Having loaded up with the hotel breakfast (all included in our deal) it was a short walk to probably the number one tourist spot in St Petersburg; The State Hermitage. We had prebooked tickets, which included all the exhibitions and permission to use a camera, to avoid any queues but this seems to be a very quiet time of year and could easily have walked straight in. The State Hermitage contains over three million pieces of art and artefacts from around the world including many rooms dedicated to European artists – Leonardo da Vinci, Michaelangelo, Picasso, Monet, Matisse, Gaugin, Van Gogh, Gainsborough, Rodin to name but a few. Within the Hermitage is the Winter Palace, the pre-revolutionary residence of the tsars where subtle decor is definitely not the order of the day. Having had our share of culture for the day it was off to another famous landmark, The Church On Spilled Blood. Now we know that it’s Valentines Day and a day for the romantics (not that we’re not!) but in the short time we spent there we saw at least half a dozen bridal parties piling out of various stretch vehicles to join the queue to have their photos taken in front of the church.
Having not had a proper coffee stop today, the need for a cup and some lunch was high on our minds so it was onto Nevskiy Prospekt, the main street in the City. One note, we changed some money in a bank here earlier in the day and they would not accept anything less than pristine notes. We had seemingly clean Euros but the cashier would not accept one note with a small tear and another with a set of initials on them. Mission accomplished it was back to the hotel for a brief nap, well we are on holiday and had walked in the region of 10 miles, before heading out to dinner.
So we’re in Russia on Valentines Day, so where do we go to dinner? An Italian of course! Found Trattoria Stefano through Tripadvisor and would highly recommend a visit. Great food, very reasonably priced (around £55 for two courses each and a bottle of Prosecco) and English speaking staff.
We left the UK with floods and high winds, leaving Bob’s eldest lad house sitting (well it gives his mum a break from him too).
During the flight Bob wrote a couple of words about June, by mistake, not having booked the hotel for Thursday night. A guy sat next to him said ‘sorry about reading your screen but if you need a place tonight i have a studio flat you can use for free. I am going away but you can just drop off the key’. Nice Russian.
However getting a taxi at the airport we found the flip side when they tried to charge us £60 for a 18k trip. We had a chat about the 90 Ruble per km and it was only 18 km to the hotel from the airport. He tried to say it was more until Bob showed him the app that had tracked the trip. We ended up paying £46, which was still over the top but not as much as the couple we met in reception who had paid £70
Hotel Domina Presitge is a very bright hotel but spotless and with free wifi. Not too sure about the need fir a network socket in the bathroom though
Well the CDR will have to wait. Some of the group dropped out and it was going to work out about £400 each plus food etc for a weekend. It was getting too expensive just for a weekend.
So we are off to Malam Cove in Yorkshire instead for that weekend. This is a trip that has been on the list for a while and looks a beautiful area with lots of walking.
Meanwhile St Petersburg is getting closer. And at -9 today, we’ll need our thermals
This weekend, thanks to a Groupon offer, we managed a deal at Baskerville Arms Hotel Clyro near Hay on Wye. The intention was to walk up Hay Bluff and then onto Twmpa and then to Waun Fach. However the weather was against us with warnings from the Met Office.
So we decided to go to the Mynydd Du Forest and bag a few geocaches. This forest lies in the upper reaches of the Grwyne Fawr on the southern side of the Black Mountains. Bob has many very special memories anchored in this valley ranging from a Mountain Leadership course in the early 1980s to a fundraising event in 1990 for a special girl called Sally. Most of the activities that Bob carried out here involved a great friend and mentor Bernie Jennings (BJ). Sadly BJ is no longer with us but his memory lives on.
While taking part on the Mountain Leadership course Bob and BJ, with the rest of the group, woke up to heavy falling snow in the valley and by the time camp had been broken the snow was knee deep. Thankfully after a few hours of walking they managed to break into a Navy outward bound hut called Ty Isaf. Here they stayed for several days unable to get out of the valley.
Bernie, Steve and Bob before the ‘big snow’
It was a great chance to poly bag down the hills and dig snow holes in the 6 feet deep (yes it really was that deep in the bottom of the valley).
