Old Favourites : New Adventures...

Dropping down the Dades we turned east towards Boumalne and decided that a driveable road over the Djebel Sarhro may not exist so headed on to Tinghir and the remote lonely road to Alnif. Then a turn west again brought us to Nekob with its many fine kasbahs. A few kilometres down a gravel track brought us to the calm of the camping at Auberge Assou run by a French woman and her Moroccan husband who brought us tea in the shady courtyard of their family home. There were a few others staying - two large French vans had large quads on trailers and there were a couple of off road trucks but it is a large compound with plenty of room.

We cycled north along the newly laid road that was being finished off and passed the large stone crushing plant creating a racket in a haze of dust before climbing for a superb view north to the Sarhro range and a valley I had cycled through a few years ago.

Next day we rode in to the village and enjoyed picking our way through the backstreets passing the many kasbahs and meeting friendly kids who waved and smiled before stopping in town for a well earned fresh orange juice and watching the world go by. This included a group of French bikers on GS1200s who looked somewhat hot and bothered in temperatures around the mid thirties.

Returning to Tazzarine we drove south for a few miles and then turned off for Camp Serdrar a few miles down another dusty track. This is again popular with the French quadding enthusiasts and we were made very welcome by Ibrahim who recognised me and the van from 4 years ago. We discussed the hardships they had faced during Covid lockdown, ordered bread for the following day and then sat in the shade of the raised tailgate on a scorching afternoon interrupted only by a French guy who's loud booming voice was annoying most others. His sour faced wife also monopolised the only working washing machine and used the two hour cycle each time so it was mid evening by the time we got our load in but in the heat the bedding was still dry by bedtime!

 

Next day we rode out past a few camels to the road and then took the dirt track out to the rock carvings at Ait Ouazik. It was in a far better condition than my first visit so the 12 miles soon passed with various locals on mopeds or trishaws waving as we dropped down a palm lined gorge. In the village I tried to mend a young lad's front brake but really he needed a new cable but despite this he and a few friends enthusiastically rode with us up to the carvings. They enjoyed a race and left us alone to walk up to the small shed where a friendly guy showed us round and chatted about the developing agriculture in the region. Then it was a steady ride back to the road and a juice break in the quiet filling station. The two attendants then invited us to share their lunch of fried meat and bread - yet another display of the genuine friendship and hospitality we have experienced across Morocco.

Back at Serdrar we had ordered a meal on the terrace and enjoyed a tagine and brochettes in the shade as a group of dusty bikers settled in to the large Berber style tents available.

We dropped down to Zagora in the Draa Valley and picked up some food before following the palm filled valley to Agdz and staying at another lovely site I had used before : Ferme Maison Tanssift, again run by a Moroccan/French couple. Although Corinne was away Said remembered me and we were soon parked up alongside the vegetables growing under the palm trees. It was again very hot so we knew the panel would provide for all our power needs and again used the propped up tailgate to provide shade. Our gas bottle needed changing - at less than a pound a refill we are quite blase about usage although its really mostly for the fridge and a shower as we are cooking far less preferring to enjoy salads, cheese, nuts and the delicious round breads at a couple of pence each.

 

We cycled the couple of miles in to town that evening to enjoy walking round the busy streets and were hailed by a guy who heard our English voices. He claimed to be going to the UK later this year and wanted me to draw him a map showing London, Manchester etc as he was going as part of an initiative to reduce eye conditions in the local population caused by the bright sun and dusty air. Now I am not new to this amazing country and sure enough we were ushered in to his shop for tea whilst I roughed out the basics of the UK geography. Then predictably a carpet appeared and the sales patter began but my usual line of living full time in a small van put paid to that. Then jewelery was produced and after some good natured haggling we left with an intricately engraved bracelet and a host of memories. We had been inside a long time and were surprised to see it almost dark which made the return ride through the bustling main street quite an experience.

Next day we rode back in and then climbed for a view over the palmeries before dropping in to them and randomly exploring the shady sandy tracks with women washing clothes and rugs in the clear water channels, working in the tiny fields or loading donkeys with cut vegetation to feed livestock back home. It is a unique experience to explore like this and the bikes are the perfect form of transport giving us a chance to meet people and cover a fair distance. We climbed the steep track up to the huge abandonned ksar at Tamnougalt and explored its extensive remains - all slowly collpasing as unless pise is regularly repaired heavy rains will destroy it all. Said had told us that many houses had collapsed after recent unusually heavy rains and showed us pictures of damaging flooding out on the coast. From the ksar we dropped down to another which has been maintained but felt the two 'guides' were a bit pushy so left it for another time and sought a much needed and heavily sweetened tea at a small restaurant further along the road.

