Morocco, April 2012, pt 3

Leaving Erfoud behind us we continued west via Alnif and Tazzarine, then south east into the Draa Valley towards our next projected overnight in Zagora. meeting lots of these guys en route,

and some of these critters,

 

 

before securing a room here:

  



 

 

Refreshed after a good dinner, night's sleep and breakfast set our sights on M'hamid; the so-called end of the road. It was a fantastic ride down through the desert and, reaching the end of the tarmac we amused ourselves with a little, gentle piste riding,

 

                                   

 

 

before enjoying mint tea and conversation with these chaps:

 

 

Then it was off back to Zagora for a photo next to this sign, which will be well known to any visitors to the town:

 

  

 





 

From Zagora we crossed the Tizi-n-Tinififft (yes really) pass to Ouarzazate. It was a horrific ride, with high winds on the far side, so occasionally MBM and me were down to walking pace. We arrived in one piece however, found a place to stay for a couple of nights and, next morning caught a taxi into the centre, where we enjoyed a delicious lunch in the sunshine:

 

 

 

 





From Ouarzazate we pointed the front wheels at Marrakech but first, on the way, we stopped off at Ait-Benhaddou:

 

 

 

Chatting with an English couple here revealed that the back road to the top of the infamous Tizi-n-Tichka, previously a piste, had recently been surfaced. So off we went on a delightful sojourn through the backcountry. On the way we saw cave dwellings,

 

 

 

and found another satisfying cafe:

 

 

It's my second trip on the Tichka and I didn't enjoy it either time. The bends, IMHO, are endless and tiring on a bike, but eventually we arrived in the heat of Marrakech. For the first time on our trip we found hotels with no vacancies but eventually, aided by the database in my trusty Garmin satnav, we were ensconced in a very comfortable out of town place, from where we took a taxi into the centre and the delights of the Place Jemaa el-Fna:

 

 

I ate the spicy sausage and chips with relish (that's to say it tasted good rather than a reference to the condiment; of which there was none) but Bernie found it hard going with a particular afterburn he enjoyed for couple of days following the feast.

 

After the dubious wonders of Marrakech (I'd give it a miss next time; far too touristy) we hit the road north, stopping for tea in a small town whose name escapes me. I amused Bernie by leading him around the pedestrians partaking of a busy market, threading a way through in my determination to find the inevitable cafe - which I did:

 

 

Suitably fed and watered we continued north and found ourselves crossing a wide, upland plain which just begged for an overnight camp - so we did:

 

 

 

This was to be our final camp of the trip but it was a very pleasant break. Bernie, armed with my trusty Nature Pure water filter, found the necessary liquid with which to quench our thirsts and rehydrate our camping meals:

 

 



 

 

The meagre puddle looked disgusting but it's testament to the efficiency of the filter that his efforts were rewarded with water of the crystal-clear, eminently palatable variety.

 

Moving on next morning we paused on the outskirts of Khenifra for a mid morning snack. The fresh pancakes produced by the lady owner were just out of this world, particularly when accompanied by orange juice and a milky coffee.

 

 

Then it was back to the ride across country to find a hotel in Meknes which enabled us to visit Volubilis the next morning.

 

The remains at Volubilis represent the most important Roman site in North Africa and really are quite remarkable if, like me, you've never seen anything on this scale before.

 

 

The mosaics are quite stunning, so I apologise for the poor quality of this pic, which fails to do them justice.

 

 

Our visit to Volubilis will be forever etched in my memory for the argument I had, in French, with the ticket attendant, who tried to fleece me out of a considerable amount of change. He was adamant I'd not given him a 100 dirham note, but I stood my ground, refusing to leave without satisfaction, as busloads of tourists formed an ever-lengthening queue behind me. My Yorkshire stubbornness (is that a word?) paid off though. He coughed up, but only after I'd called him a "voleur", (thief).

 

The Outer Hebrides, Easter 2013

With over two years van ownership under our belts it was high time we explored more of the splendours of Scotland so, leaving the last snow of winter (or should that read spring?) behind in the Peaks we set sail for the north.

We stopped off in Glasgow for dinner, bed and breakfast with Pete and Fiona and Dougal, their chocolate lab. Dixie was her usual cantankerous self with a strange dog but Tilly delighted in Dougal's flirtatious advances. Thanks for your hospitality P,F & D x.

Then, a quick dash over Rannoch Moor, down the magnificence of Glencoe and up to the Isle of Skye and Uig, for the ferry to Tarbert.

Leaving the ferry we drove down a single track road to Huisinis.

Having settled in for the night I kept saying to Chrissie, "Just look where we are. LOOK where we are for goodness sake!" This was the view from our lounge window:

 

 

 

In fact, this was a recurring theme of the trip. The weather was fantastic; cold but dry with plenty of heart-warming sunshine. The following pics show a few highlights and, I trust, will speak to you better than my clumsy writings:

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

                                     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you like those pictures. We spent two weeks enjoying some wonderful walking and I found myself spending a surprising amount of time (for me) just gazing out of the van windows at the views. The fact that I read very little and did none of the writing I'd planned to is evidence of the exquisite time we had. Blissful relaxation. Go, if you like peace and tranquility. Stay well away if you want nightlife, shops and lots of tourist attractions.

