Renowned explorer Mark Evans to speak about his 49-day journey across the world's biggest sand desert, the Empty Quarter, or Rub Al Khali, at Beauly fundraising event
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A renowned international explorer who recently spent 49 days crossing the largest sand desert on earth will relate his exploits to raise funds for the village of Beauly.
From parachute-assisted crossings of the Greenland ice cap, to a 55-day solo kayak journey along the 1700km coastline of Oman, Mark Evans has been leading expeditions for more than 40 years.
The longest lasted a year on the Arctic island of Svalbard, where the team overwintered in a traditional lavvu tent, and saw out three months of total darkness.
His most recent journey across the biggest sand desert on earth, the Empty Quarter, or Rub Al Khali, on the Arabian Peninsula recreated the first ever crossing by British explorer Bertram Thomas in 1931 and used modern technology to demonstrate how Arabia and its people have changed.
Patrons were the Sultan Qaboos of Oman, King Salman of Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Joaan bin Hamed Al Thani of Qatar and the former Prince of Wales who, in his foreword to the expedition book, said: “Despite the huge changes that the world has seen since 1931, the harshness of the Empty Quarter remains undiminished and I know that the team had to draw to the utmost on their reserves of endurances and toughness to cross it.”
In the Beauly lecture Mr Evans will describe the journey, as well as answering questions about his adventures.
He will also discuss his next expedition, The Heart of Arabia, starting in November.
William Crawford of The Old School Beauly, who chairs the Beauly Business Group, said they were delighted Mr Evans had offered to do this talk to raise funds for the village.
“All the money raised will help us continue to support our floral displays in the summer and the Christmas lights in the winter which are hugely appreciated by both our visitors and our local community,” he said.
Mr Evans is a Fellow of The Explorers Club of New York, and The Royal Geographical Society, as well as an Honorary Fellow of The Royal Scottish Geographical Society.
When not at his home in Beauly he is in the Sultanate of Oman, where he is executive director of Outward Bound Oman, the first Outward Bound school to be established in an Arabic-speaking country.
The talk will take place in the Phipps Institute in Beauly on Wednesday, October 5 at 7pm. Tickets, priced £15, are available from the Old School, Campbell’s of Beauly and Morison’s Ironmongers.
