Having said our goodbyes to Chris and Penny, who were spending a fews days in Tarifa before heading up the east coast to relieve Penny’s youth, and to Tony and Margot who were joining Ray’s Andalucian tour, on the ferry and refreshed from the night on the campsite we began the long slog north on our own (oh to be retired and be able to take weeks to get back to the UK!).

The drawn out departure from Morocco had meant a last minute change of plans to ensure we didn’t repeat the long driving days of the trip down so today, Wed 29th May, was only (ha,ha) 834km to the aire at Vitoria Gasteiz. The aire is well signposted and located in a designated section of a large car park to the north of the town. It takes 10 vans (although several others were parked in the main car park) and has water and WC and grey water disposal facilities.

Obviously supplies are running down on the way back leaving space for more purchases – Spanish wine and chorizo on today’s list!

Departing Spain on Thursday 30th, the next stop is Ste Maure de Touraine, approx 30km south of Tours. Again another well marked aire in the middle of a small village – we arrived around 6pm and there were plenty of spaces. An earlier arrival meant we had time for a walk around the village which was well needed after days on the road!

The driving days are getting shorter; 650km today and only 460km tomorrow!

A brief shopping stop in Tours and we headed to our final stop on Friday 31st at the Aire de La Baie La Somme. A fairly smooth trip until we reached our nemesis: Rouens. We have been through Rouen five times this year and each time we’ve taken a different route (there is a bridge closed which means there are diversions, one of which is height restricted and we can’t take). So it’s the third, and hopefully final, Bob’s mystery tour until we work out where we are and where we should be going. What I should also add here is that since January 2006 France has been renumbering its roads and each local authority is able to choose its own numbering system; our road map is dated 2009 and the renumbering was expected to take a few years. So to add to the confusion the roads on our map weren’t the same as on the road signs! New maps have been added to the shopping list for when we get home.

The Route we took

After an extra day’s well needed rest, on Monday 27th May the final three vans carrying Penny and Chris, Tony and Margot and ourselves left the Cascades with the intention of getting as far north as possible for a ferry crossing the following day. Our aim was Asilah which was 508km away which on normal roads would be perfectly doable. However here, an inch on a map can take hours…..

The gorge into which the Cascades fell continued for quite some time but once into the agricultural plains the road was much better and farm vehicles aside we made good time to Rabat where we picked up the motorway for the final 300km. Throughout the whole trip people appeared along the roadside from seemingly nowhere and this continued along the motorway as they crossed the carriageway to get to the other side – shepherds were even watching their herds as they grazed on the verges!

10 hours or so later and we reach our destination. On our last Morocco trip we overnighted in a car park right outside the medina walls and we were pleased to find out (initially) that we could still do so after a small payment to the guardian – Dh30 (under £2.50) and a couple of beers (with alcohol not on general sale it is very much a means of payment and we were asked for it on numerous occasions). We settled down to dinner and there was a knock at the door; it was the guardian again and this time he was with his father who had fresh fish he wanted to exchange for wine. After some negotiations it became apparent that our wine wasn’t good enough (and it wasn’t the rubbish we exchanged last time!) so we couldn’t have the fish. No worries on our part as it saved the worry of having to gut them and then store them without stinking the van out! With no joy from the other two vans, the father then decided to throw a bit of a wobbly and he and his son had a huge argument; now if we’d been able to understand the language it might not have been so intimidating but we had no idea what was going on or what was being said so we just shut down all the blinds and turned the lights off in the hope they’d go away. They did eventually at which point another drunk slouched up against the wall decided he would have a whinge and moan at the top of his voice; time to decide if we really wanted to stay here….

The car park did quieten down by a reasonable time so we stayed as it was only short hop to the ferry, or so we thought. As we had time we decided to take the scenic coast road rather than the motorway – our first mistake! All throughout the trip we had known that the return ferry crossing was from Tanger Med rather than Tanger although this was a small detail that didn’t register with Bob when he put the destination into the sat-nav – second mistake! The consequence of these events was that we missed the sign on the motorway to Tanger Med and ended up on one of Bob’s mystery detours through the old town of Tanger as we headed to the old port. Having followed a local’s instruction to find the sea and turn right we were able to pull over and put the correct port in only to find it was about 40km from where we were and we had about two hours to the midday ferry departure time; if the exit from the country took as long as the entry we were not going to make it, not to mention the 40km along the winding coast road.

