If there’s one thing I’ve worked out it is that I’m not as flexible as I used to be.
"At 6 foot 2 inches getting my legs comfortable is a losing battle and one that has been brought sharply into focus on this charity trek in aid of Prospect Hospice across the Sahara.
"Whether it’s getting in and out of a tent (I have to do it very inelegantly - kind of like a drunken crab) to just sitting cross-legged in a tent, I just can’t do it.
"I won’t mention the squatting (there’s a toilet tent which is essentially a hole in the ground and something that I’ve found impossible to use without bringing the whole thing down on top of me).
"But apart from that my legs have been pretty damn good, especially when it comes to walking.
"And the walking is hard. Mile after mile of blistering hot desert. But my legs have held up.
"But it has been hard going. And the biggest nemesis for the 14 of us doing this trek has been the heat.
"There have been at least two times where it became too much for me and I was forced to sit in the shade drinking gallons of water until I cooled down again.
"It actually did become too much at one point for two of our group during the trek and the camels had to be called in like some kind of Saharan Uber to our next meeting point. But after a good break and through sheer willpower they managed to carry on."
Jamie added: "Last night was bliss though, as the Berbers (I’m still not sure if that’s the correct spelling) treated us all to a camel ride. I named mine Fred. And then they showed us how to make sand bread (delicious by the way!) and sang traditional songs whilst we danced around the fire.
"It was definitely a world away from rainy Swindon.
"There’s no other way to describe this journey into sand other than a trip of a lifetime. The camaraderie that has built up between the 14 of us has been amazing. (I called it camelraderie at some point but for some reason no-one else found it funny).
"The guides, Abdul and Mustafa, have also been brilliant. Constantly making us all laugh whilst being patient as anything.
"There’s more walking tomorrow. Wish us luck!
"You can still sponsor me though at justgiving.com/fundraising/jamie-hill12"
Jamie describes it as the trip of a lifetime.
He wrote: "If there’s one thing I’ve worked out it is that I’m not as flexible as I used to be.
"At 6 foot 2 inches getting my legs comfortable is a losing battle and one that has been brought sharply into focus on this charity trek in aid of Prospect Hospice across the Sahara.
"Whether it’s getting in and out of a tent (I have to do it very inelegantly - kind of like a drunken crab) to just sitting cross-legged in a tent, I just can’t do it.
"I won’t mention the squatting (there’s a toilet tent which is essentially a hole in the ground and something that I’ve found impossible to use without bringing the whole thing down on top of me).
"But apart from that my legs have been pretty damn good, especially when it comes to walking.
"And the walking is hard. Mile after mile of blistering hot desert. But my legs have held up.
"But it has been hard going. And the biggest nemesis for the 14 of us doing this trek has been the heat.
"There have been at least two times where it became too much for me and I was forced to sit in the shade drinking gallons of water until I cooled down again.
"It actually did become too much at one point for two of our group during the trek and the camels had to be called in like some kind of Saharan Uber to our next meeting point. But after a good break and through sheer willpower they managed to carry on."
Jamie added: "Last night was bliss though, as the Berbers (I’m still not sure if that’s the correct spelling) treated us all to a camel ride. I named mine Fred. And then they showed us how to make sand bread (delicious by the way!) and sang traditional songs whilst we danced around the fire.
"It was definitely a world away from rainy Swindon.
"There’s no other way to describe this journey into sand other than a trip of a lifetime. The camaraderie that has built up between the 14 of us has been amazing. (I called it camelraderie at some point but for some reason no-one else found it funny).
"The guides, Abdul and Mustafa, have also been brilliant. Constantly making us all laugh whilst being patient as anything.
"There’s more walking tomorrow. Wish us luck!
"You can still sponsor me though at justgiving.com/fundraising/jamie-hill12"
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