OUR CAMELS
By Andrea Tennant
Our constant dromedary companions on the Incense Route Expedition, lovingly named Bo and Peep, served as a daily reminder of the camels’ historical role on ancient Trade Routes. As we shared each day, experiencing the landscape together, we were grateful for their committed, modern-day example of practical necessity and cultural continuity.
Naturally comfortable in extreme desert environments, Bo and Peep gave their services of transporting supplies, quietly encouraging us in the ways of endurance, and offering a low-impact way of traversing fragile ecosystems. The perfect example of a minimal environmental footprint, they aligned closely with the expedition’s goals of sustainability, cultural connection and endurance. Their presence in the expedition was not just logistical but a deliberate return to slower, more respectful modes of travel, mirroring rhythms of historical trade caravans.
Symbolically, camels represent resilience, patience, commitment, and an ancient connection between humans and nature. The domestication of the one-humped dromedary, likely in south Arabia / Somalia, goes back some 4,000 years so the bond runs deep, as beautifully evidenced by our skilled and invaluable camel handler Abu Mohamad. His intrinsic knowledge of the wild desert landscape was a daily blessing as he led us through often treacherous terrain with peace, clarity, and steadfastness. The core values of the Incense Route Expedition were reflected back to us consistently through these qualities of endurance in the face of challenge, respect for traditional knowledge, and a commitment to sustainable exploration.
The camel’s ability to survive with limited resources serves as a powerful metaphor for responsible resource-use in a time of environmental strain. So our beloved camels, Bo and Peep, unknowingly - and unwittingly! - became both companion and teacher, reinforcing the expedition’s message of balance between progress and preservation. This became even more evident in the later stages of the journey, navigating modern progress through the vast constructional networks of Neom which was more than challenging for camel and explorer as we drew closer to the Gulf of Aqaba.
That our invaluable expedition camels were possible was down to the support of Loch na Bo, a generational NE Scottish estate whose purpose of culture, heritage and sustainability echoes that of the Incense Route Expedition. There is a compelling cultural parallel between the desert trade caravans and the cattle droving traditions of Scotland. In the 16th - 19th centuries, cattle were guided across vast distances from the Highlands to markets in the south, much like traders along the Incense Route. The cattle would be sustained by the kettle loch of Loch na Bo, before proceeding on, and in that sense gave birth to its Gaelic name, meaning Lake of the Cows. Both Trade Routes relied on deep environmental knowledge, seasonal rhythms, and trust between people and animals. By drawing this connection, the expedition bridges landscapes and histories, with an unexpected link of Arabian deserts and Scottish Highlands, and highlights a shared heritage of sustainable, land-based movement that predates industrialisation.
Endearingly, a female camel is referred to as a cow, deepening the connection between our unfailing camel companions, the Incense Route Expedition and Loch na Bo.