Having survived a small tussle with a couple of Italian vans who also seemed to be lost but who decided to stop on a roundabout, we, to our amazement, made it to Tanger Med with 90 mins to spare. Tanger Med is a huge new ferry facility currently under construction although with enough complete to allow services to begin and to our delight, it’s very efficient – one window to check in, the next for the vehicle exportation, then two customs stops, one of which involves the entire van being scanned for what we can only assume is stowaways. 20 minutes from beginning to end – unbelievable! We arrive quayside around 11am to see a ferry sitting there although with its doors closed so decide to get coffee from the cafe – just as the boat pulled away! Question was, what time was the next one? Morocco has had several time changes recently and the timetable we had showed ferries leaving at either 12 noon or 1pm (clocks had been an hour out in several towns as well) so if we had another hour to wait then it wouldn’t be in issue. As it was we didn’t board our ferry until gone 1pm but the delay was just as well as Penny realised she had left her set of van keys at one of the first windows at the other end of the port and had to work out how to get them back. She and Chris are finally able to hop on a bus back to the entrance to the port but are gone so long, we’ve boarded by the time they get back but again there was no need to panic as it seems the ferry sits there until there are sufficient vehicles on board to move!

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We finally depart Morocco at 2pm and spend the entire crossing on deck from where we can see Spain, Gibraltar and the Moroccan coast. We are also joined briefly by a small pod of dolphins but they don’t hang around and we see no more. The journey should be around 90 mins but just outside Algerciras the captain switches the engines to minimum power and we sit there for 30 mins or so going nowhere. Ordinarily this wouldn’t have been a problem but we were intending driving for a few hours once we arrived in Spain to get a headstart on the journey but after putting the clock forward to local time it became obvious we weren’t going to get too far tonight. Time to switch to plan B and we found a campsite just south of Seville (Camping Villsom) which was €22 well spent for a quiet pitch and good showers plus being able to fill with water. It was then turn right out of the campsite and head north for the next few days!

Friday 24th May and with all the shopping complete we leave the heat and chaos of Marrakech to move on to the final destination of the tour – the Cascades D’Ouzoud some 150km to the north east.

On the way we stop near Demnate, a town which we can safely say beat all other places hands down with the insanity of their driving…. There just seemed to be no rules – if you want to move you do, if you want to do a u-turn you do, if Mr Taxi Driver wants to stop to pick up or set down a passenger he does. And all this with seven motorhomes passing through!

Just outside Demnate and marked on the map as “Pont Naturelle” is the site of a collapsed cave system which has left a natural stone bridge spanning a narrow gorge. We have a guide who takes us down into the gorge bottom and under the bridge where the opening is thought to resemble to shape of Africa.

Having survived the return journey through Demnate, it’s on to the Csacades and “Zebra Camping”. This is a great little campsite up on the mountainside with superb views over the surrounding countryside and compared to most other sites, facilities to die for: large pitches separated by flowers and trees, multiple water points, clean and spacious toilets/showers, a good restaurant, washing machine and wifi. Everyone agrees that this is their favourite site of the trip. Tonight we eat in the restaurant courtesy of Desert Detours as it’s the last night we are altogether before Steve leaves us early in the morning to prepare for his next tour.

The following day a guide is arranged to take us to the Cascades. The route takes us through olive groves where the fruits are still harvested by hand from trees which can live for hundreds of years. We follow the course of a fairly innocuous looking river with no idea of what we’ll eventually see. When we do come out by the waterfalls they are amazing – a total drop of over 120m into a series of pools at the bottom. The path then zig zags down the mountainside through more olive trees and large areas of calcified stalactites and stalagmites (the waterfalls previously covered this area of the gorge). After a quick break at the bottom most pool we begin to climb up again to the main pools where we decide to take one of the boats into the upper pool into which the water cascades. I say boat but only in that it was a floating vessel; it was really no more than several large plastic drums with a flattish wooden structure holding them together and then several brightly decorated plastic chairs fixed on top. The whole structure when loaded with paying customers is then rowed by some poor young man out in to the main pool when everyone gets soaked by the spray.