Another time in the forest was a fundraising event for Sally, a family friend who was quite ill. Sally needed a special piece of computer kit to enable her to talk to her friends and family. This was 1990 and the kit cost thousands. Bob got 12 cops together from the Witney area and BJ (see, he is involved again) arranged a ‘survival’ weekend. The Long Plod. It was a brilliant weekend involving climbing, map reading and bivi making (and then having to sleep in them). This weekend is still the first topic of conversation when two or more of the team bump into each other.
Back to this weekend. In the forest now there are quite a few geocaches. There has been an orienteering course here for 30 plus years so I guess there was always going to be quite a few caches around. We found 10 in all. Including one hidden in a plastic pigeon. The day was quite a wet day but not as wet had we walked in the clouds on Hay Bluff.
Back to the Baskerville Arms Hotel for our evening meal…. Not a bad place. A little tired, but the staff were very friendly and helpful and the food was good. We would use it again without a deal.
It’s been ages since we have been out on the hills of Wales. Probably over a year. All change now though. This coming weekend with the help of one of Bobs boys looking after the house and a Groupon stay in a hotel in Hay on Wye we should be able to crack a few peaks. Hay Bluff for one and then Lord Herefords Knob (just had to use that) and on to Waun Fach I hope. The forecast is cold and showery.
Maybe Sunday it will be a geocaching session in the Mynydd Du Forest. This will always be a special place for Bob. He did a huge fundraising event in the 90s with a group of colleagues and raised a nice little sum for a special girl called Sally. It was a great weekend, a real boys only weekend helped by one of his best mates BJ. Bernie Jennings. Sadly no longer with us. BJ taught Bob and so many others a huge amount about the great outdoors and life. It’s almost certainly BJs influence that caused Bob to end up working for the Prince’s Trust. Thanks BJ. You are a star and will be missed always.
When our 2010 trip was rudely interrupted by a certain volcano bringing the world to a standstill, Iceland had always been on the list for sooner rather than later. A chat with friends earlier in the year bought it further forward when they said they fancied a weekend away and somewhere they wouldn’t normally go – so Iceland it was! So six months planning became a 4am taxi to Luton Airport for our delux Easyjet flight to Reykjavik and at 9am on Thursday morning we touched down in Keflavik with a mission to see as much of the island as possible before we left again late Monday afternoon. One of the major decisions we agonised over was car hire as we had read nightmare stories about the car hire companies in Iceland. We booked through www.holidayautos.co.uk who were far cheaper than all the major and local companies (something which immediately aroused suspicion) but had no issues with them and their local agent Thrifty. We hired a Ford Kuga (great for four adults and luggage) and after a walk round with the agent to inspect the car it was off into the lava fields on the main road to Reykjavik. Driving in Iceland is pretty simple and if you want to go anywhere outside the capital you are going to use the only motorway, Route 1 which runs around the island with a spur off to the airport in the south west corner. Accommodation had been easy to book – we used www.redappleapartments.com and the choice was huge (and for those who cannot be without the internet, yes us, most had free wifi). After a slight hiccup in collecting the keys which resulted in us finding our way around Reykjavik a little more quickly than we anticipated after walking across town and back again, we found our apartment which was ideally located at the quieter end of the main street, Laugavegur, so close to the shops, bars and restaurants. So all settled in, it was time to start the weekend properly – find a bar! Place of choice was the Lebowski Bar, an American diner and bowling alley styled place (coincidentally the film The Great Lebowski is one of June’s favourite films) for happy hour. Before the financial crisis drinking in Iceland was ridiculously expensive (wine still not cheap so we bought some duty free on arrival at Keflavik) but current exchange rates have made it no different to a night out in London. After a few beers food was required and with Bob keen to try some local delicacies, we found the ideal place:
Smoked Puffin
None of us was keen to try whale on principle but the boys went for the puffin menu. We all tried a bit, as you have to, and of the four of us Bob was the only one who said he’d have it again! Up early again Friday morning with the plan to head to Jokulsarlon, a 400km drive from Reykjavik, to the glacier lagoon where icebergs break away from Europe’s largest icecap and head out to sea. However as started to head over the higher ground on Route 1 to the south east of Reykjavik, visibility was almost non-existent so it was decided to go to plan B and not risk five hours in the car (each way!) with not being able to see a thing. At this point we didn’t actually have a plan B so there was nothing for it but find a coffee shop (#clewleystopsforcoffee knows no geographical boundaries!) and get the maps and guidebooks out. Plan B turned out to be waterfall day with the falls getting gradually more spectacular as the day went on – we couldn’t have planned it better if we tried! Stop 1 was Seljalandsfoss where you can walk behind the curtain of water running off the Eyjafjallajokul icecap (yes, that volcano again).
