07-Nov-2014 -- Ever since moving back to Qaṭar, a visit to this confluence point was high on our wish-list. But of course, it being so close and easy to reach, it took the better of eight months to actually 'do' 25N 51E (and it again took more than five months to write and submit this report...).
On this splendid sunny day - which is the norm for about 350 days a year - we set out. Home is conveniently located next to the Salwā road (Highway 5 from Dawḥa to the KSA); 8:45 am we got into the car, through the main gate, U-turn, left on Salwā road and after 40 minutes, we arrived near the Confluence. Having read previous reports and knowing the road is a private military road, we decided to play 'unaware' and tracked back to al-Kir`āna to go for an off-road approach from the North-East. This way we ensured arriving at the CP without being detected by guards and thus avoiding the need to explain what we are doing.
The drive to the CP brought us through a typical stone desert, which covers large parts of this country. Along the way we passed a few enclosures with young camels and a few older camels roaming around freely. Arriving at the confluence point, there's no change in scenery: rocky desert, a few marginally lower areas with some grass and bush, and tyre-tracks everywhere. And that's about everything to tell about the location: unassuming and unremarkable. After taking the required photographs and writing down the details of our visit, we walked back to the car and spotted a few nice eolian (wind) erosion examples close to the CP. Hereafter, we drove on and explored a bit more desert south-west of the CP before returning home.
Details:
- Date/Time of visit: 7 November 2014, 09:39.
- GPS Devices: Garmin Oregon 450/Garmin etrex vista HCx
- GPS Latitude: N 25 00.000 (Oregon) / N 25 00.000 (etrex)
- GPS Longitude: E051 00.001 (Oregon) / E051 00.000 (etrex)
- GPS accuracy: 2 m (Oregon) / 3 m (etrex)
- GPS Altitude: 45 m (Oregon) / 36 m (etrex) (both seem quite wrong; the true height is 56 m)
- Minimal distance: 2 m (based on GPS accuracy)
Distance to nearest drivable road: ~300 m south-west of CP; tarmac road towards army camp.
- Road name: -
- Nearest village: al-Kir`āna, al-Rayyān, Qaṭar.
- Visible Terrain/Area: Rocky desert with patches of sand; slightly hilly; a few shrubs and lone trees.
- Weather: Windy; Sunny but hazy; ~26 °C.
- Description of the CP: Typical rocky (dolomite) desert, with some nice examples of eolian erosion.
- CP Name: None.
- Means of transport: Car.