The slow walk back to the top includes a stop for lunch. On this side of the gorge there is a proper path and all along there are restaurants and stalls selling the usual Moroccan souvenirs. It’s then back to the campsite to enjoy a little downtime – we haven’t had very much of that on this trip. This is the last night that all the vans are together; four are leaving in the morning but three of us have decided to stay one last night. Although we are the only ones with a deadline for getting back to the UK, the return trip does allow us a little flexibility as we have almost a week to play with.

After waving off those leaving the following morning we have nothing to do except sit around and enjoy the surroundings. However Bob and I being as we are couldn’t spend a whole day doing nothing so head back to the Cascades later in the day to take a few more photos and hopefully take advantage of the better afternoon light. Being away from a group we are also able to explore other areas of the falls and take some photos from the top where the water falls over the cliff.

Final dinner at the restaurant that night before we begin the long journey home.

Wed 22nd and today’s destination is Marrakech via the Tizi n Test pass through the High Atlas. The road through the mountains runs for around 150km or so and climbs to a height of 2092m through almost continuous hairpin bends. It is barely one car wide in places but with the way the road bends and turns you can see for miles and pull over well ahead of meeting anything coming in the opposite direction. Today’s coffee stop was at the highest point – the cafe was called Belle Vue and certainly lived up to its name.

Along the way we stop at the Tin Mal mosque which sits just off the main road and is open to non-Muslim’s as it is being restored to its 12th century glory. Although very plain looking from the outside, once we passed through the small door we are overwhelmed by its beauty; the arches which supported the original roof have been rebuilt using the traditional materials and methods as are the intricate plaster carvings and wooden roof beams. We are given a brief history by the guardian – it’s all in a mixture of basic English and French but enough for us all to understand each other! There is no entry fee to the mosque and we are left to decide how much to donate – Dh10 is a suggested amount but we enjoyed the place so much we felt this was not enough. A highly recommended place to stop.

We continued down the pass looking for a place for lunch and decided from the map that Asni would be good. It’s the usual one street town with cafes all along the road side but from the minute we parked the van we were pursued relentlessly by men trying to sell “silver” jewellery or wanting us to exchange Dhirams for UK coinage they had. Lunch was good but we couldn’t wait to leave the town for some peace and quiet.

One decision we have to make occasionally is whether we should follow the driving instructions we are given or follow Tom Tom blindly and today was one of those situations. We very rarely have precise directions as they are not needed but with the big towns we have been given co-ordinates for those with sat-navs. So we enter Marrakech with our instructions to turn left and follow the Casablanca road; Tom Tom however says otherwise and the road starts heading towards the chaotic city square of Djemaa el Fna. By this point we have ignored 3 left turns to Casablanca (at which point I absolve myself of any navigational responsibility) and Chris, who is following us (we suggested we should lead as we had sat-nav….) and who has the same driving instructions is on the radio suggesting that maybe we should turn off! After a few hairy moments at roundabouts and junctions we do eventually meet the road we should be on and find the campsite although we miss the supermarket which was on the other road. Another of “Bob’s Detours” journeys and a chance for everyone to give him some stick in camp that night.

We settle into the campsite (Camping Ferdaous) and set ourselves up for another two night stay. although the campsite here is a large gravelled square, there are some trees to provide shade and the facilities are perfectly useable. We decline the city tour the following morning and pop to the supermarket we missed the day before to stock up before going into the main square in the late afternoon. There is a shuttle bus running into the camp site which is about 13km from the city centre which costs Dh20 per person each way. Our first stop in town is the Government shop which has everything you could find in the souk but at fixed prices which is relief from having to haggle constantly.

In the gardens of the Koutoubia Mosque we bag the oddest geocache – it is actually held by one of the gardeners. We had to hang around the general area of the cache in the hope he spotted us and once he did we were able to swap the coin we had been carrying for a while for a new one. Sadly this was the only cache we found here.