Let's have another go then

It's a Tuesday afternoon and I'm feeling a bit flat having, only yesterday, returned from a fabulous two-week trip to Harris and Lewis (sounds like a pair of TV cops) in the Outer Hebrides, with Chrissie and the hounds.
I haven't writ anything on here for several yonks now and felt guilty when Pete from Glasgow asked if I'd be posting our recent travels on the blog.
So, praps I'll try again.
Of late, I've been doing some travel writing, which I've been lucky enough to have published in the motorhome press (primarily Practical Motorhome, but also MMM) so that's become a bit of a focus; 'specially since I get paid!
But, this medium satisfies a need for a more free form of writing, unconstrained by the confines of grammar, spelling and political-correctness.
Having updated my mobile phone for one which has easier access to t'internet, 'appen I'll use that too.
Be great to hear any comments from readers out there in the ether.
And as an appetite wetter, here's a photo of a wild camp on the beautiful Isle of Lewis.
Oh, and for those of you still waiting for the rest of my Morocco 2012 trip, it'll be with you soon; sorry for the delay.
Happy travels!

Morocco, April 2012, pt 2

The ride from Lac Isli towards the Todra Gorge took us over the highest tarmac road we'd encounter. I think the Tizi-Tirherhouzine is the highest in Morocco at 2700m or 8775ft. There are probably some pistes higher than that though. Nevertheless, it was pretty damn spectacular.

Here, we're dropping into the gorge, one of the prime tourist destinations in the country:

Leaving the tour buses behind, we left for Tinerhir and found a cheap hotel. It was clean but basic and cost us around £8 each for bed & breakfast.



We wandered through the souk, absorbing the atmosphere.

The view from our table at breakfast was great.

Then from here we set off across country to Erfoud and the desert. After a hot, dusty ride it was a relief to be checking in here for a couple of nights:

Having enjoyed beers by the pool and a delightful buffet dinner and wine, we were totally refreshed next morning and ready for a ride out into the Sahara and the Erg Chebbi dunes. As we rode out across the wilderness we were followed by a threatening storm:

 



We relaxed in the Auberge du Sud while thunder and lightning bellowed outside and hailstones coated the dunes. When we emerged into the open an hour later, there was water everywhere ... in the desert!



We actually had a pleasant, dry ride back across the sands then visited Rissani and Erfoud before returning to the luxury of our 4 star accommodation. Oh dear, not more beer, wine and glorious Moroccan vittles; the utter tedium of it all!

Next up, the Draa Valley and Zagora.





Morocco, April 2012, pt 1

I travelled to Morocco on my motorbike in 2009 with an organised tour. 'Enjoyed Morocco but the format of an organised trip really didn't suit me. First time in my life I've done it, and probably the last. The deadlines and pre-booked hotels lent an air of urgency to the trip which meant I didn't see and experience as much as I wanted. But, it was an excellent intro and led me to suggest a trip to my pal Bernie for 2012.

One key thing to get your head round when travelling with your own vehicle in Morocco is, there's no breakdown insurance available. This was covered on the organised tour; we were shadowed by a 4x4 with trailer and mechanic, but Bernie and I would be independent, so if something went wrong with the bikes it'd be up to us to sort it.

We spent many hours discussing routes, what to take and prepping the bikes but, finally, on a very cold morning, 1st April, we left for the ferry from Plymouth to Santander in Spain. Following a 20 hour crossing, we'd take 3 days to traverse Spain from north to south before catching a ferry across the Med to Morocco.

A highlight was Salamanca's Plaza Mayor:

We'd booked two hotels in Spain and one in Tanger to get the trip off to a smooth start but after that we had no firm plans. Taking three and a half weeks in total we'd have 18 days in Morocco, enough for a relaxed tour.

Leaving Tanger on a grey, overcast morning, we travelled south to Fes where we spent the evening exploring the medina and souk, despite warnings from the hotel reception not go into the medina at night! We had great fun.

After a rainy Fes, we left for Ifrane in the Middle Atlas mountains. Being relatively cool, it's the location for the King's summer residence. As snow fell (yes, really) we booked into a hotel for two nights and on a sunny morning set off on the pistes (unsurfaced roads) criss-crossing the cedar forests. We found lots of mud, got the bikes well and truly stuck, but, with excellent teamwork, extracated them successfully. An interesting day.

We left Ifrane and headed towards the small, High Atlas town of Imilchil. On the way, we camped by the River Ziz for the night.

I had a long-held wish to camp at Lac Isli, some 7 kilometres down a rough earth piste near Imilchil. Unlike our previous foray, the bikes were fully loaded, so it was an exciting ride across to the lake at around 7500 feet above sea level.

