Journey to the Edge of the Sahara, Nick Sanders & few others.

Stuart D

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Having met Nick Sanders on a number of occasions & really like his ‘devil may care’ philosophy, it seemed appropriate to join one of his tours - I’d promised my Africa Twin that one day we would go to Africa. 6 of us from Gwent Police Motorcycle Club duly signed up after a splendid evening of merriment at Nick’s Adventure Centre in Mid Wales, alcohol infused decision made. 4 of us travelled from South Wales to Portsmouth on 15th September for a 2 night crossing to Bilbao, which I feel is a great way to start a holiday after the sometimes frantic preparations, for part 1 of our adventure meeting up with Nick & the other participants in a lovely hotel in Algeciras. I carefully planned a route using Michelin maps & my fav app Scenic that would see us throughly enjoy 3 days of fantastic roads & scenery. Our remit for accommodation was look on Booking.com over lunch & group decision for our daily head-resting establishment, we were so lucky with our haphazard planning. The evening before sailing we were invited to a very laid back group information briefing, passports & V5’s handed over for the purchase of ferry tickets in advance.
Saturday 21th saw the posse of 16 people on 14 bikes make the 5 minute journey to the ferry port, very brief delay & we were loaded & moving on the 90 minute crossing. Usually passport control is conducted on the ferry at a leisurely pace but the immigration officer missed the ferry , 2 officers met us upon arrival in Tangier Med before disembarking. Our next challenge was the temporary import of our bikes (check very carefully as my reg had been entered incorrectly), obtain 3 party insurance for Morocco & a Maroc SIM card. Thunderbirds are go, 320km to Meknes, next day 450km to Merzouga. We stayed in a traditional Berber Hotel & enjoyed a traditional evening meal, we were up really early as 8 of us were taking a jeep ride onto the Sahara to watch the sunrise - priceless experience. Our 6 Club members left a little earlier than the main pack as we wanted to have a look at the Gara Medouar (Google it, many films shot here), when we returned to the road everyone had waited for us & we were off to Zagora 400km later. We had a short 269km day to Ait BenHaddou (Gladiators was filmed here), an early finish to enjoy their lush pool. Day 6 Maroc 357km to Tafroute, Day 7 276km to Taroudant which should have been easy but! The 2 incidents of very recent flooding actually washed 6 bridges away & we had to resort to some off road action to maintain progress, first casualty into the van of shame was a Honda NC750 DCT which refused to engage gear after the final bridge down off road excursion. We were about an hour from our hotel when I sensed a wobbly rear end, my initial thought was puncture but investigation revealed a collapsed wheel bearing. Second Honda into the van of shame ☹️. Upon arrival at our hotel one of my club members set about fixing the NC750, a rock had damaged the side stand switch & thus preventing it engaging a gear. A quick bodge of baring wires & twisting, the NC was back in the game. I’d quickly searched for part numbers for my sloppy rear end & gave the info to the hotel owner who said he’d contact his friend in the village. After a lovely tangine meal I was ready for bed at 22.00 when a knock at the door, the hotel owner with 3 wheel bearings in his hand . Another Club mate said “we’ll do it now!”, the bearing had collapsed in fine style & hampered the replacement but at 23.45 Black Beauty was out of the van ready for the next day. Next morning I met the bike shop owner, paid the £24 for the bearings & we were on our way to Taroudant. Day 8 251km to Marrakech, arriving at 17.30 in the middle of mental rush hour!!!! Roundabouts & traffic lights just disrupt the madness, he with the positive thought & action win the road space. We caught a couple of taxis into the main square Dja el Fna to experience the buzzing nightlife of street traders & musicians. Day 9 Marrakech to Tinherir & a lovely Pisé (mud built hotel). Day 10 Tinherir to Fez 464km & a tired looking Ibis Hotel. Day 11 Fez to Chefchaouen 270km enjoying the Tikka Pass again from the opposite direction. Our last supper in Morocco was enjoyed in the main square amidst street traders & families wandering. Day 12 started early & our return to Tangier in partial fog, arrived in good time for the 11.00 ferry & back to Spain.
A multitude of hand shaking & back slapping and we were away to our hotel just north of Seville. What a gorgeous establishment, with a swimming pool & pleasant restaurant close by. Our last night in Spain was in Segovia, need to return to this beautiful city in the future & our first rain shower. More stunning N roads back to Santander & the Plymouth to home. 3880 miles with a minor blip, bucket list ticked but not completely scratched.
Would I go back to Morocco - definitely!
What would I avoid - big cities, salad & unsealed drink bottles.
Would I go unaided - yes, now.
What didn’t I like - kids begging.
The people were friendly, food was good & cheap (I’m not a fussy eater), hotels were cheap, alcohol was not available everywhere.
 

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Fantastic write up, have been following your adventures on Facebook.
 

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