“I knew instinctively that it was the very hardness of life in the desert which drew me back there – it was the same pull which takes men back to the polar ice, to high mountains, and to the sea.” – Wilfred Thesiger

On a journey inspired by a hero, Wilfred Thesiger, Leon McCarron and Alastair Humphreys walked around 1000 miles into the Empty Quarter desert. The film of the adventure is now available.

Here is the trailer. If you enjoy it, you can read endorsements from people who’ve watched the whole film and then purchase the full film below.

Into The Empty Quarter is available worldwide now, on DVD and as an HD Download.

Watch The Film Now

Into The Empty Quarter is available as a DVD, an HD Download, or a DVD and Download bundle. Running Length: 52 minutes.

HD Download

Introductory Offer – £5.99 [RRP £10]

[purchase_link id=”12114″ text=”Download” style=”button” color=”blue”]

DVD and HD Download bundle

BEST DEAL Introductory Offer – £9.99 [RRP £20]

Get the DVD plus a FREE HD digital download. Region free — plays in all territories.
PLEASE NOTE: you will receive the download code shortly, but not immediately.

DVD

Introductory Offer – £9.99 [RRP £14]

Get the DVD to keep and share with friends and family. Region free — plays in all territories.

If you would like to be informed of film screenings and future projects, please sign up to an occasional email newsletter:

27 Comments

Harry Guinness 26/10/2012 at 12:43

The adventure looks fantastic! May have to check out Arabian Sands! Will you be tweeting and blogging from the desert?
- Al Humphreys 26/10/2012 at 12:56
  
  Hi Harry,
  No – we are just going to enjoy the trip and then tell the story when we get home.
Susan Lafferty 27/10/2012 at 19:59

It sounds and looks amazing. I wish you and Leon the very best on your adventure and look forward to hearing about it when you get back.

I have downloaded ‘Arabian Sands’, well I haven’t read a book for a week and it means my boyfriend doesn’t know I’m buying another book ;-). It will be nice to find out more about who inspired you.

Best wishes
Sue :-)
Alex 27/10/2012 at 20:44

Out of great adversity come great opportunities! This is going to be an epic trip. The whole concept, with its historical element and cobbled together feel, is excellent. Well done and good luck.

How about some balloon tyres to help you float over all that loose sand? http://surlybikes.com/parts/larry_tire
Patrick 29/10/2012 at 01:31

Your adventures both grand and micro have been a great source of inspiration. I was noticing the difficulty with pulling the cart through the sand. Surly makes a fat tire bike that excels in sand and snow. Check them out to see if they would make the cart easier to pull. http://surlybikes.com/parts/category/wheels
Shane 29/10/2012 at 12:00

‘+1 for fat tires Al after failing miserable to cycle a beach..

http://www.shanecycles.com/africa/2012/07/26/mozambique-pt-2-beach-bum/

Have fun…
jamehand 30/10/2012 at 13:10

Sounds like an exciting trip! How do you manage to organise them so quickly and smooth over your general absence with your girlfriends and or wives? I struggle to get a green-card for even a microadventure these days!

Any sound advice appreciated!

Cheers
James
- Al Humphreys 30/10/2012 at 13:21
  
  Haha! A dark art indeed….
  Blog post on this coming soon!
  - jamehand 30/10/2012 at 15:18
    
    Looking forward to that post immensely! But don’t tell the girlfriend….sshh!
The Best Cycle-Tour Planning Weekend In Existence Is 11 Days Off :: Tom's Bike Trip 05/11/2012 at 15:06

[…] what we're going to do without Al Humphreys I'm not really sure… jQuery(document).ready(function($) { […]
Empty Quarter Teaser Video | AH TEST SITE 28/01/2013 at 09:26

[…] do you think? Does it make you want to see more from our expedition? Or is it more Arab Hip Hop than you can handle on a Monday morning?! Let me know in the comments […]
Johnny 29/01/2013 at 12:16