Seljalandsfoss
From there it was on to Skogafoss where the water plunges around 60m onto the gravel and ash – the noise and force of the water is amazing. There is also a staircase here up the side of the fall to a platform at the top where as well as a great view of the waterfall, you can also see the coast but the weather wasn’t on our side for that.
Skogafoss
Our final waterfall was Gullfoss, part of The Golden Circle of tourist attractions and certainly one of the most spectacular.
Gullfoss
Continuing the water theme we moved on to the hot springs at Geysir. Geysir itself doesn’t do too much at the moment but Strokkur erupts every few minutes and if you’re standing
in the wrong place then it’s time for a soaking! The colours of the pools are an incredible shade of blue with all the dissolved minerals they hold.
moss covered lava fields
Back in Reykjavik for dinner but nothing quite so exotic tonight – pasta and burgers at Restaurant 73. Great food serving locally brewed beers. Highly recommended. Saturday’s trip was to the Snaefellsjokull National Park on the west coast. The weather was better today and we were able to see the ever changing scenery – moss covered lava fields, soaring volcanoes and snow capped mountains. All being keen photographers (between us we had 5 cameras and 4 phones on us at all times and then of course an additional phone plus 4 iPads in the apartment!) every car journey was probably 50% longer that it should be as we were constantly stopping to take snaps. We drove around the peninsula on the coast road and had great fun on the north coast just trying to get out of the car in the wind. The coast here is wild and rugged and the wind whips across the northern Atlantic – great to look at though when sitting somewhere warm and dry although that sadly turned out only to be the car as most places seem to have closed up for the winter (this was the second weekend in October). We decided that on the way back we go via Pingvellir National Park, the third part of the Golden Circle with Gullfoss and Geysir. Having checked the map there was a clear road labelled “Major route” however June missed the most vital words – “loose surface”…. Having no
Pingvellir National Park
idea if we were insured or not (insurance is very specific on the types on road you can drive on and this road was a mixture of black top and condensed gravel) we drove very gingerly for about 60km arriving at Pingvellir just as the light was starting to fade. We did however get to see where Iceland is literally ripping apart as the North American and European tectonic plates move away from each other. With a forecast of good weather for Sunday it was up before dawn to do the long drive over to Jokulsarlon and what a difference a couple of
days made! We were able to see for miles and in addition to the lava and mountains, we drove through the ashfields of the 2010 eruption and had clear views through to Eyjafjallajokul with its white cap stunning against the bright blue sky. As we moved further east we drove through mile after mile of black ash but only at one point is the road still under repair – quite a miracle really considering the devastation caused. Plant life is just starting to grow but it’s still very bleak until you get towards Skaftafell National Park where tongues of the glacier flow through gaps in the mountain out on to the plains.. The sat nav said 4.5 hours for this journey but you can imagine the number of stops for pictures (and coffee of course) but nothing prepared us for the final bend in the road as we approached Jokulsarlon.
Jokulsarlon
Despite spending almost 6 hours on the road, there was a collective gasp from the car as we saw the icebergs on the lagoon. Lunch was a quick affair as we wanted to get out on the amphibious boat on the lagoon – well worth doing at about £20 per person for about 45 minutes spent out on the water. You get a little history and geology thrown in and the chance to taste 1000 year old ice straight out of the water. From there it was down to the beach where the icebergs who escape the lagoon find themselves. Words cannot describe the beauty of this place – black sand, grey seas and blue/white icebergs and I hate to think how many pictures we have but the location was well worth the journey and I would put this place at the top of places to see in Iceland. It took a lot to drag ourselves away but it had to be done as dinner had to be found somewhere on the route home. We ate a few times in service stations and were amazed at the standard of food – no plates sitting under hot lamps and everything cooked to order!
Icebergs on the beach
Our final morning was spent at the Blue Lagoon on the way to the airport; no need to worry about hauling home wet towels as everything (including swimwear is required) can be hired. We had wanted to do some shopping before leaving but it seems people in Reykjavik are not early risers and nothing opens until 10/11am but leaving a bit earlier meant our timing for the Blue Lagoon was perfect with no queues and plenty of room in the changing rooms (this had totally reversed by the time we left as coach loads had arrived). This is a great place to chill out (if we come back again June might have to find an excuse for one of the spa treatments) and there’s even a bar in the middle of the pool but as we were leaving around 12.30 it was getting very busy.
