Morocco – May 2011
The Route
Portsmouth – France, Caen, Pons, Bordeaux, ST Jean Pied de Port – Spain, Espinal, Pamplona, Soria, Alcolea del Pinar, Sacedon, Cuenca, Motilla Del Palancar, Ossa De Montiel, Villacarrillio, Motril, Amayate, Algeciras, Ceuta – Morocco, Chefchaouen, Ketama, Fes, Azrou, Boulojoul, Midelt, Ar Rachida, Erfoud, Tinehir, Boumaine Dades, Quarzazate, Telouet, Marrakech, Tahanoute, Ijoukok, Tafinegoult, Agadir, Imsouane, Tamanar, Essaouira, Safi, Casablanca, Mohammedia, Rabat, Kinatra, Souk el Arba du Rharb, Larache, Tetouan – Spain, Ceuta, Algeciras, Sevilla – Portugal, Lagos, Budens, Odemira, Santiago do Cacem, Alcacer du Sol, Montemor O Novo, Estremoz, Santo Antonio Das Areias – Spain, Castelo Branco, Cavilha, Seia, Viseu, Lamego, Bilbao, Lekeito, Zarautz – France, Hossegor, Parents en Bonn, Biscarrasse, Soulac, Royan, Rochefort, Lucan, Nantes, Dinan, Caen – England, Portsmouth and Hampton here I come! I will be riding solo for this adventure and expect to cover 6000 miles over 3 weeks avoiding all motorways!
After approximately 5500 miles, 3 weeks, 8 border crossings, 5 Ferry’s, 2 Bike dumps, 2 broken indicators, 3 severely dented panniers, 2 scratched/dented cylinder head cases, 2 bent wing mirrors, millions of splattered bugs, 1 dead bird, 100’s of mountain, coastal and
Before departing ‘la Rive’, Biscarrsone, I left my bucket and spade with my French camping neighbours who helped me lose at bingo last night. I won’t be needing them where im going tomorrow. After 150 miles of long straight roads, I
Its taken me a while but I have realised the bugs don’t wake till the sun is well up, so I hit the road early before they hit me. I compare an average size bug hitting you between the eyes at speed
I departed the undiscovered paradise in North West Portugal. One day I will return. I cheated for the first time today and after 50 miles of scenic mountain roads, pine forests and gushing waterfalls, then crossed the unmanned border into Spain. I
After a 281 mile journey of mountain roads, I’m unsure as to which sure country I’m in, but thinks Barga is in North West Portugal near the Spanish border. The winding roads made it unable to exceed 30 mph making it
I used the intense thermals to fly the 259 miles through the morning mist from Lagos to Santo Antonio Des Areias, Portugal. I then de toured to an old place of work, Alcochete near Lisbon. I used my nose to locate the
Highlights
As suggested in my web page heading, there will never be a conclusion to these adventures and although, sometimes challenging here are some highlights which added to my Morocco trip: The French roads. Twisty mountain roads. Crossing the Pyrenees. The 9 days of rain. Camping and camel trek in the Erg Chebbi desert. The cleverness of the Moroccans well established with tourism. Riding through the Todra Gorge. Achieving and navigating off road piste’s. Never felt threatened anywhere, in fact I feel more at risk in London. Marakesh Madina’s culture. Getting lost Marakesh. And everything else that goes with biking. The cost of fuel. The hospitality of the locals, especially Portugal. The disappointing and expensive Caen food. The different culture, food and languages. The undiscovered paradise in NW Portugal’s national forest park. But most of all, how achievable this is for anyone and any bike. I hasten to add that two weeks after I returned from this amazing adventure, I wrote my bike off on the M25!