Back at the site we got talking to a French couple camping out of their Fiat Pand 4x4 who had shipped their motorhome to South America from Cyprus with Grimaldi Lines, travelling with the cargo vessel as passengers for the full five weeks which they said was amazing. It certainly gave me food for thought as I really enjoyed my brief visit there in 2015.

Leaving Agdz we climbed the remarkable Tizi n'Tinififft pass with stunning mountain geology and then dropped to Ouarzazate and then headed east again to Skoura for the road north to Toundoute where we stayed at Chez Amoudou, a small family run park up with room for perhaps 6/8 vans on their yard. The son Mahfoud spoke very good English and was great to talk to and we decided a couple of nights would be well worth it. We had tea in their guest rest area and then set off on an evening ride following a dirt track being upgraded in to the hills - we could ride some of the new sections so eventually arrived at a view point over a beautiful valley with ksars, green fields and neat terracing. An older woman struggled up a narrow path in worn out shoes with a toddler on her back leaving us feeling very humbled as we returned mostly downhill at speed for a remarkable sunset.

 

The following day was market day in the village so we rode up, left the bikes unlocked near a small cafe and threw ourselves in to the bustle of the vibrant scene. The quality and quantity of fruit and veg at rock bottom prices never ceases to amaze and the dozens of stalls sold everything you could wish for. Two blacksmiths had set up their tools alongside two charcoal pits that were roaring away and were repairing or producing hand tools under a shady canopy. Impossibly overladen straw lorries were in one corner, a livestock auction in the other and poultry in cages were being dispatched on demand in another section. We enjoyed it all immensely and after a couple of hours sat for tea watching the vans and cars slowly dispersing with all manner of goods and passengers strapped to the roofs.

Back at the camping we met a Dutch couple who had been in Morocco just before Covid, they had flown home for a few days leaving their van at Casablanca airport and then were unable to return for 8 months. Apart from a green and smelly fridge all was well though and the airport had cut them a fair deal. They had shipped their van to Canada a few years back and toured North America extensively and had a MAN truck based camper on order back in the Netherlands for future trips.

Remarkably the French Panda driving couple turned up which made for entertaining conversation, it's great to meet similar minded people and share experiences. Mahfoud's sister produced fresh bread each morning and as we were about to leave after two nights invited us to have a meal later that day so we decided to stay and rode back in to the village and out through a lonely valley towards a distant village. I stopped at a small shop offering photo copying and other services and got my phone topped up for the next two months before we took a side track to another remote village. Here we were amused by the sight of a packed sheep lorry with the sheep dog also jammed in by the door grille looking slightly bemused.

Our couscous and chicken meal, shared with the Dutch couple was excellent but far too much for us all to finish and Mahfoud enjoyed improving his English by answering our many questions - he was a lovely guy and I hope his plans to expand the business work out. 

To work off our meal we rode in to another village, explored the kasbahs again to the delight of the local kids and then rode back against a stiff headwind after watching a lumbering straw lorry negotiate the narrow twisting streets.

Goodbyes were said the following day as we returned to the N9 and soon took the side road to Telouet, observing, but not stopping at, the popular kasbah of Ait Benhaddou. The road climbed steadily through numerous villages in the green valley before emerging on a high plateau where we pulled off next to a phone mast to have lunch. Before long a woman appeared as if from nowhere and wanted us to look at a few simple wares she was selling - a beautiful amethyst geode really caught my eye and at only 100 dirhams (£8) was an absolute bargain. I had no intention of bartering and on seeing her worn out shoes we gave her two pairs of flip flops we had brought from the Langdale Spa in December - the sheer contrast in our fortunes can be very hard to square but we give what we can and hope that as Morocco emerges in to a new economy and social structure life will improve for all.

 

At Telouet we turned off the main road to visit the 3 old kasbahs and were directed to a parking spot by a guy who then, as is often the case, wanted to be our guide 'at no cost'. He was nice enough and led us around the best preserved kasbah with some amazing decorations to equal Granada's Alhambra and great views across the valley. He took us round the outside and then to a small shed where three or four women were mixing and flattening out dough and then baking it quickly in a wood fired oven that was keeping the shack very cosy. They were very friendly and offered us some to try but as I had no small change we couldn't really buy any which was a shame. Back at the van where we had considered staying for the night our 'guide' invited in to his adjacent carpet shop, as expected but we declined and also decided not to stay as it was a dusty and steeply sloping spot so we gave him a few quid for his time and left to check out a sign to camping we had seen earlier.

