Crossing Saudi Arabia on foot 22 days in and the first thing I need to do is give you a foot update. They are much better. I have some nasty flaps of skin and a bit of a hole in my left foot and toes that I don’t really want to describe on my right, but the horrible pain has stopped.

We have covered over 400km now and it feels incredible that just by putting on foot in front of the other you can get so far. Each day is full and busy. I am up at 6.30 and it is now 18.44 and I haven’t really stopped. 

We have had long days of walking across sandy-bedded wadis, shaded by acacias and fringed by spectacular red sandstone mountains. Soul-touching scenery.

This week, though, it is all about the camels.

Juicy, it transpires, is terrified of donkeys and horses. On Sunday, I had set off first and after five hours of not seeing Shaya and the camels, I came into signal and gave him a ring. ‘We are about 5km back,’ he told me. ‘We had a problem but alhamdullilah we are ok.’  

When we met up, I could tell immediately from his face that it wasn’t something small. He had blood on his clothes and that wide-eyed look that comes with shock. 

He had been walking along with the camel ropes both around his chest. A horse had come up behind him and Juicy had panicked. She bolted taking Lulu with her. Shaya was yanked back and dragged along the ground behind them until he finally let go. 

He called Abu Abdullah and Abu Ali in the support vehicle and they drove to his rescue and to search for the girls. Lulu had stopped running after about 3km but Juicy was at the big road 5km away.

Shaya’s nose was banged and bleeding and he had bruises all over his arms and torso. At least he and the camels were safe but he was in pain and exhausted and we still had a way to go and a camping spot to find.

Then, a white pick up drove up to us and a smiling man insisted we come and stay at his farm. He was the cousin of Abu Yazen, who I had met a few days before when I interviewed his daughter Dana at the side of the road.

It turned out that we had been sent an angel. Abu Yazen is a camel whisperer and by laying hands on them and talking to them he soon had Juicy and Lulu totally calm. 

There were three Arab horses on the ranch and he said we should try to get the camels habituated as we would be meeting horses and donkeys all along the route. He tied them close to the horses and spoke to them quietly and firmly. After ten minutes, Juicy was actually touching noses with the white one.  It was like magic.

I asked him for advice about how he thought they were doing. ‘They’re hungry,’ he said. You aren’t feeding them enough. They need to have hay and barley in the morning and at night. Would you like to walk 20km a day with not enough food?’ 

It was horrible to hear that we had been inadvertently mistreating them but I was so grateful that we’d met him and could act on his advice. Even though by now it was 8pm, Abu Abdullah and Shaya went off with him to buy good quality feed to load onto the car.

Since then, we have strictly followed everything he told us – including getting some tick medicine – and Juicy and Lulu are blooming. Donkeys are still a problem but we have had no more bolting.

We have just entered AlUla which is going to be one of our highlights and I am ready to put camel traumas behind me. I’ve already been petroglyph hunting and can’t wait to do more exploring in this richly historical region.

This expedition is supported by Saudi Tourist Authority and the Royal Commission for AlUla. It is organised by the excellent Saudi adventure company Mallah AlDoroub.

You can also follow along on Instagram and the podcast – Alice in wAnderland.