Morning Fewbie Desert Drive - Al Lisaili to 3 Trees - Dubai - 19 July 2026

[Andrew John Melvill]

DRIVE DESCRIPTION

Classic Al Lisaili and Qudra mix. Join us on Sunday morning for an exploration style drive from the classic Al Lisaili dunes, followed by a mix of technical areas and sand tracks and ending up in the long range dunes leading up to the end point just beyond the famous 3 Trees. Made for finding your rhythm and building confidence behind the wheel. It should be a relaxed, scenic Fewbie-friendly drive, aiming to be aired-up and home before the heat bites. Bring water, bring your flag, bring a sense of adventure. The dunes are waiting. RSVP now and let's drive!

MUST READ AND COMPLY

• Environmental Policy
• Offroad Flag Guideline
• Two Way Radio Guideline
• Off road Driving Etiquette's
• Emergency details for all off-roaders
• Off Road Driving - Roles & Responsibilities

DRIVE DETAILS

Level:  Fewbie and above

When : 19 July 2026

Meeting time: 06:00 AM

Meeting Point:  https://maps.app.goo.gl/BZnegR96NtgTR8K19

Type of Car: Any proper 4x4 with front and back tow hooks and 8-10 inches of ground clearance.

What to bring along: Loads of water, snacks (for yourself), smiles,, enthusiasm and willingness to learn.

Mandatory off-road gears: Fewbie and above, Tire deflator, tire pressure gauge, compressor, walkie-talkie radio, off-road flag, shovel, first-aid kit, fire extinguisher, Intermediate and above, Kinetic Tow Rope and 2 soft Shackles.

Note: Please ensure that all of your off-road gear is securely tied down with ratchet straps in the rear compartment of the vehicle. Bungy type tie downs are not suitable for tying down off-road gear.

 Approximate finish time: 09:30 AM

P.S. Only join if you have a compressor to inflate your tires after the drive.

LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE

• This drive is limited to 10 cars only. RSVP will close on Friday - 12:00 pm.
• If the RSVP is full, you can add your name to the waitlist. Once anyone drops, you will be moved to the RSVP list.
• RSVP will close a day prior to preparing a convoy list.
• Latecomers will be returned back - Without any exceptions.
• Members without RSVP will be returned back - Without any exceptions.
• Please withdraw your RSVP, if you aren't joining, so your spot can be taken by others.
• Repeated no-show members after RSVP will have their account suspended for a month. 

Please RSVP on below calendar

 

 

[Andrew John Melvill]

HI, seems I messed up the calendar post so missed the Monday 7pm go live, was all fixed last night. But for those that could not see it at 7, please pop over to the calendar post and sign up. Pitfalls of being a new lead 🤣

[Andrew John Melvill]

Good afternoon, hope your Saturday is going well!

@M.Seidam, @Mountain, @Rajath Shetty, @saumik1989, @nithish468, @Noufal, @khurramm and @Abdullah A.

Thanks for joining the drive, meeting time is 06h00 with a briefing at 06h15. The drive plan is to follow where the dunes take us as we head towards the 3 trees in an exploration style.

Look forward to seeing you all tomorrow. As the weather is very uncomfortable at the moment, please ensure that your cars fluids and systems are all checked, and that you bring plenty of fluids for yourself and any passengers. 

Convoy order is below:

[Andrew John Melvill]

Thanks all for joining me today! 

We did exactly.as I had planned with a good mix of terrain and dune types along with some sand and gravel tracks. Had the right amount of stucks and refusals to provide learning experiences to all but not slow us down. As the heat built up we took a nice flowing drive towards the exit.

A big thanks to @M.Seidam as my 2nd lead and mentor today! As well as @nithish468 and @Abdullah A. is centre forward and sweep, could not have down without you. 

Lastly, in my haste to check my map and route this morning I forgot to record the track. If anyone did record it could you please send it to me.

Cheers and enjoy the rest of the weekend! 

[Andrew John Melvill]

Thanks for the gpx file Doc, here is the route we drove today. 

[Mountain]

Thank you @Andrew John Melvill for a great first lead drive today, for all the support team, and everyone that joined in today.

Thank you to those who got shovels out to assist me with my 'beached wale' refusal and to @M.Seidam for parting recovery wisdom in such situations. The take-aways were:

1) Which direction to move? Determine the vehicle's centre of gravity in relation to the ridge line to help decide whether to go forward or backward. On long wheelbase vehicles like the ford ranger, the centre of gravity is forward from the vehicle mid-point, around the front door handles.

2) How to dig? Remove sand from the vehicle's centre line to form a V-shape under the chassis towards the wheels. Do not dig under the wheels as that will make them sink in more.

3) When to stop digging? The goal is to free the chassis and a good way to tell is by looking if you can see through from one side to the other (front-back).

Hope to see everyone again soon.

[M.Seidam]

Thanks a lot @Andrew John Melvill for today’s morning lovely drive . I was impressed with your local navigation just like a pro. Very well done 

thanks to every one who joined and shared the passion today despite the hot summer . and for the team work during recovering @Mountain from his “ royal crest “ position 😊 I am so glad that every one got something today back home along with the big smiles and satisfaction. 

see you around and take care 

Seidam