The track was being improved and a huge bulldozer was levelling out the earth but I doubted we would get through so we returned to Telouet and continued on towards the famous Tizi n'Tichka pass. A small hotel provided overnight parking on a level gravel yard above the river so we stopped for the night with a Dutch couple arriving later. We didn't use the facilities but certainly the rooms looked well decorated and comfortable even if the owner seemed a bit taciturn which is unusual here.

We left in glorious sunshine and turned right on the N9 for a couple of miles to reach the pass at 7,200' before turning back south and at Agouim after a lot of descent and many sections undergoing improvements turned west on a minor road to Sour and eventually the village of Toubkal which sat on the southern aspects of the eponymous summit. We had met a young man pushing his moped that had run out of fuel so were able to give him some and a dash of 2 stroke to get him on his way - he would have had a job telling that tale to his mates.

We stopped for lunch above a beekeepers travelling encampment before heading along to the N10 during which I realised this was a road I had tried to use in the other direction a few years ago but had been thwarted by an enormous rockfall and landslide.

Passing through Aoulouz a diversion took us through the crazy back streets before we reached Taliouine, the centre for saffron production in Morocco. I had stayed at a campground there previously but fancied trying another which turned out to be down narrow dirt tracks and closed giving us some excitement trying to get out of the place.

Back nearer Talioiune we spotted the Camping De L'Etoile and turned in to a large level area behind a sturdy wall where the gardien, Ali, greeted us. He was a lovely guy of advanced years and assisted us with filling up the water and then showed us round some basic loos and a decrepit gas powered shower - not for the first time were we grateful for the van's facilities. We decided to park on the lower level to be further from the road and then walked in to town for a good look round and a mint tea. Later we decided to eat in a snack bar and enjoyed a good pizza and meat skewers as we watched the world go by. A young lad rushed up and hugged us both but was clearly not all there as he then just stood looking at us - the owner later explained that he had had a head injury so we left enough cash to get him a meal next time round as yet again we felt so hugely humbled.

Back at site it was all change as 4 Toyota Landcruisers from the Czech Republic had arrived and more or less surrounded us - they were a friendly bunch and two guys were working on the engine of one whilst meals were prepared and roof tents erected. Ali kept asking us if we were OK with the disruption and we reassured him it was fine. Next morning the vehicle was still disabled and the decision had been made to tow it to Tangiers as once in Spain they would get recovery back to the CR. This reminded me of my travails in the old van heading over the Tizi n'Tichka and I wasn't able to determine if they too were going to attempt the same pass - suicidal with no PAS or servo assisted brakes. It would be a heavy demand on the towing vehicle and take at least a couple of days but they all seemed in good spirits as they left the two remaining vehicles to pack up - one of which I noted had a flat rear tyre. We were going to walk back in to town for some food shopping but Ali pointed out a large souk taking place across the dry riverbed so we headed there instead for a final experience of these remarkable occasions. Sheep and goats had been quickly dispatched prior to butchering, poultry awaited a similar fate, overloaded lorries were being parked up and the whole atmosphere amazed us as always but again we were left conflicted by an old disabled guy crawling through the crowds with two hand clogs and his legs protected by old car tyres. 

We took Ali some bananas as he'd not got a tooth in his head, bought some saffron and said goodbye a thousand times to this endearing character before returning through Aoulouz and then heading north up the amazing Tizi n' Test pass that climbs steadily for 20 miles through an ever impressive series of hairpin bends. We passed our intended stopping point for the night as I wanted us to see the Tin Mellal mosque which is located further down the valley and being effectively mothballed is open to non Muslims. Unfortunately it is undergoing a much needed restoration so was closed but that means a return in a year or two needs to be planned. Back near the top of the pass we saw the turning to the remote village of Aghbar I had gone down to previously and then stopped at Chez Mohammed's, the small cafe that allows overnighting alongside. Few people use it and there is perhaps room for 4/5 vehicles so we were the only ones there and had the company of a friendly donkey. We walked down the road to another cafe that has outstanding views and took tea on their terrace before returning to our place and another tea on their roof as the sun set.

