Why Saudi Arabia? 

Simple! We fancied watching some Formula One, and the cheapest tickets were for the Qatar Grand Prix. So our Saudi Arabian Incredible Pedals actually started in Doha. 

Accommodation in Qatar was too sparse and expensive for us to stay long, so we headed for the land border crossing into Saudi Arabia (Salwa Port). 

We Air BnB'd in this Doha suburb (above).

Molly with falcon handler, Katara Dhow Festival, Qatar

Our Route

We used mostly pedal power, but did take an intercity coach twice: from Damman (Gulf coast) to Riyadh, and for the last 250 miles into Jeddah, as the industrial motorways and wild camping took their toll. 

The Journey

A PEDALLING PERSPECTIVE

Qatar and Saudi Arabia provided us with so many challenges. From posh cycle lanes in parts of Doha that suddenly vanish (like some at home!) to scary 6-lane motorways (yes, in Saudi Arabia it's legal to cycle on ANY road)! 

The desert road north from Salwa Port wasn't too busy.  Vehicles respected the hard shoulder, so we felt safe apart from on short sections of roadworks where the tarmac narrowed. 

Getting closer to Damman, it was very different: the highways became super-busy, and choked by heavy vehicles.

Big city cycling is often a challenge, but here it felt CRAZY. Saudi urban highways were relentless, fast, and dangerous even for pedestrians.

Staying alert, especially at junctions/slip roads, was crucial. The cars move FAST, don't tend to indicate and take total priority - so you must always be ready to give way, even though you might think you are being "cut up".

So important to ACCEPT THE DRIVING CULTURE and also UNDERSTAND THAT DRIVERS HERE ARE NOT USED TO SEEING TOURING CYCLISTS.

Some Saudi drivers don't do seatbelts. Many windscreens sport "bullseye" cracks as a result. 

Above: Saudi village school bus complete with "bullseye" windscreen crack

And then there's the desert. Very long stretches of seemingly endless smooth tarmac, often with a good hard shoulder.

Headwinds, sidewinds, blustery winds, sometimes with dust storms just become the norm! Head down, hold on tight and stay focused! 

Roadside WATER STATIONS (above and below) were lifesavers - their water was free, fresh and chilled.

Roadside mosques were rarely far away (typical example below), and also provided male and female toilets.

We got used to popping in as needed, and were always made welcome. Best to have toilet tissues with you! 

BE AWARE THAT SOME MOSQUES, GAS STATIONS AND WATER STATIONS ARE ABANDONED - GOOGLE MAPS IS NOT ALWAYS UP TO DATE!

We got used to showing our ID at security checkpoints, and being pulled over by police cars who offered assistance and water.

On a few days we even had an intermittent police escort, guiding us safely through roadworks 👍👍

"The Edge of the World" (Saudi's Grand Canyon, above) was well worth the day trip from Riyadh.

The rough desert track has no phone signal and is NOT one for bicycles or small cars ! 

We found ourselves in an extortion situation with our Uber driver here. Happily, Martijn & Wayne came to our rescue in their beast of an SUV. Forever grateful !

We pedalled south out of Riyadh, with a weekend dawn departure to avoid the heavy traffic.

Once past the choking "industrial cities" on the outskirts, standard desert roads resumed (below).

Far better for cycling, although we got totally swarmed by flies in some areas when we stopped to eat.

Most of our route was pancake-flat. The mountains around Abha, in the far southwest, brought a welcome change of terrain (below).

Menacing troupes of baboons and their wild guard dogs (!) roamed in this area, keeping us on edge.

Above: the road from Abha down to the Red Sea coast was stunning. 

Below: a mountain road 'garden centre' en route to the Red Sea. Beautiful 😊

Continuing north, towards Jeddah: we chose to avoid the mountain roads (baboons!).

Our route looked deceptively coastal on the map, but gave only distant glimpses of the Red Sea, and virtually no beach access.

Above and below: Jeddah Old Town (Al Balad) was a highlight for us. 

Below: Jeddah Corniche was another nice area, with a 'Floating Mosque' and a really good cycle path !

BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE 

In Saudi Arabia we were AMAZED at the number of people who stopped to offer help, hospitality, food and water.

Kind strangers even paid our bills in restaurants and supermarkets. 

Above: Mohammed Naeem, recovery truck hero who gave us a lift around an uncrossable 12-lane highway to reach our hotel. 

Stopped again by delivery drivers who handed us yoghurts, drinks, water and a smile 😊👍

Thank you to Metric (above) and his family (below) who welcomed us to their farm for breakfast - one of many invites that we received. 

Food & Accommodation

Charlie is a chocolate-loving omnivore, Molly is a greedy veggie. Food options were good for both of us!

A typical Saudi dinner is kabsa/makbus (mildly spiced chicken and rice, often served with flatbread and salad). £3-5 for a HUGE portion.

Molly fared better in the many Yemeni, Pakistani and Indian restaurants. Meals cost £4-8 for two, including drinks.

Tasty ful medames (fava bean dip) or curries, with massive oven-fresh flatbreads. Supermarket hummus and mutabal (aubergine dip) were other favourites.

Charlie also enjoyed the goat meat and Yemeni sheep liver - the breakfast of champions ! 😋

Supermarkets were easy to find, often next to gas stations, and inexpensive.

