Day 8.
I was definitely going in the wrong direction today... Leaving Zagora I saw 3 KTM's coming in the opposite direction in the main street, 2 690's and a 990. Out on the road I passed an XT1200Z, a Transalp 2 up and while I was having lunch another 990 passed. It appears everyone goes from Zagora to Merzouga, but I have always been a little different, the psychiatrist said it was incurable.... .
I had decided on an easy day today, 160km up the main drag to Quarzazate through the lush Draa Valley. A few small villages and a few twisties in the mountains, nice relaxing easy day. Called in at the Bikers Home, but..... no one home!!
[video width=425 height=344 type=youtube]c_cortO-9Ws[/video]
The lush Draa Valley.
On the road down to Quarzazate.
Sun setting over Quarzazate.
Moroccan Virgin!
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Re: Moroccan Virgin!
Yeh very oddMike54 wrote:Go and see the weird petrol station set from "the hills have eyes", its still there by the road (N10). It's at 30.922826, -7.233055
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Re: Moroccan Virgin!
Day 9
I had planned a track that went north out of Quarzazate then ran east along the mountains. I got to the edge of town where the track started and there was a military base, nobody around and no signs etc, so I started on down the track, after a few hundred metres there was a sign pointing in the direction I wanted saying 'Shooting Range' by a small hut were a couple of solders sitting in the shade, they didn't do anything so off I set down the track passing a military truck and Humvee on the way. I then get to the sign you see in the video, No Entry, Shooting Range... best no go in there then! So I back track and pick a point on the planned route that crosses a road about 35km away.
Getting onto the track again and all is good, nice flowing track flowing the mountains. This then drops down onto a road after about 25km. I see the tail end of a couple of bikes going up the road as I'm coming down the track. I had seen the tracks since I had got off the road and thought a group had gone along the same route that day or the previous. The route then drops down from a small village and into a dry river bed, there's a track to follow, but the rocks and gravel make it hard work. Just as I'm coming out of the river bed I see the group ahead. I shortly catch them up as they are having a break. It's a group of about 10 German's mostly on enduro bikes with a couple of guys on KTM 990's. They head off to the left and my track heads to the right.... maybe I should have followed them. The track I took was the main drag, but this soon veered off to the left and my track went right, into another river bed, hard going, soft gravel and no defined track. Went I eventually got back to tarmac the German group where stopped a few hundred metres off to the left, I waved and picked up the road to the right. Did about another 60km on road into the Dades Valley. Todra Gorge tomorrow.
[video width=425 height=344 type=youtube]5qhjTKMg7mc[/video]
I had planned a track that went north out of Quarzazate then ran east along the mountains. I got to the edge of town where the track started and there was a military base, nobody around and no signs etc, so I started on down the track, after a few hundred metres there was a sign pointing in the direction I wanted saying 'Shooting Range' by a small hut were a couple of solders sitting in the shade, they didn't do anything so off I set down the track passing a military truck and Humvee on the way. I then get to the sign you see in the video, No Entry, Shooting Range... best no go in there then! So I back track and pick a point on the planned route that crosses a road about 35km away.
Getting onto the track again and all is good, nice flowing track flowing the mountains. This then drops down onto a road after about 25km. I see the tail end of a couple of bikes going up the road as I'm coming down the track. I had seen the tracks since I had got off the road and thought a group had gone along the same route that day or the previous. The route then drops down from a small village and into a dry river bed, there's a track to follow, but the rocks and gravel make it hard work. Just as I'm coming out of the river bed I see the group ahead. I shortly catch them up as they are having a break. It's a group of about 10 German's mostly on enduro bikes with a couple of guys on KTM 990's. They head off to the left and my track heads to the right.... maybe I should have followed them. The track I took was the main drag, but this soon veered off to the left and my track went right, into another river bed, hard going, soft gravel and no defined track. Went I eventually got back to tarmac the German group where stopped a few hundred metres off to the left, I waved and picked up the road to the right. Did about another 60km on road into the Dades Valley. Todra Gorge tomorrow.
[video width=425 height=344 type=youtube]5qhjTKMg7mc[/video]
Re: Moroccan Virgin!
Day 10.
Todra Gorge day... Left the hotel and shortly passed through Boumalne heading east, got off the main N10 onto the P1504, this was a nice narrow road heading up into the mountains. After passing through a small village the road turned to gravel for a while. I then picked up a nice flowing track heading towards Tinghir. Quick stop for a mint tea and up the road to Todra. Leaving Tinghir there must be enough hotel/Auberge/camping along that few kilometres of road to house the entire population of Morocco!
