My 'navo' and I always travel alone in our LR Def as we are retired and it is usually to difficult to co-ordinate with others on dates etc.

We are experienced desert travellers so being on our own is not an issue in itself.

HOWEVER....we drive defensively off road and never rush around against the clock which can be a problem for others on a tight schedule or,with to much adreneline coursing through their veins behind the wheel. We never speed, as above 60km/hr on piste you risk rollover. I was taught to drive on graded roads by a professional company in Oman who's own policy was not to drive above 80km/hr.Most of us found this too fast for the prevailing conditions.The piste conditions can change in a flash and reactions above this speed are unpredictable.

Vehicle breakdown is the biggest threat to travelling alone.Our LR is 5 yrs old and kept well maintained but the risk of breakdown offroad when the vehicle is being well used is higher than normal. The chances of having the right parts for a BD are,in my experience,not good so you may have to be prepared to sit it out,while further action is arranged. We always carry plenty of water and it would not phase us to wait a while but we are flexible as regards time!

As others have said,when to turn back is a key skill,not a defeat.If an offroad track starts to look ify and/or needs a bit of work done on it,then it usually gets worse not better!

Finally,the level of 'remoteness'. We have just returned from a 4 wk trip mainly in the Seguite Al Hamra.Comparatively speaking we found this region interesting and VERY REMOTE.Some areas had plenty of bedou and others not. My general advice to others now would be not to do it alone if you can,not because of dangers but because of the high hassle and time loss factors if you did BD.

Many of the Gandini tracks for this area are remote,ill defined,not well used and hard on the vehicle. I am pleased with my trip but on reflection would only do some of the routes again with 1-2 other vehicles,strictly because of the remoteness.

We find travelling alone very enjoyable but,one has to accept the hassle that could be attached. And the risks? Well,how do you agree to rank them.It's what we all do. Shall we have a few more assessment sessions to make it all go away?