Yoghurt drinks, mixed nuts, sweet "date milk" and fresh fruit were our top road snacks.

Coupled with many cups of karak chai (sweet, milky, spiced Pakistani tea ☕) 

DRINKING WATER:

We used the tap water in the accommodation and the water stations on the sides of the roads.

Only buying bottled water when nothing else was available. 

Camel is considered to be the best meat in Saudi, so Charlie enjoyed a succulent camel kabsa for his Christmas dinner 😋👍  NO CAMELS WERE HARMED IN THE TAKING OF THIS PHOTO!!! 😊

It was easy to find decent accommodation in most towns/cities

Using Google Maps (hotel search), Booking.com and Agoda.

SERVICED APARTMENTS were great value, at £20-40 per night for a double with private bathroom. Only Riyadh was a bit more expensive. 

We had to wild camp a few times (setting up, above). No need to pitch the tent, as there were lots of empty buildings around.

We feared baboon attacks in the southwestern mountain areas, but thankfully they kept their distance. 

Wild camping on the Red Sea coast got us savaged by mosquitos (above), despite sleeping fully-clothed. Not recommended!

Saudi Arabia - our thoughts

Charlie

Wonderful hospitality coupled with a generosity that blew my mind!

The almost total acceptance of these two 'strange beings' on bicycles in this country that not long since opened its doors to overseas visitors was truly astounding. 

Only one bad experience during our month-long adventure here. 

I learned so much on this trip. When you cycle everywhere you see so much at ground level, and because we cycled through smaller towns we met people from many different cultures.

In my mind Saudi was going to be extremely rich and clean everywhere, but that's not the case.

On the outskirts of big cities, smaller towns and in the industrial areas there are many poorer people with the same struggles, financial concerns and pollution problems (see below) as with so many other countries.

The journey was very demanding for us both, physically and more so mentally.

Concentration is critical on the roads here. Long stretches of flat tarmac and strong winds combined with a lot of fast-moving unpredictable drivers take their toll, and making sure you could always carry or find water was imperative. 

Signed up for the challenge and I got one! Some tough cycling, fantastic experiences and most of all KSA kindness.

Below - Another KSA family that treated us to a visit to their farm for food and drinks

THANK YOU KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA 👍

MY CHOCOLATE AVAILABILITY and TASTE SCALE for KSA (using the 5-bar scale!)     🍫🍫🍫 

Molly

As a woman, it was eye-opening to visit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Until a few years ago we were forbidden to drive, ride a bicycle and even to go out in public without a male relative.

I always wore a loose long-sleeved top and trousers, to respect cultural norms.

Most of the women we saw were fully covered (including their faces), although this is no longer required by law.

I didn't even cover my hair, but was always well-received. 

The brand-new Riyadh Metro, and some city restaurants, segregate "Singles" (men-only) from "Family" (any groups which include a woman).

We met a few female workers in city shops and hotels, but the workforce is still largely male, and heavily propped up by immigrants.

In the provinces, women were less visible still - even in bustling restaurants, I was usually the only one.

Below: Charlie was asked to leave this "Family" carriage by Riyadh Metro security, as they mistakenly thought he was travelling alone.

Outside the major cities, people seemed genuinely excited to see Western cycle tourists.

Cars would often stop, turn around and follow us, whilst filming on smartphones. The level of interest, friendliness and casual generosity was my biggest surprise in KSA. I have never experienced anything close to it.

Petty crime doesn't seem to be a worry in KSA. We were often reassured by locals that there was no need to lock our bikes, as "this is Saudi Arabia".

It certainly felt very safe, including the city streets at night. Security cameras were everywhere. The police acted more like a roadside support service !

The daytime "winter" temperatures were pleasantly warm-to-hot, but desert nights could be surprisingly chilly.

The summer months sound unbearably hot - cycle touring then would be impossible. 

KSA has some of the highest road mortality rates in the world. I had moments of intense stress and fear on the bike here, but slowly learnt to adapt.

Somehow, we managed to pedal over 1000 miles coast-to-coast without incident. 

Honestly: most of the cycling itself was not that enjoyable.

We were both frazzled by the end. But as an overall adventure experience, we're glad we did it.

Truly, a privilege.

Herds of camels (above) are a common sight in parts of KSA

Practical Pointers

Qatar

- No visa needed up to 30 days (UK citizens)

- Qatar Airways flew our boxed bikes for no extra charge, as part of our checked baggage allowance.

- Doha Airport pedal-out rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐. Easy peasy (although we couldn't find the airport cycle path), as the main road had a good hard shoulder and light traffic.

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

- 90-day visitor e-Visa, granted immediately (but the website was so clunky, we nearly gave up).

- Riding in/out of the big cities was less crazy at weekends (Friday-Saturday in KSA), early in the morning.

GLAD WE PACKED ....

- Sunscreen: We never saw this on sale in KSA.

- Small front panniers: To carry extra water (two 3L bottles) on the front fork. A lifesaver on long desert stretches.

- Puncture repair kit: Zero cycling supplies or bike shops outside the major cities.

- Towel: Not provided by some of the budget hotels.

- A warm coat (!). Molly wore a ski jacket most evenings, and even on a couple of early-morning pedals.