So.... Morocco....

[Dan_K]

Can't seem to get the idea of a January/February trip to Morocco out of my head.

Bearing in mind the time of year, the limited trip duration (5-7 days) and the reported spread of road tarmac am I best to plan a cx/gravel kind of ride or load up the Stooge?

Marrakech or Agadir would work really as I'm London based so flights are flexible.

Thoughts/ideas anyone?

[Mpolo]

i would go for Agadir as its a bit warmer and drier
you will certainly do a load of road riding but there is also plenty of off road which is way more interesting
we have done a few trips and are going again this christmas have a look at http://www.farawayvisions.com/bikepacki ... e-morocco/
thats a bit long to do in 5-7days. stay the first night in Taroudant with collection from the airport the place to stay is on the blog Said will collect drop off and store your stuff. if you follow our route to Aoulouz then there is a track which goes to the east side of the 2 lakes to the North, up to Askoun and back down to Talouine. you will find quite a bit of stuff on the blog about Morocco, if you have any questions then drop us a line.
things not to miss are Hammans, mint tea, markets, tajines,

[Dan_K]

Thanks Dan.
Had a look on the blog but couldn't find that hotel. Have you got a link or contact details?

[Mpolo]

http://chambresdesamis.com

[Tanglefist]

I just got back from bikepacking in Morocco. I heartily recommend it. I should have learned French and the local Berber language. Shona from 'Keep Pedalling' in Manchester was super helpful and encouraging, I imagine she'll see this post at some post.

[Farawayvisions]

If you can manage a little bit of Arabic too, that goes a really long way. We're getting better at that, but it's not classic Arabic. Haven't learnt any Berber though.

[Dave Barter]

I really really enjoyed that Morocco blog.

Travelled there a bit as a youth and you've inspired me to maybe go back. Ta!

[Tanglefist]

Learning Berber is made more difficult by the number of different languages/dialects- there are 4 or so in Morocco alone and limited resources. Most of the stuff that I found on the web is just a list of words or a few phrases.

[giryan]

I realise that it's not really what you're thinking of, but I did Exodus' Atlas Descent trip a few years ago and it was vaguely exciting :D
https://www.exodus.co.uk/morocco-holida ... /mma-98305


There's definitely a lot of potential for offroad/dirty track things, so so much.
But some of the roads were pretty flat and amazing, and I'm pretty sure a road based trip could work, but might need scouting in advance to make sure you don't get half way up a mountain to find a raw bit of road construction that you can barely take a mountain bike over(we did that a few times when I was there)

[Dan_K]

Cheers all. This looks like it's happening now and I've got 7 days. Probably last week of January/first week of February.
Will take the Stooge to explore a bit.
What sort of temperatures should I expect day and night?
Wild camping an issue?
Need to take loads of food or rely on what I find?
Water availability?
Tent or bivvy bag?

If anyone else fancies coming, let me know...

[Sarah]

Highly recommend Morocco too. Been with n without bikes. Easy to travel on buses n taxi with them. We went to Ourzazette and rode to Todra then Dades on back 'roads' stayed in gites and had a blast. Learn a bit of french.

Enjoy, thinking of going back at easter.

Sarah

[Mpolo]

What sort of temperatures should I expect day and night? high up could be well below 0 at night and daytime at sea level could be 25
Wild camping an issue? no but there are people everywhere so ask and don't expect privacy, you are likely to be invited to stay in someones house
Need to take loads of food or rely on what I find? you can get plenty there. dried fruit and nuts are great in the markets
Water availability? good you might need to ask, most water comes from wells so is ok to drink
Tent or bivvy bag? tent but you could easily manage staying in cheap places and not bother camping

[Chew]

If anyone else fancies coming, let me know...

Could be interested depending what your plans are?

[Dan_K]

If anyone else fancies coming, let me know...

Could be interested depending what your plans are?

Pretty open Chew. My solo plan was to fly Gatwick to Agadir, use Dan's link to arrange a transfer/first night/bag drop and then head into the Anti Atlas for a few days before returning to the same hotel for last night and transfer.
Have got 7 days but am flexible on dates. Looking at end of January or beginning of February.
Could be tempted for something more adventurous but would play it safe if I go alone.

[Chew]

Those dates/times would be fine.
Need to check with work and stuff about how many spare days I'd have available for next year and some of that may depend on if next years big plan comes to fruition.

Think Stu did some reasearch into morocco a while back so I'll tap him up for that

Quick look seems Agadir may not work from Manchester, but Marrakesh is fine.

May not be able to confirm for a while though.

[Dan_K]

May not be able to confirm for a while though.

Yeah, that's fine. Will probably book flights in a couple of weeks.

[Dan_K]

For anyone that's interested, I've found these links which may be useful:

Updated GPS mapping:

https://www.africaexpedition.de/ausrust ... p-morocco/

Travel advice:
http://travellingtwo.com/resources/moro ... uagelesson

https://sahara-overland.com

And a couple of tempting photos

[Mpolo]

http://www.island-olaf.de/travel/marokko/gps.html
for mapping but openstreet map is good also
Sahara overland has some good routes which i am using and well locations

[Dan_K]

http://www.island-olaf.de/travel/marokko/gps.html
for mapping but openstreet map is good also
Sahara overland has some good routes which i am using and well locations

Thanks Dan. I saw those but thought 2007 would mean the maps were out of date. I've downloaded the ones above (updated June 2016). If you want, I can put a copy on Dropbox for you?

[Mpolo]

yes please Dan

[Dan_K]

Pm sent.

[Dan_K]

I've had to book this to get my leave request in at work.
Flying LGW to Agadir 31/1/17-7/2/17 for anyone interested in coming.
Easyjet was £140 total.

[Gari]

Bargain, bike included yeh?
Paid more or less the same for Iceland next year...
I shall be keeping an eye out for the trip report.

[Dan_K]

Bargain, bike included yeh?
Paid more or less the same for Iceland next year...
I shall be keeping an eye out for the trip report.

Yeah, bike and hand luggage. Morning flights.

[Dan_K]

Question for Dan and Meraid really...
I'm going to book with Said to stay at his place and arrange transfers. Any idea how much I should expect to pay? Accommodation looks around £20 but have no clue about transport costs. Bike will be in an evoc bag which I hope to leave with him.

Also, do you have GPS coordinates for where I can buy meths in Taroudant?