So, what was it like then?

Good question. But where to start?

Maybe describing a typical trekking day is as good a place as any.

4:00am     Wake up in my corner of the tent because:
                      a) I'm cold (can't believe that I suffered more from the cold than the heat in  the desert), and
                      b) I've been in bed since 9:30, and probably had all  the sleep I need. Doze till

6:30          Official start to the day. Crawl out of sleeping bag, remove the 3 layers of clothing I've been sleeping in, and replace them with the day's wicking T-shirt (I decided to wick after all - due to 70% discount in Debenham's January Sale) and trousers with multiple pockets. Then do battle with the big bag, squeezing in mattress and sleeping bag plus sundry clothes and accessories to be carried by the camel for the day. Usually twice, since I invariably left something vital which I needed in my day pack in the bottom of the big bag. And all before even a cup of tea, and in the tightest of spaces since 6 others were similarly engaged in the tent we called home. My least favourite part of the day.

7:00           Breakfast! Steaming bowl of porridge and glass or two of coffee, then fill up the water carrier with 2 litres for the morning and choose snacks to replace salt and sugar between meals. Meanwhile, blister clinic in full swing - but luckily not for me.

Ready to roll

 7:45          We all stride out in to the cool morning air, chatting in twos and threes, or just enjoying the rhythm of walking. We generally walked until mid-day, the heat building up gradually as the day progressed. Lahcen, the Berber guide, set a steady pace, and we had a couple of rest stops built into the morning, under the shade of a handy tree.

Here's one I planted earlier ...

 It was often the only tree for miles around, and on a couple of occasions, I believe, was one planted a few years earlier by the trek organisers - such consideration, for the shade did make an incredible difference.

12:00        Lunch under another tree, provided by the cooks, who had somehow overtaken us unseen in the jeep. Then a welcome siesta till 2:00

I loved our lunches

2:00         Set off in the hotter part of the day for a 2or 3 hour trek to the night's campsite - where the tents were already pitched, and a pot of delicious mint tea was waiting - sometimes with home-made biscuits. My favourite part of the day! We were free then to perform our ablutions (wet wipes - water far too scarce in the desert - except for a couple of occasions when we were near enough to a well for a makeshift shower), do a little gentle exploring, or compare blisters, until dinner time.

7:30        Gather  in the communal tent for dinner and briefing for the next day - and a few laughs (quite a few actually).

9:30        Bed.

FAQs:

1. Toilets? 2 toilet tents in camp (God bless the hole-diggers and fillers-in), then wherever you could find cover (behind a small sand-dune) during the day. When no cover was available, we just agreed to all point in the same direction, and look away if not actively engaged. Worked for me! Luckily no-one was ill, due to the hygiene precautions we all adhered to. Well done us!
2. Food? Simple and tasty. Salads for lunch, with the most delicious oranges, and soup, vegetable stews with pasta or cous-cous, and your favourite tinned fruit from childhood. And wine for those who wanted it. All very civilised, since the food for the entire trip had to be carried in  the lorry and cooked in a tent. Got a bit fed up with sitting on cushions on the floor all the time though.
3. The heat? Strangely, it was bearable, although I don't really do heat. In the mornings the temperature rose relatively slowly from the night cold, but by the afternoon it was in the mid-thirties (not sure what that is in real money, but hot). It still wasn't too bad though - possibly because it was dry heat?
4. Walking in  the sand? Yes, that was hard, but easier if you did a Good King Wenceslas and followed in the footsteps of the person in front. And probably only about a third of the trek was in soft sand - there were plenty of other, easier surfaces.