13 FEB – Some time ago I said in one of my video’s that when you are travelling you always need to have a plan A, plan B, plan C – and sometimes a plan D. Let me explain…
I had been sheltering in a small hotel at Moulay Idris for a few days because for there has been heavy and prolonged rain across northern and central Morocco. I can’t begrudge them the rain as they’ve had three bad winters with little rain and they need all the rain they can get. So yesterday morning I left my comfortably bijou hotel and headed north through the rolling and spectacularly green hills under bright morning sunshine and a brilliant blue sky. Life is good…
Plan A was to go to Chefchaouen, which was about 100 miles to the north but unfortunately there was still going to be a lot of rain around Chefchaouen for most of the day and evening, so – and as I don’t see any fun in riding in the rain or putting my tent up in the rain – I went to plan B.
Plan B entailed riding north on the coastal town of Asilah, as there was an old fort I wanted to see plus it’s not too far from Tangier for the looming trip on the ferry. Also, and more importantly, the coast was going to be clear of rain but when I got there the campsite was full. It’s only a small site and the only place I could have camped was on sharp gravel and I’m not doing that – so plan C.
Plan C meant riding into Tangier as there is a campsite near the seafront in Tangier city. I arrived into Tangier about 1.30 and had a quick ride along the seafront to the port area and then to find the campsite. It was easy to find – but it was closed. Well, it is the winter season.
So, plan D… Hotel or ferry..?
It was just before 2 and having a quick search online I saw there was a ferry from Tangier City to Tarifa in Spain at 3pm – so I bought an online ticket and got to the port just after 2. I had to ‘check-in’ to get my paper tickets and then I was directed to the Douane to get my vehicle logged out of Morocco, and then to Passport control to get stamped out of Morocco, and then to the giant X-Ray machine which x-rays 6 cars (and a bike) at a time. Then it was a quick stop so the drugs dog can check my bike – always a tense moment, and thankfully I had no sausages – and then it was a quick ride over to the ramp to wait for boarding.
The boarding happened really quickly, and on this type of fast ferry they always use the same area for bikes so I knew where to go. With the bike strapped down I went to the lounge to enjoy the one-hour crossing. The ferry was quite busy, mostly with foot-passengers, but I soon found a seat and it was a very swift and comfortable crossing.
HELLO SPAIN…!
Arriving at Tarifa, the disembarkation, passport control and customs was super quick and by 4.30 I was on the road heading to Algeciras and Gibraltar. Not long after Terifa, as you start coming down from the hills towards Algeciras, there was a traffic jam. It also started raining. Deep joy…! The jam was for about 5km so I just went on the outside or inside of the traffic to the front of the queue – and it was the farmers blocking the road with tractors as far as the eye could see. Protests..! I had read about all the farmer’s protests in Europe and had completely forgot about them. So, with about 6 other bikes at the front of the queue I left the bike and found a place under a tree for shelter and started to wait. I feel quite sorry for the farmers, so I was quite happy to wait.
About 45 minutes later the tractors started moving and we could start crawling towards Algeciras. Soon the tractors drove away, the traffic started flowing and I was heading towards Gibraltar and then to nearby La Linea. As soon as we started moving the rain stopped, so I stopped for a few minutes to take of my waterproofs, as being quite warm, I was hot and was starting to feel like a cooked chicken.
I got to the campsite around 6pm. It’s located on the coast at La Linea and about 2 miles north of Gibraltar. I soon had my tent up, the kettle on the stove and a brew on the go. What a strange day…!
I truly expected to be in Morocco that evening, spending the last of my Dhirams on a final banquet of Moroccan food – but ended up in Spain. But as I said, when travelling, you always need to be flexible and to always have to be flexible and also have a backup plan. I still can’t believe I was in Morocco this morning and now I’m in Spain.
The campsite is lovely. Its not huge but its not small. Its mostly for campervans but there is an area for campers, and your pitch is hemmed-in by a hedge on three sides. The toilets and showers are immaculate, and there’s lots of them. There’s also a place to wash your pots and pans and a small lounge with a vending machine and wi-fi – as the wi-fi signal doesn’t reach the tent pitches.
So, tomorrow it’s off to Morrisons in Gibraltar to stock up on some necessary provisions – Yorkshire tea, maybe some Jaffacakes – and then to have a leisurely walk around those enchanted and hallowed streets. Oh yes, and maybe some fish and chips…
One thing about travelling: ALWAYS EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED…!
