A Swansea couple fly out this weekend to walk 100km across the Sahara with no Wi-Fi, no sauna and no protein snacks.
Rochelle Francis and Lee Roblin, both 38, join the Wales Air Ambulance Sahara Challenge from Sunday 8 to Saturday 14 November, crossing the Moroccan desert on foot and wild camping every night.
The route runs over dunes, stony plateaus, salt pans and oases with a camel crew carrying the kit, the charity says, and ends with a celebration dinner at Ait Ben Haddou, the fortified village that stood in for ancient Rome in Gladiator.
Lee is the adventurer of the pair, with Kilimanjaro, a charity wing walk and a standing gym habit behind him. Rochelle said: “Every time he comes up with an idea, I somehow end up saying yes, so that is how we have found ourselves trekking across the Sahara Desert.”
Going without make-up will not trouble her: “I am happy in comfortable clothes and will gladly choose practicality over glamour. I think the hardest part will be being without Wi-Fi and all the usual day-to-day distractions of social media.”
She added: “Funnily enough, it is going to do me good.”
The nights give her more pause: “The thought of not knowing my surroundings, and what animals could be out after dark, is a little daunting. But I am excited about seeing the night skies, and sunrises, and sharing this experience with everyone taking part.”
‘Nobody likes sand in their shoes’
Lee needed no persuading: “The second we heard about it, we were in. It is not every day you get the chance to cross the Sahara while raising money for a brilliant cause.”
He is not pretending it will be comfortable: “Nobody likes sand in their shoes, scorching days, and freezing nights, but that is exactly what makes it memorable. The best adventures are usually the ones that push you a bit.”
The creature comforts are already being mourned: “I will miss my gym routine, sauna, and protein snacks, but I think I can survive a week away from them. The food could be the toughest part for both of us, although knowing there is a celebration meal at the end should keep us motivated.”
The helicopter ride they have not taken yet
The couple hosted a table at the charity’s 25th anniversary gala at the Celtic Manor in June, the night the Prince of Wales raised a toast and the room raised £180,000.
In the auction they won a helicopter experience donated by Darren Briggs, chief executive of the Pembrokeshire forecourt group Ascona, the pilot who flew a rescued sea turtle from Anglesey in August. Briggs is on the Sahara trek as well.
Lee joked: “Darren’s been trying to pin us down to a date for the helicopter ride, but we have not managed it yet. Mind you, if things get really tough out in the desert, I might see if we can call in the helicopter ride early and arrange a lift home from the Sahara.”
Gail Windley, the charity’s events and partnerships fundraiser, said the pair “perfectly embody the spirit of adventure, determination and generosity that makes our challenge events so special”. The money raised, she said, helps crews “bring hospital-standard treatment to patients wherever and whenever it is needed across Wales”.
The charity asks each trekker to raise at least £1,000 on top of the cost of their place. Run from Dafen in Llanelli, it needs around £13m a year to keep flying and has carried out more than 58,000 missions since its first on St David’s Day 2001.
Donations go through Rochelle’s JustGiving page. The pair fly out on Sunday; the first night under the desert sky is the one Rochelle is watching for, and the celebration meal is the one Lee is counting down to.
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