 

The following morning we had a cunning plan that involved Mandy riding the full 20 miles of almost continuous downhill in the cool morning air. This was a huge success and a great end to her trip as she was flying back to Manchester the next day. Once the bikes were back on we moved on to Taroudant where a helpful gardien saw us in to a tight parking in the town centre from where we explored for the next few hours. We took a look at the aire just outside the walls which seemed basic but adequate and surprisingly full and then returned to enter the souk and jewellery quarter as I wanted a pair of specs mending. One guy took us over to his brother who then disappeared with my frame leaving the first guy to sell us something with the usual good natured bartering. Thus we ended up with a repaired frame and a pair of earrings and everyone seemed happy. As we walked back through the maze of stalls in a covered shady medina another guy tagged alongside us, asked if we wanted food and ducked us through a doorway that lead out in to a very pleasant cafe overlooking one of the main squares. We enjoyed a good meal as an old guy wearing the most ridiculous (and possibly traditional, somewhere) headgear came round asking for dirhams - he had another act which was to produce a wooden whistle and play the same tune repeatedly but I think he'd missed the opportunity to pair up with another guy playing a stringed instrument.

Back at the van we gave the gardien a few dirham - there is no fixed fee, he justs says 'whatever you want to pay' and it's well worth it for the eye kept on the van and bikes. Before long we were at Agadir airport and as a possible place to park up didn't materialise collected a ticket and parked in the long stay with a few other campers and the like. If you leave Morocco for a few days either by flying home or to the Canaries you then reset the clock and can have another 90 days here although I noted my Customs slip only admits the van for 6 months so one would have to be careful.

Anyway we had a quiet enough night but adopted stealth mode as a guy near the barrier said overnighting wasn't allowed but no one disturbed us. We had printed off a boarding pass twice as Easyjet had changed the flight schedule and there is no provision for mobile passes at Agadir and still couldn't understand why the flight times seemed at odds to each other  - however all became clear when we discovered that the clocks had changed by one hour for the month of Ramadam so for the next four weeks I will be the same as the UK. Anyway we said our goodbyes at Departures and I sat until the flight had left getting this post up to date.

Then I headed south on the RN1 to Guelmin for a top up at the Marjane supermarket, the road has a pass near Lakhsas where lorries drop to a crawling pace and other vehicles take stupid risks to get past. Being on the 'wrong' side for visibility when overtaking I was content to follow a line of trucks and then overtake on the downhill side when right hand bends allowed a view. Unfortunately I must have missed a speed trap as down at Bouizakarne I was directed to stop and a friendly enough gendarme took 300 dirham (£24) off me and issued the appropriate receipt with all the details. My first 'infraction' as he called it in 5 trips so not bad and to be fair the highly visible police presence is a great reassurrance.

The road out to the coast was quiet and I remembered that there is an alternative way in to the Fort Bou Jerif camping that reduces the rough piste track from 6 miles to 2 so used the SatMap to find and then follow the track as it is not on the Garmin. Even the last section of this is now being improved so future access will only get easier - huge drainage pipes are being installed as the area does get irregular flash floods. Passing the old fort was as impressive as I remembered and the FBJ campsite just as welcoming. It looks as if they have installed solar panels to supplement their generator but I also noticed new power lines coming in across the hill - another sign of this country's remarkable march of progress. There was only one other vehicle parked up - a Dutch Trooper - and there seemed to be two couples in the small 'hotel' across the way so I filled up with water (non drinkable apparently) and sat outside as the sun set after a long day.

Today I had a good clear out of the van and repacked things following Mandy's departure. A clean of the facilities, repositioning of some cupboard latches and a sweep out saw everything in good order - after four months away it was a useful task and I also did a load of washing by hand which soon dried in the sun. A group of wild camels passed by which added to the sense of remoteness down here - its a very long way down to the border with Mauritania which involves passing through the disputed Western Sahara - a possible destination for my return in December this year....This evening I walked down to the fort which is still hugely impressive but as with kasbahs in the villages is slowly deteriorating as the pise walls are not being repaired. A group of horse riders appeared and headed to FBJ which explained why earlier a pick up with trailer and straw had arrived and later I noticed the Moroccan support drivers sitting outside their tents whilst the tourist group were enjoying a meal in the restaurant. Both groups seemed equally happy and there was a good atmosphere when I wandered over to get a couple of bottles of water as the tap supply was pretty rough for drinking.

 

Anyway tomorrow I'm hoping to ride out to the coast at Foum Assaka for a bite to eat and to see if the road there is drivable as I fancy a night or two on the beach..... full report next time round.

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