An Edinburgh woman who became the first person to walk the length of Saudi Arabia, has been honoured with a prestigious fellowship following her achievement.
Alice Morrison was presented with an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society (RSGS) after giving a talk in Perth about her remarkable journey.
The 63-year-old spent her childhood years roaming mountains in Uganda, but has now made her home in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains, and her “spirit of adventure” was highlighted by RSGS officials when presenting the award.
Alice’s latest 2,195km adventure took her from the northern border of Saudi Arabia all the way to the south and took her 112 days to complete.
On receiving her Fellowship Alice said: “I am a proud Scot. We are a nation of explorers and so to be awarded this Fellowship by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society is a huge honour.
“The quest for adventure can sometimes feel lonely and to have this support inspires me to keep going.”
The RSGS is a Scottish educational charity with the stated goal of promoting greater geographical understanding of people, places, and the planet.
It was founded in 1884 and has been awarding the Honorary Fellowship of the Society Award since 1888.
Notable recipients include Mark Carney, Levison Wood, Ernest Shackleton, Freya Stark, David Attenborough, Greta Thunberg, and Michael Palin.
At the RSGS event, Morrison was honoured with the fellowship.
On presenting Alice with her award, RSGS trustee Lorna Ogilvie commented: “Alice has had a spirit of adventure from a young age, from spending her childhood years roaming around the foothills of the Mountains of the Moon in Uganda, exploring across the world, and now making her home in the Atlas Mountains.
“Alice is a role model of courage and curiosity, and it is easy to see how she earned the moniker ‘Indiana Jones for Girls’.”
On Alice’s career to date, she added: “Widely recognised as an adventurer, author, journalist, and television presenter, Alice’s career has been shaped by unrelenting endurance and the joy she finds in connecting with the people she meets along the way.
“By travelling to the furthest places on Earth and walking through its toughest habitats, she strives to bear witness to the planet as our climate and society change, telling stories that bring humans together rather than those that drive us apart.
“As a woman explorer, she is also uniquely able to spend time with Saudi women and tell their stories.
“It is therefore with great pleasure, on behalf of the RSGS board of trustees, that we celebrate this adventurous spirit, by presenting Alice Morrison with Honorary Fellowship of the Society, in recognition of her travels, and the insights and empathy that she brings home to us.”
Following receipt of her fellowship, Alice has now returned to the Atlas Mountains to prepare for her next adventure.
