The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 10 letter word WILDERNESS
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
W
I
L
D
E
R
N
E
S
S
More clues leading to the result WILDERNESS
- Desert more stormy loch
- Waste left in more open land running out to sea
- Passionate about climbing headland to get the bush?
- Desert queen stops swindles in corrupt state
- Bush left in more spacious cape
- More primitive Scottish loch in uncultivated region
- Funny Gene’s headland is uninhabited
- New dress I ordered around west end of Lambeth — a desolate place
- Against the odds, Princesses gets an Oscar before Badlands
- Fierce eagles crossing small desert
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "a desolate place" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case a desolate place = wilderness.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does WILDERNESS mean?
WILDERNESS noun- An unsettled and uncultivated tract of land in its natural state; a barren land; a wild or waste.
- A place that is uncared for, and therefore devoted to disorder or wildness.
- Wild or unrefined state; wildness.
- A bewildering flock or throng.
- A situation that is bewildering, or that which makes one feel awkward.