This afternoon I arrived at El Ouatia – which is near the port of Tan Tan and about 10kms further west. I had a ride around Tan Tan but there didn’t seem much to interest me. It’s just a big town, and although there is a paid and a free campsite in TanTan I decided to head to the coast to find somewhere to camp – and somewhere with a bit of a breeze.
Today’s ride was pretty boring, really. After about an hour of riding I hit the N1 which is a major road and for the first time in weeks I’ve had to contend with lots of traffic and overtaking. The Moroccans are making the N1 into a proper motorway and about half way to TanTan the roadworks finished and it turned into a proper four lane highway – which was weird because even though it’s a four-laner there was still the odd bicycle, donkey-trap and camel wandering around the road. It was just a straightforward ride, though. AT one point I stopped for a break next to an old petrol station. They were building the new motorway nearby so the station had become redundant. It was quite spooky sitting next to the old pumps in the shade.
There are three campsites in El Ouatia. The first two were empty and the last one with lots of camper vans – so that’s where I decided to drop anchor – at the Camping Atlantique. It’s always a good sign then the campsite has plenty of activity. It’s a really good campsite, with wonderfully hot showers and right next to the beach – and the Atlantic Ocean. And who should I run in to..? My fellow travellers Barbara and Howard, who I met in Tata a few days ago. More tea and more catch-up’s..
There is free wi-fi on the campsite but to make the best of it, you have to go near the reception. And just a few minutes from the campsite are the local shops where you can buy just about anything. With the exception of Barbara and Howard plus myself, we’re the only brits. Everyone else is French. I have the distinct impression that France must be empty during winter – as everyone seems to be in Morocco…! There are some huge motorhomes. I’ve never seen such big motorhomes.
Tomorrow I’m heading south and into the Western Sahara, so first thing tomorrow it’s water and fuel, but other than that, I’m good to go…