Blue Lagoon
It’s only a short hop from the Blue Lagoon back to the airport for some shopping, lunch and maybe a glass or two of wine or beer before boarding our Icelandair light home (it was no more expensive to use different airlines for each leg and the timings worked out better doing so). From the dials on the car, we covered around 2000km in our short time in Iceland but loved every moment of it. Will we go back? Yes hopefully as there is still so much more to see and do. We’d like to do some walking next time and actually get out on one of the glaciers, and maybe a dip in one of the geothermally heated outdoor pools. Our one disappointment was not seeing the Northern Lights and Sod’s Law being what it is, the display was spectacular the night we left and was so good the following night that they switched the lights off in Reykjavik so everyone could see them in their glory.
Bob Left home about 3.00 with the girls on board and headed to Ashford where he met June for the off. We were having about 10 days in France, most at Camping Utah Beach in Normandy, which as suggested is right next to the Utah Beach.
First though we had an overnight stop at the Aire on the motorway services at Abbeville. This is about an hour south of the Tunnel crossing and one we have used before. The services offer a quite place to grab an overnight, a cafe for breakfast if you want it and free wifi.
Forest View Campsite
From there we made our way to a Forest View Campsite (owned and run by our, friends Peter and Sarah Wilson), via Rouen which has been the Bain of our trips this year. The main bridge, Pont du Mathilde, was severely damaged when a petrol tanker caught fire beneath it. It won't be repaired for over a year. Meanwhile the diversion seems to catch us out every time. This trip though we put a waypoint in so we travelled to the east of the river Seine out to Carrefour and Decathlon at the south of the town.it worked a treat.
Forest View Campsite
It was great to see all the work Peter and Sarah had done on the site since our last visit in February. We had a pitch by the lake and it was all so tranquil. Sarah does a 'Plat du Jour' three days a week and we had booked in for that… Just the ticket with a glass of red or two. The main change to the site is the new toilet block. The showers are huge…… At last we can take a shower and our clothing will stay dry. If only all campsites were like this 🙂
With the girls away it’s time for a couple of grown up weekends starting with canoeing on the River Nene with www.canoe2.co.uk
A short trip up the M1 on Friday night after work to Canoe2’s base just outside Wellingborough, Northants, which also has a campsite attached. The campsite is basic but has toilets and showers and a small cafe/shop which is open during the day, but for £12 a night we were not expecting anything too grand and it was ideal for what we needed.
An earlyish start Saturday morning for the short stroll to the river where after the paperwork was complete, we were given a thorough safety briefing by Ian. The canoe hire includes the canoe (funny that!), paddles, buoyancy aids, drums to stow stuff and keep it dry, wheels (more later) and maps of the river. We had opted for the full day Ditchford Lock to Thrapston Arches trip which is about 10 miles (slightly longer if you take some of the backwaters to avoid the locks) but all downstream so not too hard paddling and when you’ve finished Canoe2 pick you up and bring you back to base.
So once all the admin was done it was time to actually get in the canoe and avoid falling into the river – easier said than done but we managed it and with a destination of a coffee shop in mind we set off. Luckily the river was quiet and wide enough to accommodate our canoeing skills; we only ran into the banks a few times on the narrow backwaters where we also had to fight with overhanging trees and the occasional swan family protecting their little ones.
Now back to those wheels. The route we selected involved negotiating several locks only two of which we were able to avoid by moving off the main river. For safety reasons you cannot take the canoe through the lock so at each one we had to take the canoe out of the water and re-enter the other side. In some places this was a case of just a few yards so we could carry/drag the canoe but for some it was quite a distance at which point we simply strapped the canoe to the wheels and pulled it along the bank. I’m using the word “we” here very loosely and in fact it should probably read as “Bob”!
Not only did we have the water with us but the weather was on our side too and we thoroughly enjoyed the leisurely paddle along the river. Lunch/coffee was at the Woodford Mill Tearooms and as we arrived at Thrapston ahead of the scheduled pick up time, we took the opportunity for a swift pint or two. Can really recommend Canoe2 – they do think of everything from the briefing (a tongue-in-cheek “canoeing can posssbly lead to drowning….”) to the equipment. We will definitely be back!
