trip report
Thanks to Peter & Carrick of Atlas Overland – we had a fantastic and very memorable trip to Morocco. It was a big adventure for us, a lot more interesting and challenging than our solo trips to Alps and Pyrenees.
The whole trip was very well organised and we were well cared for, and also had great fun at the same time. We will treasure the memories for a long time.
and Wife would already like to return to Morocco for another trip, even though she was initally reluctant to go on this trip - she loved it in the end!
so....
We left Aberdeenshire on the Thursday afternoon and drove down to Carlisle, where we stayed at a Premier Inn,
Next day trundled down to Portsmouth, with a detour on backroads to avoid a closed M6.
Boarded the ferry at Portsmouth bound for Santander.
Arrived in Santander on the Saturday evening and we drove south for an hour and stopped for the night at a campsite by Emblase de Aguuilar - Aguilar de Campoo, Canabria, Spain -
Next day drove south for 5 hours across Spain and stopped at a great campsite at Caceres, each pitch has its own cabin with a loo and shower, appreciated by my wife who had caught a nasty bug. We met Pete here, and I had dinner with him at the bar after a swim in the pool
Monday we continued south to Tarifa, where we met Peter & Carrick, and also Thomas and Judith in their landrover.
Tuesday morning we set off to Algecira’s and caught the ferry to Morocco, passing the “rock” and we had an easy entry to Morocco at Tanger Med, and after a fuel stop continued driving to Fez
We had a morning exploring the medina in Fez, a great experience
We left Fez after lunch and headed south through Mid-Atlas and onto a piste near Midelt, and explored an old mine
Camped near Midelt, and following day headed into High Atlas,
Donkey disguised as a hedge
First river crossing, shallow
And another ford
Locals come to watch when we have a coffee stop
Landslide had been cleared luckily, so avoided a detour
Us geologists loved the rocks in the Atlas
Pete’s collie had a leaking transfer box oil seal
Gaining height in the Atlas
Sheep transporter
First camels!
A shade under 3000m – Dades gorge, amazing!
Camped by an Auberge in Dades Gorge, had a nice meal in the restuarant
Traffic jam
And onto Djebl Sarho
Pickup on wooden stilts whilst owner worked underneath
Kasbar near Zagora
Date palms at campsite in Zagora
How many camels is she worth?
Pre-desert vehicle inspection. Only Petes collie needed work, a new transfer oil seal
Always time for mint tea in morocco
Cars got a wash too
Landy tethered to landcruiser
Beer o’clock in Zagora
Some 80series
Stuck… towbar beached on a dropoff into an Oued – but winched myself off after attaching winch rope to Peters Troopie
At a tea stop I smelt diffoil… the new transfer seal had failed on Pete’s Collie. Turns out the gearbox mount was knackered, so gearbox was moving around. Peter started towing him back to Zagora, and Aziz came out from garage and fitted a new seal. We all returned to Zagora for night. Unfortunately Pete had to miss desert crossing, and stay in Zagora 3 nights whilst waiting for a new gearbox mount to arrive and be fitted.
Herself takes the wheel, after I fell ill
Sahara crossing after driving from Zagora to Foum Zguid,
Driving the Dakar route, part for 2 day crossing from Foum Zguid to Mhamid
Desert wildcamp 1
BBQ
Sunrise in Sahara
dust
Dune driving
Stuck…
Troopie also stuck
Sorry Peter!
Chegaga dunes
Wildcamp 2 near Mhamid
Firewood!
G&T
Carricks might Disco 4 – Stuck!
Dung beetle tracks
Heading north towards Lac Maidar
Fesh fesh and high winds
So we escape wind and stay in an Auberge at lac maidar
Amazing bats here
Brand new front ARB bushes chewed to peices
Donkey being refulled!!!
King coming to Rissani
Lovely Auberge with a pool – 2night stay here
Peter kindly gives me some old polybushes that came off his Troopie, Fraser cut them to fit my collie. But this only cures one of the knocking noises, the offside rear lower control arm bushes are also shot
A morning of Dune driving, my wife took the wheel for an hour with Peter co-driving, she loved the driving
Two green collies
Stuck again carrick?
Pulling out my winch rope to help haul Carricks disco out of sand
Oopps stuck again, this time the Troopie pulls me out
Morning tea
French team of Collies
Desert art
Cedar forest camp, nr Azrou
atlas
Cows on motorway sliproad
Back in Spain, campsite near Tarifa
Wife and I head up a trail in mountains of Cantabria, N.Spain for a walk
Then drive another 25km on the trail