Coming into the gorge from the south as I did you pass through a small village and Bang! The gorge is there! It's much better I think to come down from the north as you enter a wide valley that gradually gets narrower until your at the place everyone stops to take photos. Maybe this is why everyone goes from Zagora to Merzouga??
Leaving the gorge I continue to head north and stop at a small Gite about 20km north of Imilchil. Having just looked at the GPS I realise I'm at a little over 1900m... might be a bit cold tonight!!
I've stopped for lunch in worse places...
Home for the night, basic but very welcoming.
Rooster on guard...
Todra Gorge day... Left the hotel and shortly passed through Boumalne heading east, got off the main N10 onto the P1504, this was a nice narrow road heading up into the mountains. After passing through a small village the road turned to gravel for a while. I then picked up a nice flowing track heading towards Tinghir. Quick stop for a mint tea and up the road to Todra. Leaving Tinghir there must be enough hotel/Auberge/camping along that few kilometres of road to house the entire population of Morocco!
Coming into the gorge from the south as I did you pass through a small village and Bang! The gorge is there! It's much better I think to come down from the north as you enter a wide valley that gradually gets narrower until your at the place everyone stops to take photos. Maybe this is why everyone goes from Zagora to Merzouga??
Leaving the gorge I continue to head north and stop at a small Gite about 20km north of Imilchil. Having just looked at the GPS I realise I'm at a little over 1900m... might be a bit cold tonight!!
I've stopped for lunch in worse places...
Home for the night, basic but very welcoming.
Rooster on guard...
Re: Moroccan Virgin!
Day 11.
It wasn't cold during the night, but the display of stars was amazing, no light pollution and the sky was clear, there are advantages to having no inside plumbing...!
Languages. Complicated wonderful things. I'm probably in the minority as an Englishman who can speak a 2nd language fluently and get by in a third. The father of the family that ran the Gite spoke Arabic, Berber, French and understood a little Spanish and English! The difference between a country that colonises and one that gets colonised?
Anyway... left the Gite about 8:30 and continued north on the R317. The rugged arid landscape turned into lush rolling hills. I cut across country on a minor road and piked up the R503 for a while then onto the N8 and off onto the R407 and finally the R701 towards Khemisset. If your on a road trip in Morocco go do this sequence of roads. If your looking for what looks like some great trail riding in green rolling hills then go take a look at the area that starts about 30km south of Khemisset, it goes on and on. You could stay there a year and not ride the same area I reckon.
Once you come down out of the hills and onto the plains Morocco changes quite a bit. In my opinion the area to the south of Fes/Khemisset is much nicer, the people, places and the riding.
As I didn't much like the places I was passing through and couldn't see anywhere decent to stay I carried on and headed for Asilah. So that's it, on the ferry tomorrow and Morocco is done!
Green rolling hills for miles...
It wasn't cold during the night, but the display of stars was amazing, no light pollution and the sky was clear, there are advantages to having no inside plumbing...!
Languages. Complicated wonderful things. I'm probably in the minority as an Englishman who can speak a 2nd language fluently and get by in a third. The father of the family that ran the Gite spoke Arabic, Berber, French and understood a little Spanish and English! The difference between a country that colonises and one that gets colonised?
Anyway... left the Gite about 8:30 and continued north on the R317. The rugged arid landscape turned into lush rolling hills. I cut across country on a minor road and piked up the R503 for a while then onto the N8 and off onto the R407 and finally the R701 towards Khemisset. If your on a road trip in Morocco go do this sequence of roads. If your looking for what looks like some great trail riding in green rolling hills then go take a look at the area that starts about 30km south of Khemisset, it goes on and on. You could stay there a year and not ride the same area I reckon.
Once you come down out of the hills and onto the plains Morocco changes quite a bit. In my opinion the area to the south of Fes/Khemisset is much nicer, the people, places and the riding.
As I didn't much like the places I was passing through and couldn't see anywhere decent to stay I carried on and headed for Asilah. So that's it, on the ferry tomorrow and Morocco is done!
Green rolling hills for miles...
Re: Moroccan Virgin!
Day 12.
The adventure continues!!
So I stayed in Asilah last night so that I would have a nice easy ride to Tanger Med for the 14:00 ferry... so I thought.
I get to Tanger Med about 12:30, there's a big group of Dutch bikers standing around next to the soon to be finished check in area. I say hello to a couple and ask if they are on the 2pm sailing. They are, but... the ferry has been cancelled! !! I warned you about FRS already, right?