Having said our goodbyes to Chris and Penny, who were spending a fews days in Tarifa before heading up the east coast to relieve Penny’s youth, and to Tony and Margot who were joining Ray’s Andalucian tour, on the ferry and refreshed from the night on the campsite we began the long slog north on our own (oh to be retired and be able to take weeks to get back to the UK!).
The drawn out departure from Morocco had meant a last minute change of plans to ensure we didn’t repeat the long driving days of the trip down so today, Wed 29th May, was only (ha,ha) 834km to the aire at Vitoria Gasteiz. The aire is well signposted and located in a designated section of a large car park to the north of the town. It takes 10 vans (although several others were parked in the main car park) and has water and WC and grey water disposal facilities.
Obviously supplies are running down on the way back leaving space for more purchases – Spanish wine and chorizo on today’s list!
Departing Spain on Thursday 30th, the next stop is Ste Maure de Touraine, approx 30km south of Tours. Again another well marked aire in the middle of a small village – we arrived around 6pm and there were plenty of spaces. An earlier arrival meant we had time for a walk around the village which was well needed after days on the road!
The driving days are getting shorter; 650km today and only 460km tomorrow!
A brief shopping stop in Tours and we headed to our final stop on Friday 31st at the Aire de La Baie La Somme. A fairly smooth trip until we reached our nemesis: Rouens. We have been through Rouen five times this year and each time we’ve taken a different route (there is a bridge closed which means there are diversions, one of which is height restricted and we can’t take). So it’s the third, and hopefully final, Bob’s mystery tour until we work out where we are and where we should be going. What I should also add here is that since January 2006 France has been renumbering its roads and each local authority is able to choose its own numbering system; our road map is dated 2009 and the renumbering was expected to take a few years. So to add to the confusion the roads on our map weren’t the same as on the road signs! New maps have been added to the shopping list for when we get home.
After an extra day’s well needed rest, on Monday 27th May the final three vans carrying Penny and Chris, Tony and Margot and ourselves left the Cascades with the intention of getting as far north as possible for a ferry crossing the following day. Our aim was Asilah which was 508km away which on normal roads would be perfectly doable. However here, an inch on a map can take hours…..
The gorge into which the Cascades fell continued for quite some time but once into the agricultural plains the road was much better and farm vehicles aside we made good time to Rabat where we picked up the motorway for the final 300km. Throughout the whole trip people appeared along the roadside from seemingly nowhere and this continued along the motorway as they crossed the carriageway to get to the other side – shepherds were even watching their herds as they grazed on the verges!
10 hours or so later and we reach our destination. On our last Morocco trip we overnighted in a car park right outside the medina walls and we were pleased to find out (initially) that we could still do so after a small payment to the guardian – Dh30 (under £2.50) and a couple of beers (with alcohol not on general sale it is very much a means of payment and we were asked for it on numerous occasions). We settled down to dinner and there was a knock at the door; it was the guardian again and this time he was with his father who had fresh fish he wanted to exchange for wine. After some negotiations it became apparent that our wine wasn’t good enough (and it wasn’t the rubbish we exchanged last time!) so we couldn’t have the fish. No worries on our part as it saved the worry of having to gut them and then store them without stinking the van out! With no joy from the other two vans, the father then decided to throw a bit of a wobbly and he and his son had a huge argument; now if we’d been able to understand the language it might not have been so intimidating but we had no idea what was going on or what was being said so we just shut down all the blinds and turned the lights off in the hope they’d go away. They did eventually at which point another drunk slouched up against the wall decided he would have a whinge and moan at the top of his voice; time to decide if we really wanted to stay here….
The car park did quieten down by a reasonable time so we stayed as it was only short hop to the ferry, or so we thought. As we had time we decided to take the scenic coast road rather than the motorway – our first mistake! All throughout the trip we had known that the return ferry crossing was from Tanger Med rather than Tanger although this was a small detail that didn’t register with Bob when he put the destination into the sat-nav – second mistake! The consequence of these events was that we missed the sign on the motorway to Tanger Med and ended up on one of Bob’s mystery detours through the old town of Tanger as we headed to the old port. Having followed a local’s instruction to find the sea and turn right we were able to pull over and put the correct port in only to find it was about 40km from where we were and we had about two hours to the midday ferry departure time; if the exit from the country took as long as the entry we were not going to make it, not to mention the 40km along the winding coast road.