With all the shopping done we went to Cafe de France for dinner on the 3rd floor terrace overlooking the square, as the sun set and the square took on its night character – something we managed to capture on time-lapse photos. Great fun people watching again.

Today, Tues 21st May, will be our longest driving day of 320km/200 miles for tonight’s wild camp just north of Aoulouz at the foot of the High Atlas. The route is back along the Draa Valley where we stopped to buy a box of dates from a roadside seller (a good recommendation from the guide book) and then along the plane, where the scenery does become a little boring after a while.

Most days we stop along the route for nus nus and then again for lunch. The breaks from the bumpy road are most welcome and give us the chance to people watch for a while – one of our favourite habits! We pull off the main road late afternoon into a clearing on farmland in the middle of nowhere but with a clear view to the mountains and tomorrow’s route through them. Dinner is eaten as the sun sets behind the peaks and a local farm drives his sheep and goats through the site on his way home.

Sun 19th May and we head to Zagora for a two night stay. For a change we do take the direct route as it’s the only one and it takes us through the Draa Valley with its kasbahs and palmeries. The town of Zagora is like may others with one main street and the buildings are all modern as it is a local government town. Camping d’Amazrou is a total surprise and set in a palmery with small grassy tree-lined areas for the vans. Once we had picked our pitch the staff laid out mats and carpets by the van door and came by once we had settled in with mint tea. Oh and the business card for the family shop in the town – never is an opportunity to promote a shop missed!

Another group meal tonight – chicken tagine cooked by Hamed who is following in his father’s footsteps and producing delicious food. We had the opportunity here to do a four wheel drive trip into the desert the following day but decided against it and after a little shopping just relaxed around the van and recharged the batteries. There is a lot of driving on this trip and mostly just one night stays so having the extra night was a bonus.

Sat 18th May and today we travel through the stunning Todra Gorge on our way to Tazzarine. The Gorge runs through 300m high sheer cliffs of red sandstone and at points narrows to just the road and the river wide. Having been before we didn’t stop this time although I probably still took hundreds of photos!

Camping Bougarfer (don’t quote me on the spelling) is another combined hotel/campsite although it’s clear to see where the money has been spent. The “campsite” is nothing more than a huge gritted area with a tap under a tree in the centre although plenty of electric sockets around the perimeter wall. There were toilet and shower facilities but the less said the better…. However we did have use of hotel swimming pool at a cost of Dh50 / £3.90 each but with it getting hotter and dustier is was worth every penny. South of the Atlas and temperatures are in the late 30sC (sorry to all those freezing at home in the UK!) although night time temperatures continue to be comfortable.

Friday 17th and tonight’s destination is Tamtattouche at the northern end of Todra Gorge. But first we have to get out of the campsite…..

The campsite at Meski lies in an oasis at the bottom of a steep, slick, crazy-paved, twisting driveway and the only way to get out is put your foot down and go for it. One by one everyone takes a go and gets out on to the road; all except one that is. After several attempts someone offers to tow the van out but it was the oldest and smallest van – a bit like David towing Goliath and needless to say it didn’t work. However after one last go with some extra weight at the front, the van was out. We said goodbye to Mohammed here and his delicious cooking and set off for today’s drive.

As with most of this tour, we do not head straight to our destination but take the scenic route through the southern edge of the High Atlas. Anyone who has driven in Morocco will know that the roads are not that good, if they exist at all and those that have tarmac are usually full of potholes. When we got the new van we loved the spice rack which sat above the glass topped hob but the spice jars had a real dislike for the Moroccan roads and kept jumping out of the rack. Up until today no damage had been done but as we were oohing and aahing at the stunning rock formations there was suddenly a crash from the rear of the van and the shattering of glass. First casualty of the trip and top of the list to buy when we get home – a new hob top! Not an hour later the blind spot mirror disappeared as Bob got a little close to the roadside trees but luckily Chris and Penny were behind us and had seen what happened so stopped to pick it up for us.

After no further mishaps we arrived at Campsite Bad Dou, the best site we had been to yet; hot showers, a swimming pool (bloody cold but great to spend some time relaxing by!) and even washing machines! The food continues to be excellent and good value with 3 course set meals around Dh100 each (about £8) in most places.