So after a little discussion at the check in desk the choice is. Wait there until the 18:00 ferry sails or go to Tanger for the 14:30 to Tarifa. Tanger it is then! Quick look on the GPS says 38km down the coast N16 or 48km down the motorway and N2. Hmmmm motorway has to be quicker. Off I set. Down the motorway off onto the N2, traffic gets slowly heavier until a long queue going over a bridge. It's 2 lanes and a local on a small chopper in front starts to filter..... oh well here we go. Rushing around in traffic in a Moroccan city is not a healthy occupation, however after about 6km of filtering, negotiating traffic islands where there appear to be no rules I managed to get to Tanger port in one piece... (The 14:30 ferry sailed at 15:30)
I was wrong about the coast road, three of the dutch guys went that way and arrived shortly before me.
Conclusions:
My first few days in Morocco where not great which is strange for me as normally I'm in a place new for 5 minutes and feel at home. Maybe it was my frame of mind, maybe It was that I didn't get a good feeling about the north of the country. This all changed once I was out of Fes.
There are some great roads if you can avoid the mad drivers and suicidal pedestrians. The off road opportunities are everywhere, as has been said before, it's a remote wilderness on your doorstep!
The adventure continues!!
So I stayed in Asilah last night so that I would have a nice easy ride to Tanger Med for the 14:00 ferry... so I thought.
I get to Tanger Med about 12:30, there's a big group of Dutch bikers standing around next to the soon to be finished check in area. I say hello to a couple and ask if they are on the 2pm sailing. They are, but... the ferry has been cancelled! !! I warned you about FRS already, right?
So after a little discussion at the check in desk the choice is. Wait there until the 18:00 ferry sails or go to Tanger for the 14:30 to Tarifa. Tanger it is then! Quick look on the GPS says 38km down the coast N16 or 48km down the motorway and N2. Hmmmm motorway has to be quicker. Off I set. Down the motorway off onto the N2, traffic gets slowly heavier until a long queue going over a bridge. It's 2 lanes and a local on a small chopper in front starts to filter..... oh well here we go. Rushing around in traffic in a Moroccan city is not a healthy occupation, however after about 6km of filtering, negotiating traffic islands where there appear to be no rules I managed to get to Tanger port in one piece... (The 14:30 ferry sailed at 15:30)
I was wrong about the coast road, three of the dutch guys went that way and arrived shortly before me.
Conclusions:
My first few days in Morocco where not great which is strange for me as normally I'm in a place new for 5 minutes and feel at home. Maybe it was my frame of mind, maybe It was that I didn't get a good feeling about the north of the country. This all changed once I was out of Fes.
There are some great roads if you can avoid the mad drivers and suicidal pedestrians. The off road opportunities are everywhere, as has been said before, it's a remote wilderness on your doorstep!
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Re: Moroccan Virgin!
Great conclusion Nick I agree 100% alllthough the Rif is beautiful spoilt only by the dealers !
I'M HERE FOR A GOOD TIME NOT A LONG TIME
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Re: Moroccan Virgin!
Great report Nick
You're right about the Riff Phil
On our last day we were heading for Chefchaouen and stopped to put waterproofs on as it started to bucket down
All of a sudden 4 BMWs, Volvo, Merc with very blacked out windows all round all pulled up all around us blocking us in at the roadside and loads of blokes got out of the cars
I thought we might be in trouble but all they wanted was pictures of them selves with us on their phones - once done off they went
Sigh of relief
We got the Algeciras-Cueta ferry on the way over on the first day and after we left the port we got flagged down by one of the many police officers on every roundabout with a speed gun. Thinking one of the following riders had been done for speeding. No, one of them had dropped a PDA at the boarder and the boarder guards radiod ahead - totally unexpected and very warming gesture
You're right about the Riff Phil
On our last day we were heading for Chefchaouen and stopped to put waterproofs on as it started to bucket down
All of a sudden 4 BMWs, Volvo, Merc with very blacked out windows all round all pulled up all around us blocking us in at the roadside and loads of blokes got out of the cars
I thought we might be in trouble but all they wanted was pictures of them selves with us on their phones - once done off they went
Sigh of relief
We got the Algeciras-Cueta ferry on the way over on the first day and after we left the port we got flagged down by one of the many police officers on every roundabout with a speed gun. Thinking one of the following riders had been done for speeding. No, one of them had dropped a PDA at the boarder and the boarder guards radiod ahead - totally unexpected and very warming gesture