Having survived a small tussle with a couple of Italian vans who also seemed to be lost but who decided to stop on a roundabout, we, to our amazement, made it to Tanger Med with 90 mins to spare. Tanger Med is a huge new ferry facility currently under construction although with enough complete to allow services to begin and to our delight, it’s very efficient – one window to check in, the next for the vehicle exportation, then two customs stops, one of which involves the entire van being scanned for what we can only assume is stowaways. 20 minutes from beginning to end – unbelievable! We arrive quayside around 11am to see a ferry sitting there although with its doors closed so decide to get coffee from the cafe – just as the boat pulled away! Question was, what time was the next one? Morocco has had several time changes recently and the timetable we had showed ferries leaving at either 12 noon or 1pm (clocks had been an hour out in several towns as well) so if we had another hour to wait then it wouldn’t be in issue. As it was we didn’t board our ferry until gone 1pm but the delay was just as well as Penny realised she had left her set of van keys at one of the first windows at the other end of the port and had to work out how to get them back. She and Chris are finally able to hop on a bus back to the entrance to the port but are gone so long, we’ve boarded by the time they get back but again there was no need to panic as it seems the ferry sits there until there are sufficient vehicles on board to move!
We finally depart Morocco at 2pm and spend the entire crossing on deck from where we can see Spain, Gibraltar and the Moroccan coast. We are also joined briefly by a small pod of dolphins but they don’t hang around and we see no more. The journey should be around 90 mins but just outside Algerciras the captain switches the engines to minimum power and we sit there for 30 mins or so going nowhere. Ordinarily this wouldn’t have been a problem but we were intending driving for a few hours once we arrived in Spain to get a headstart on the journey but after putting the clock forward to local time it became obvious we weren’t going to get too far tonight. Time to switch to plan B and we found a campsite just south of Seville (Camping Villsom) which was €22 well spent for a quiet pitch and good showers plus being able to fill with water. It was then turn right out of the campsite and head north for the next few days!
Friday 24th May and with all the shopping complete we leave the heat and chaos of Marrakech to move on to the final destination of the tour – the Cascades D’Ouzoud some 150km to the north east.
On the way we stop near Demnate, a town which we can safely say beat all other places hands down with the insanity of their driving…. There just seemed to be no rules – if you want to move you do, if you want to do a u-turn you do, if Mr Taxi Driver wants to stop to pick up or set down a passenger he does. And all this with seven motorhomes passing through!
Just outside Demnate and marked on the map as “Pont Naturelle” is the site of a collapsed cave system which has left a natural stone bridge spanning a narrow gorge. We have a guide who takes us down into the gorge bottom and under the bridge where the opening is thought to resemble to shape of Africa.
Having survived the return journey through Demnate, it’s on to the Csacades and “Zebra Camping”. This is a great little campsite up on the mountainside with superb views over the surrounding countryside and compared to most other sites, facilities to die for: large pitches separated by flowers and trees, multiple water points, clean and spacious toilets/showers, a good restaurant, washing machine and wifi. Everyone agrees that this is their favourite site of the trip. Tonight we eat in the restaurant courtesy of Desert Detours as it’s the last night we are altogether before Steve leaves us early in the morning to prepare for his next tour.
Zebra Camping
The following day a guide is arranged to take us to the Cascades. The route takes us through olive groves where the fruits are still harvested by hand from trees which can live for hundreds of years. We follow the course of a fairly innocuous looking river with no idea of what we’ll eventually see. When we do come out by the waterfalls they are amazing – a total drop of over 120m into a series of pools at the bottom. The path then zig zags down the mountainside through more olive trees and large areas of calcified stalactites and stalagmites (the waterfalls previously covered this area of the gorge). After a quick break at the bottom most pool we begin to climb up again to the main pools where we decide to take one of the boats into the upper pool into which the water cascades. I say boat but only in that it was a floating vessel; it was really no more than several large plastic drums with a flattish wooden structure holding them together and then several brightly decorated plastic chairs fixed on top. The whole structure when loaded with paying customers is then rowed by some poor young man out in to the main pool when everyone gets soaked by the spray.