Thurs 16th May. Our stop tonight is Source bleue de Meski – one of our favourite places from the last trip but as with most of this trip, we do not take the direct route! First stop is Gourrama for a sneaky nus nus, well it wouldn’t be right to pass a coffee shop and not stop, and it’s then on to Boudnib. Here we have a guide and are shown round an old kasbah (walled town) which despite being devastated by a huge flood in 2008, still has some inhabitants. The King, who is a major factor in modernising much of the agriculture in the country, granted funds to be made available for the restoration of the kasbah, including the installation of electricity, although many people have moved to the new town.

 

Slight problem on the way out when one of the vans got stuck in the dried riverbed where we were parked! After much discussion amongst the men and with the use of anti-slip mats, the van was finally free and we were on our way again.

 

 

 

The campsite at Meski is built around a natural spring which fills a swimming pool. Not being totally sure that the water was parasite free, we gave swimming a miss so spent the afternoon drinking tea in the various shops on site – the tea drinking is a vital part of shopping and price negotiating here! An impromptu drumming session accompanied the tea with Abdul and it was then on to Beni who had been our unofficial guide last time we were here; if there was anything you wanted then Beni could provide it! Bob was after a silver bangle and managed to find one in amongst the rucksack of goodies Beni was unwrapped as sadly a break-in last month meant that he no longer kept the good jewellery on show.

Beni remembered the girls from the last trip and wanted to give them something so after dinner we went back to his house to collect a bottle of olive oil. He also wanted to show us his house of which he is very proud (it’s a beautiful place) and to which we have been invited to stay on our next trip back…..

Wed 15th May. We were waved off from Fatima’s by the children and left feeling suitably humbled. We continued to head up into the Mid-Atlas with the High Atlas to our south and over Legionnaire’s Pass where there is a monument to those who lost their lives in the construction of the road through the mountains. Since coming into the mountains we’ve rarely been below 1700m, higher than anywhere in the UK.

 

The scenery continues to change – greys to greens to the bright red sandstone with the rocks bent and broken as nature has taken its course over millions of years. Man’s impact on the land can be seen through the creation of numerous lakes as rivers are dammed to provide irrigation for agriculture but the roads are continually washed out by flash floods moving huge boulders down from the mountains.

Tonight’s campsite is on a desolate plain bounded by small mountains to the north and south and on the site of a former secret prison for political prisoners. Nowadays the building that is left is used for mechanically crushing rocks mined from the nearby mountains.

The following morning we went for a walk up along the track which ran behind the campsite and up the mountain where we had spectacular views of the valley in which Chefchaouen is nestled.  The afternoon was spent trying, unsuccessfully, to avoid the heat as it is apparently unusually hot for this time of year – temperatures are around the mid 30sC  during the day although the evenings are considerably cooler and sleeping is not difficult.  Another group meal, this time at Casa Aladin which is set on four floors overlooking the main town square and again ridiculously cheap at Dh85 (£6.50) each for a three course set menu.

Fri 10th and up early for the journey to tonight’s wild camping beside a lake.  As the crow flies this is a journey of no more than 50miles but with the bulk of Rif Mountains in the way and lack of decent roads this becomes 150miles which takes 5 1/2 hours.  The driving is, shall we say, a little on the iffy side; no thoughts about lanes, overtaking into oncoming traffic on blind bends, the road shrinking to one vehicle wide……

The scenery continues to be breathtaking as the road winds its way up and down and around the mountains.  We drive through Bab-Berret where people, cars and cattle cross the road as they want.

Lunch was at Ketama and literally at a roadside butchers; you have to go through the carcasses hanging outside to get into the seating area where we had freshly made lamb keftas and cutlets.

The road continued through the Rif and we headed towards Ourtzarh across a bridge; well I say bridge….it was one lane wide, just, and in places the river below can be seen through the holes in the boards.

The campsite that night was on the banks of a lake with just donkeys and sheep for company.  However given the intensity of the driving it was an early night all round just after a beautiful sunset across the lake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We left the madness of the border and headed to Martil and Camping Al Boustame – no real change to the campsite since the last time (no shower heads and only one proper loo with a bucket of water instead of a chain) but the town itself has had millions spent on it;  the promenade along the front could be any resort in Europe of wide pavements edged with cafes.