There was no-one else up here save for the Berber shepherds and we enjoyed meeting Zahid and Mohammed who shared tea with us:

Next morning a heavy mist had descended as we rode back out to tarmac and our next destination; the Todra Gorge.

More soon.

An update

It's six months since I posted on here, which is shameful.

'Truth is, I've been busy enjoying myself, travelling and dealing with the consequences of Chrissie's broken leg (see her blog for the full, gory details).

I feel like I've got a little time on my hands for the first time in six months. Not long though; we're off on another motorhome trip in less than two weeks. Sometimes, life's too short to fit in all this fun.

We're just back from a 10 day, rehab trip in the van for Chrissie before she gets back to work ( pause, to listen for sounds of whip cracking) and that came only a few days after I returned from a mega-trip to Morocco on my beloved motorcycle (MBM). And it was that trip that inspired me to make a significant change on here.

Here's Chrissie, getting back into walking:

So, note the change of title for the blog. I've left the web address as it was, so as not to confuse returning visitors, but, so keen was I to document my Moroccan odyssey, that I felt the need to expand the scope of my blog. So, from here on, it'll cover all my travels, be they on foot, motorbike, motorhome or indeed, anything else wot takes my fancy.

The new title, "Far not Fast", was inspired by that great, inspirational, adventure motorcyclist, Ted Simon, who, in his book, Jupiter's Travels said he preferred to, "travel far, not fast". I need to check that quote later for accuracy, but the gist of it is correct. As I mature in years I find more and more that I need to travel at a steady pace, the better to absorb the sights, smells and spirit of the places I pass through. I could never be a fell runner, nor is there much danger of me exploring the limits of MBM's handling and speed capabilities. And in the motorhome, well fuel's so damned expensive isn't it?

Your feedback is always welcome, but be assured, all those motorhome enthusiasts out there, there should still be plenty to interest you and you can always ignore the biking bits. I hope though, that you might find them interesting anyway. Equally, any bikers visiting, feel free to gloss over the boring motorhome bits; or maybe you'll give 'em a glance. Perhaps I might even inspire some from each camp to explore the delights of motorbikes/motorhomes?

Soon to come on here; two or three motorhome trips not posted so far and ... Motorbiking in Morocco. Here's a pic of me and MBM in the Sahara Desert:

So, it's "Far not Fast".

Let the adventures continue. Smile!

Bring on the snow

Today I refitted the adapters for our Spike Spider snow chains to the front wheels and put the chains in the backbox. It's the hottest October day on record but we keep hearing that snow might come before the end of the month, and it IS autumn. Feels daft though, thinking about snow chains in this heat, but I had nothing better to do.

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to etc.

It was the van's first birthday on Thurs 29th September. She was in Spinneys at the time, but, when she came home the next day, she got a pressie of a super new awning (see separate post) and, to celebrate, we had French Fancies and tea. We always have French Fancies when celebrating in the van cos Auto-Sleepers have 'em in the brochure pics for the Warwick Duo. Sad or what?

So, it's the end of our first twelve months of motorhome fun.

We 've had countless trips including two abroad and have covered 11,500 miles.

We've learnt loads and we're looking forward to lots more fun and enjoyment with our van. We love it so much!

In a week or so I'm off with my mate Bernie to Normandy for about 9 days. We're gonna be visiting WWII sites associated with D Day and the battle for Normandy. I'm presently reading Max Hasting's excellent book, "Overlord, D Day and the battle for Normandy 1944".

Habitation service and warranty stuff

This week the van's been to Spinneys for its habitation service and a few warranty issues to be sorted. They've adjusted the ignitor on the fridge, which should hopefully stop it going out.
We had the wire between the heating control and the heating replaced. Evidently the cover had come off the spare blown air outlet on the heater and this had resulted in the wire starting to melt! No wonder the control was going haywire.
In an effort to find out why the waste water tank warning (which should come on when it's full) wasn't working, Spinneys discovered ... it doesn't have a warning, even though it's mentioned in the handbook. Doh! Thanks Auto-Sleepers.

The habitation service cost £183.

Phew, it's hot!

One thing our trip to the Pyrenees taught us was, we need an awning. If not for us, then for our dogs, who from next January, will be accompanying us on trips abroad. A couple of very hot days saw us quite unconfortable with no shade.

So, we spent lots of cash and, this week, I had an awning delivered and I, Chrissie and Bernie fitted it on 30th September, the hottest September day on record.

It wasn't particulary difficult, once we'd thought it through, but it's a big thing to handle.

'Looks great now it's done. It's a Fiamma F65S in titanium silver, so it matches the van.

One thing about doing this on a hot day was, once wound out you can really, "feel the benefit", as Mum used to say about taking your coat off indoors.

You wouldn't want your coat off indoors or out today, mind (Sat 1st Oct). Our weather station's showing 25.4 C in the shade!