Cascades D’Ouzoud
The slow walk back to the top includes a stop for lunch. On this side of the gorge there is a proper path and all along there are restaurants and stalls selling the usual Moroccan souvenirs. It’s then back to the campsite to enjoy a little downtime – we haven’t had very much of that on this trip. This is the last night that all the vans are together; four are leaving in the morning but three of us have decided to stay one last night. Although we are the only ones with a deadline for getting back to the UK, the return trip does allow us a little flexibility as we have almost a week to play with.
After waving off those leaving the following morning we have nothing to do except sit around and enjoy the surroundings. However Bob and I being as we are couldn’t spend a whole day doing nothing so head back to the Cascades later in the day to take a few more photos and hopefully take advantage of the better afternoon light. Being away from a group we are also able to explore other areas of the falls and take some photos from the top where the water falls over the cliff.
Final dinner at the restaurant that night before we begin the long journey home.
Wed 22nd and today’s destination is Marrakech via the Tizi n Test pass through the High Atlas. The road through the mountains runs for around 150km or so and climbs to a height of 2092m through almost continuous hairpin bends. It is barely one car wide in places but with the way the road bends and turns you can see for miles and pull over well ahead of meeting anything coming in the opposite direction. Today’s coffee stop was at the highest point – the cafe was called Belle Vue and certainly lived up to its name.
Along the way we stop at the Tin Mal mosque which sits just off the main road and is open to non-Muslim’s as it is being restored to its 12th century glory. Although very plain looking from the outside, once we passed through the small door we are overwhelmed by its beauty; the arches which supported the original roof have been rebuilt using the traditional materials and methods as are the intricate plaster carvings and wooden roof beams. We are given a brief history by the guardian – it’s all in a mixture of basic English and French but enough for us all to understand each other! There is no entry fee to the mosque and we are left to decide how much to donate – Dh10 is a suggested amount but we enjoyed the place so much we felt this was not enough. A highly recommended place to stop.
We continued down the pass looking for a place for lunch and decided from the map that Asni would be good. It’s the usual one street town with cafes all along the road side but from the minute we parked the van we were pursued relentlessly by men trying to sell “silver” jewellery or wanting us to exchange Dhirams for UK coinage they had. Lunch was good but we couldn’t wait to leave the town for some peace and quiet.
One decision we have to make occasionally is whether we should follow the driving instructions we are given or follow Tom Tom blindly and today was one of those situations. We very rarely have precise directions as they are not needed but with the big towns we have been given co-ordinates for those with sat-navs. So we enter Marrakech with our instructions to turn left and follow the Casablanca road; Tom Tom however says otherwise and the road starts heading towards the chaotic city square of Djemaa el Fna. By this point we have ignored 3 left turns to Casablanca (at which point I absolve myself of any navigational responsibility) and Chris, who is following us (we suggested we should lead as we had sat-nav….) and who has the same driving instructions is on the radio suggesting that maybe we should turn off! After a few hairy moments at roundabouts and junctions we do eventually meet the road we should be on and find the campsite although we miss the supermarket which was on the other road. Another of “Bob’s Detours” journeys and a chance for everyone to give him some stick in camp that night.
We settle into the campsite (Camping Ferdaous) and set ourselves up for another two night stay. although the campsite here is a large gravelled square, there are some trees to provide shade and the facilities are perfectly useable. We decline the city tour the following morning and pop to the supermarket we missed the day before to stock up before going into the main square in the late afternoon. There is a shuttle bus running into the camp site which is about 13km from the city centre which costs Dh20 per person each way. Our first stop in town is the Government shop which has everything you could find in the souk but at fixed prices which is relief from having to haggle constantly.
In the gardens of the Koutoubia Mosque we bag the oddest geocache – it is actually held by one of the gardeners. We had to hang around the general area of the cache in the hope he spotted us and once he did we were able to swap the coin we had been carrying for a while for a new one. Sadly this was the only cache we found here.
With all the shopping done we went to Cafe de France for dinner on the 3rd floor terrace overlooking the square, as the sun set and the square took on its night character – something we managed to capture on time-lapse photos. Great fun people watching again.
Today, Tues 21st May, will be our longest driving day of 320km/200 miles for tonight’s wild camp just north of Aoulouz at the foot of the High Atlas. The route is back along the Draa Valley where we stopped to buy a box of dates from a roadside seller (a good recommendation from the guide book) and then along the plane, where the scenery does become a little boring after a while.