A little admin done and it was time for our first proper mint tea….nothing quite like it.  Most of the group decided to have dinner at the onsite restaurant that night. We had the swordfish which had been delivered fresh that afternoon and was cooked to perfection.  It was take your own booze so the two course meal for the two of us was the vast sum of £24!

Not so early start this morning before heading into the Rif  Mountains via the supermarket and petrol station; at today’s exchange rate fuel here is about 64p per litre so we will try to leave the country will a full tank!  It was our first trip into the Rif that started our fascination with Morocco – everywhere is so green and the scenery is stunning.

The stop for tonight (Wed 8th) is Chefchauoen, the “Blue Town” and a favourite site based on location (don’t think we’d ever rate a site here on facilities!).  After the usual briefing meeting to orientate everyone to the campsite and the town (and this time with the extra of cake to celebrate several birthdays) it was a short walk into the maze of the town.  The four of us (we’re here with Penny and Chris who we met on the last trip) got totally lost trying to get to the main square.  We were finally shown the way after Chris promised a shop owner he would visit again tomorrow to buy something – sadly we are busy in the morning! A quick wander around the town and it was time to watch the crowds with a mint tea. a pattern we’ll repeat in most towns.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So here we are four years on from when first thought about coming back to Morocco (that was actually half way through  our last trip in 2009 with www.desertdetours.com).  Due to work we leave the UK on the evening of Friday 3rd May and have to be at the meeting point near San Roque in southern Spain by lunchtime on Monday.  After a bum-numbing 1953km and 21 hours driving time we make it with time to spare. For those interested we stayed at the Aire Baix de la Somme, Abbeville on Friday and Aire Bidart, Bayonne on Saturday.  Sunday night was in a nameless service station to the south of Seville, having taking the more picturesque route through Spain via Salamanca and not Madrid.  With time against us we had to stick to the toll roads at a cost of almost €180 but they are empty so well worth it.

After the hours spent travelling over the weekend the quick 90 minute hop over Los Alcornocales on Monday morning into Algeciras was nothing!  A little shopping to top the cupboards up and ensure the wine cellar is fully stocked (Morocco is a dry country), then it’s off to the meeting point at Casa Bernardos, another well used restaurant/service station/lorry park to join up with our fellow travellers and the tour leaders.  A smaller group this time with just seven vans plus Steve our leader/guide.  Ray is with us to begin with and will then disappear to do a recce of Eastern Morocco for future possible tours before catching up with us later in the trip.

After a sleepless night (lorries coming and going, dogs barking) it’s a 6.45 start to get to the port for the 8am ferry.  We only lose two vans on the way to the port but they soon find us and it’s a gentle crossing to Ceuta and the dreaded border crossing into Morocco.  It’s quite difficult to describe the chaos at the border and you cannot take photographs; there are just bodies and vehicles everywhere!  Moroccans shop in Ceuta which is still part of Spain so cars and people are constantly being stopped to see who and what in going in and out of the country.  Three marked lanes become about five cars wide and some cars are doing U-turns as they are turned away from entering Morocco for who knows why. Lots of men want to “assist” us with immigration and the van importation but for a fee of course.  And to top everything else the port is undergoing major reconstruction so there are workmen and dust to add the the usual melee.  However Ray has taken care of all the necessary “expediting payments” and after an hour or so of watching the chaos we’re through and the trip can begin……

…. the day has arrived. We have both been like 8 year olds in the way we have been looking forward to this trip. I can’t recall being like this for the 2009 trip to Morocco, but maybe we were.

Stopped at a garage to top up the gas system and tyres. While there I was approached by 2 separate people asking about the Motorhome. My answer, as always, is…. If you have thought about it do some serious research and go for it.

I left early for Ashford, where I will be meeting June, as I just wanted to get around the M25. A lot of people knock the London Orbital motorway but if I’m honest I have only been caught in tailbacks a couple of times. And I didn’t want this to be another.

It did mean I had to stop off at services once or twice for a Costa. It’s a tough life we live.