Hey guys! that’s a very interesting trip…but why not chose FAT tires?? …that would have been much easier to make them roll on the sand, even if they weight more.
Have a great time!
- Alastair 29/01/2013 at 12:22
  
  Hi Johnny,
  That’s because we used tracks and roads as well as off road. It was all a compromise.
  Al
Empty Quarter Teaser Video | Alastair Humphreys 04/02/2013 at 09:12

[…] do you think? Does it make you want to see more from our expedition? Or is it more Arab Hip Hop than you can handle on a Monday morning?! Let me know in the comments […]
Leo 08/03/2013 at 12:02

guess you’ve heard of Robert Twigger and his experience with a similar vehicle in similar conditions
http://www.roberttwigger.com/lost-oasis/
best wishes, Leo
Leo 08/03/2013 at 12:04

and an interesting comment from Twigger
This was going to be the title but somehow I got all caught up with the idea of oases so I didn’t use it. But on re-reading it I see that the book really is about this strange passion for nothingness that calls to all desertheads and deserthearts out there.
Walking 1,000 Miles Across “The Empty Quarter” Desert in Oman and UAE – A Meaningless Penance? – Teaser Clip | RailRiders 15/03/2013 at 15:12

[…] For more information, and for updates about the production of the complete documentary, please visitÂ alastairhumphreys.com/emptyquarterÂ orÂ leonmccarron.com/emptyquarter […]
Into The Empty Quarter | Pockit Adventures 13/11/2013 at 05:32

[…] Alastair Humphreys and Leon McCarron fell in love with the tales and images of Wilfred Thesigner and decided he was going to be their tour guide into the desert sands of the Arabian Peninsula. They walked 1000 miles and pulled a cart. Their journey is inspiring and worth following,Â https://alastairhumphreys.com/emptyquarter/. […]
Casey 05/12/2013 at 12:11

Hey Al,

Thought you should know that this page doesn’t have the “Watch now” link to the film’s store page. But this page still shows up first in several google searches. Cheers!
- Alastair 05/12/2013 at 12:22
  
  Thanks so much. Much appreciated. And fixed!
Into The Empty Quarter | Pockit Adventures | Ultra Light Adventures and Camping Stuff 26/02/2014 at 03:05

[…] Alastair Humphreys and Leon McCarron fell in love with the tales and images of Wilfred Thesigner and decided he was going to be their tour guide into the desert sands of the Arabian Peninsula. They walked 1000 miles and pulled a cart. Their journey is inspiring and worth following,Â https://alastairhumphreys.com/emptyquarter/. […]
Marc 10/06/2014 at 19:36

Better take suncream with you next time :)
http://postimg.org/image/vhd5ivtxt/
http://postimg.org/image/esbpmyxch/

Greetings from Germany
- Alastair 11/06/2014 at 09:21
  
  Hi Marc,
  How brilliant to hear from you!
  Thank you so much for helping us out there. It was pretty stupid of us to head into the desert without suncream!
  But then again, the whole trip was pretty stupid…
  Alastair
The World Needs You, Badly - My Talk From Explore 2014 - James Borrell 18/11/2014 at 22:13

[…] 6. Maybe you’re Walking Across a Desert… […]
James 03/03/2015 at 22:37

I keep coming back to this story because it reminds me so much of my own time in the Empty Quarter. I think we must have missed each other by a matter of months in Salalah. Its a magical place, and your idea and expedition is great! I think the hardest part of expeditions is coming up with a great concept in the first place! The photos look amazing and well done on the film!

James
Chloe Birles to walk across Gobi Desert with custom insoles from Profeet - Profeet 25/04/2016 at 09:12

[…] was during this that I stumbled upon Alastair Humphreys’ thousand mile expedition into The Empty Quarter. He had used Profeet and highly recommended them. As footwear was going to be exceptionally […]
My First Micro-Adventure | My Travel Journals 15/10/2017 at 15:39

[…] videos from Alastair Humphreys. He has been doing large adventure events such as walking the Empty Quarter orÂ Around the World by Bike. However, he also thought that there might be an option for much […]