Most days we stop along the route for nus nus and then again for lunch. The breaks from the bumpy road are most welcome and give us the chance to people watch for a while – one of our favourite habits! We pull off the main road late afternoon into a clearing on farmland in the middle of nowhere but with a clear view to the mountains and tomorrow’s route through them. Dinner is eaten as the sun sets behind the peaks and a local farm drives his sheep and goats through the site on his way home.
Sun 19th May and we head to Zagora for a two night stay. For a change we do take the direct route as it’s the only one and it takes us through the Draa Valley with its kasbahs and palmeries. The town of Zagora is like may others with one main street and the buildings are all modern as it is a local government town. Camping d’Amazrou is a total surprise and set in a palmery with small grassy tree-lined areas for the vans. Once we had picked our pitch the staff laid out mats and carpets by the van door and came by once we had settled in with mint tea. Oh and the business card for the family shop in the town – never is an opportunity to promote a shop missed!
Another group meal tonight – chicken tagine cooked by Hamed who is following in his father’s footsteps and producing delicious food. We had the opportunity here to do a four wheel drive trip into the desert the following day but decided against it and after a little shopping just relaxed around the van and recharged the batteries. There is a lot of driving on this trip and mostly just one night stays so having the extra night was a bonus.
Sat 18th May and today we travel through the stunning Todra Gorge on our way to Tazzarine. The Gorge runs through 300m high sheer cliffs of red sandstone and at points narrows to just the road and the river wide. Having been before we didn’t stop this time although I probably still took hundreds of photos!
Camping Bougarfer (don’t quote me on the spelling) is another combined hotel/campsite although it’s clear to see where the money has been spent. The “campsite” is nothing more than a huge gritted area with a tap under a tree in the centre although plenty of electric sockets around the perimeter wall. There were toilet and shower facilities but the less said the better…. However we did have use of hotel swimming pool at a cost of Dh50 / £3.90 each but with it getting hotter and dustier is was worth every penny. South of the Atlas and temperatures are in the late 30sC (sorry to all those freezing at home in the UK!) although night time temperatures continue to be comfortable.
Friday 17th and tonight’s destination is Tamtattouche at the northern end of Todra Gorge. But first we have to get out of the campsite…..
The campsite at Meski lies in an oasis at the bottom of a steep, slick, crazy-paved, twisting driveway and the only way to get out is put your foot down and go for it. One by one everyone takes a go and gets out on to the road; all except one that is. After several attempts someone offers to tow the van out but it was the oldest and smallest van – a bit like David towing Goliath and needless to say it didn’t work. However after one last go with some extra weight at the front, the van was out. We said goodbye to Mohammed here and his delicious cooking and set off for today’s drive.
As with most of this tour, we do not head straight to our destination but take the scenic route through the southern edge of the High Atlas. Anyone who has driven in Morocco will know that the roads are not that good, if they exist at all and those that have tarmac are usually full of potholes. When we got the new van we loved the spice rack which sat above the glass topped hob but the spice jars had a real dislike for the Moroccan roads and kept jumping out of the rack. Up until today no damage had been done but as we were oohing and aahing at the stunning rock formations there was suddenly a crash from the rear of the van and the shattering of glass. First casualty of the trip and top of the list to buy when we get home – a new hob top! Not an hour later the blind spot mirror disappeared as Bob got a little close to the roadside trees but luckily Chris and Penny were behind us and had seen what happened so stopped to pick it up for us.
After no further mishaps we arrived at Campsite Bad Dou, the best site we had been to yet; hot showers, a swimming pool (bloody cold but great to spend some time relaxing by!) and even washing machines! The food continues to be excellent and good value with 3 course set meals around Dh100 each (about £8) in most places.
Having had our share of culture for the day it was off to another famous landmark, The Church On Spilled Blood. 
Now we know that it’s Valentines Day and a day for the romantics (not that we’re not!) but in the short time we spent there we saw at least half a dozen bridal parties piling out of various stretch vehicles to join the queue to have their photos taken in front of the church. 
Hotel Domina Presitge is a very bright hotel but spotless and with free wifi. Not too sure about the need fir a network socket in the bathroom though
With a few posts on FaceBook and a few emails it appears that there are a few others interested. 
Posted on the move
