Waking up early (I’m always excited when it’s a day to leave) I had a quick breakfast downstairs. The breakfast again defeated me as I could not finish it. Maybe its me or how I was brought up but I hate leaving food…! Anyway, after another wonderful breakfast I got all my gear outside and started loading the bike. There was parking outside the hotel but the overnight staff had put several large pot-plants between my bike and the road. Not to block me in but to keep my bike hidden. When I started loading the bike one of the guys came out and quickly moved the pot plants as they were on frames with wheels.
Although there was a big blue sky and lots of sunshine it was still quite cold. We were over 1400m above sea level, so to celebrate I turned on my heated handle bar grips… My first port of call was Ouarzazate where I needed to visit an ATM to top up my cash. Finding an ATM was easy, and I even found a shop to buy some food and water. Very soon I was on the road and heading south for Tata.
The routes on my map suggested circling to the east or the west but there was a small road that cut straight through the middle, which is what I took – and which took me straight through a swathe of mountains. And what a great ride, cutting through mountains and hills on some really bendy roads. The scenery was incredible, from lush green areas, to moonscape landscapes to arid desert scrub. It was a wonderful day of riding.
I got down to Tata in the late afternoon after around 250 miles and it was a pleasant 24 degrees by the time I got here. I was going to camp outside the town but I had a look at the locations suggested by iOverlander and decided to give them a miss and pay for my camping – the Palmira – which besides being an excellent site, only costs 50 mads a night (£4). Amazing value considering it’s got great facilities, surrounded by a high wall with lots of palm trees and great shade. Also, it’s near the town.
The site is quite busy, with campervans from all over Europe. I’m the only tent in the site, which is a rare sight indeed. But, the one ray of sunshine on the horizon was meeting Barbara and Howard from Llandudno, who are the second Brit’s I’ve met during my time in Morocco. They are also travelling around West Africa in their campervan and are seasoned travellers. And after having a chat and a cup of tea, we put the world to rights – as you do when you meet fellow countrymen (and women) when travelling…
I’m staying here for a few days to explore the local area, and then it’s southwards we jolly-well go….
What a BRILIANT day and a brilliant ride…!
