A few years ago, we released the wonderful ‘On Wheels, On Foot and On Crutches’ by the talented Penny Lees.

 

The mere thought of traversing any part of the African continent in a Land Rover with only two other companions is a daunting proposition... that is until the Indiana Jones element within Penny Lees kicked in one day and announced that she was to embark on the adventure of a lifetime.

 


Notwithstanding the various irritations whilst travelling through rural France, the Pyrenees and southern Europe, these paled into insignificance when faced with the climatic and cultural hurdles encountered in Africa.

 

Everything has its price they say... price is dependent on how much money you have... especially when out of food in the middle of the Sahara. From the author's diary entries, this enthralling epic, plotting Penny Lees' journey, offers the reader a clear picture of the problems that can be encountered. Nevertheless, complimenting this are the colourful and variegated landscapes along with equally colourful and different ethnic people.

 

Inspired by Penny’s adventures in Africa, and particularly in the Sahara Desert, we decided to look into the fascinating and sometimes brutal desert.

 

 

 

- Eleven countries have parts of the Sahara Desert within their borders covering 3.6 million square miles – which adds up to 8% of the worlds land area (almost the same size as china or the USA).

 

 

 

- There are sand dunes or ‘hills of sand’ that can be as tall as 590 feet. It’s also made up of sand seas, gravel plains, stone plateaus, salt flats, dry valleys, mountains, rivers, streams, and oases.

 

 

 

- There are some 20 or more lakes in the Sahara. Most of these are saltwater lakes. Lake Chad is the only freshwater lake in the desert.

 

 

 

-The climate of the Sahara is one of the harshest ones in the world. Daytime temperatures can reach 58°C (136°F), and at night temperature can become as low as -6°C (22°F). In fact, the all-time hottest temperature ever recorded was 136 degrees F, in Azizia, Libya, in 1922.

 

 

 

 

 

If you love these facts, you’re going to love Penny’s book. Grab yourself a copy of ‘On wheels, on foot and on crutches’ here!