ABW does Morocco October 2012

Day4 03/10/2012: Rush Hour in Marrakech.

What a bummer! My bike needs oil before I go anywhere today. It's supposed be straight to Nipple Hill this morning and I don't want to miss out so it's an 07:00hrs start for Ian and I to set off to a merchant which we think will be open early and have a product I can use. Upon arrival there is no sign of life, not a heart beat, and we try the nearby neighbour but it's the same sorry story here. Okay, let's try the petrol stations: Nothing. There's plenty of car and truck oil at the countless places we try but no suitable oils for a wet clutch'ed moto. After several attempts and 50 minutes of scything our way through the city traffic we have to give up for now because the other riders are due to leave the hotel soon and we need to be there to load their luggage into the Land Cruiser. It looks like I'll just have to wait a while and miss out on the mornings' ride and catch up later.
After having to accept that none of the other bikes were going to donate a few cups of their engine lubricants it was MrIfan and I who returned to the streets of Marrakech with both the Landcruiser and my following TTR. We went back to the first workshop we had tried earlier this morning but they only had oil for four wheelers. We noticed another hole in the wall accessories supllier had opened its doors just a few meters away and tried him but it was the same. He did however offer to take us somewhere who could help us. He closed his shop jumped into the car with Ian and led to down the narrow sandy streets to a motorcycle parts dealer who had everything we wanted. After buying a couple of litres of Motul 10W40 and a can of unusually green chain lube we dropped the Geezer off at his shop, I gave him a tenner, borrowed a funnel, did the job and buggered off sharpish to a rendevous point to meet up with the rest of the team.

We sped off to another dusty layby at the side of the road near Ouirgane and to be honest, it was a relief to stop and rest after the racetrack road. Apparently this place is an hotel and seems to quite posh from what I've read.

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There's an hotel down there somewhere.

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We had a bit of a wait for the rest of the crew and eventually went to have a look in the direction from which they should be arriving but there was nothing to be seen. Eventually they all turned up with stories of derring doo on Nipple Hill, river crossings and trials riding techniques just to get here, and that before riding the Tizi-n-Test.

I'll just lob in a few pictures, since I've edited and saved them, from the other guys and whatever they were upto...

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The Tizi-n-Test is a fairly fast twisty mountain pass on the western end of the High Atlas. The road getting there is probably more fun than the tizi road itself and somewhat less dangerous should anything go wrong. There is however spectacular views from many locations and the opportunity for a sit down with a nice hot mint tea.

Once the real climbing starts the road's condition become variable with concrete slabs dropped onto hairpin bends, pot holes inconsiderably positioned and selfish oncoming traffic driving on the right hand side of the road just when we need it most. :augie The first stop at the top is here, the plaque marking the completion of the road back in the 1930's and our chance for a photo shoot...

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Parking is easy around here and we can have all the time we need to rest for a few minutes and smoke a cigar...

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The trouble here is that there's no tea and a limited view so it's off around the corner to the cafe and another wander around a loosely protected cliff edge.

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These are the views we're here for. It's a long way down (no pun intended) and a far away horizon which we will be chasing once we'd had our tea and a good look at the landscape.

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If you have noticed those sandy coloured stripes on the edges of the hillsides in the images shown above and would like to ride those then get yourselves up here because that's our route down to the valley floor.

It was quite a tricky ride down those pistes with some very tight sections and a typical selection of changing surfaces from one corner to the next but, it's a much better descent than using the road because it keeps you away from the traffic.

Once at the bottom and on the long straight road towards Aoulouz I have a look over my shoulder to see where we'd come from and decide it's worth a few moments to capture the scene...

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This little set of pictures were taken on the same day as far as I can tell but for the life of me I can't remember where. I'm sure they are late afternoon and may have been taken during our tizi decent or somewhere near the end of the day?

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We are on ourway to Taliouine for the night. There's accomodation there that we weren't supposed to be using tonight but a change of plan forced our hand. Overall the place is not bad but the rooms themselves take a bit of getting used to because they are quite sparce and the bedding is well out of date. They have a pool which most of us used (I think Dean was asleep again) and the food is okay but it was the worst nights sleep I have had in a while. It's Tafraoute tomorrow and I know that will be just fine.
 
Day5 04/10/2012: Taliouine To Tafraoute.

I'm up early this morning. Actually I'm up early every morning because I like to have a shave in the morning before a shower and I've found it's better to lose half an hour in bed to avoid hogging the bathroom and then making whomever I'm sharing with the possibility of being late or missing breakfast. The other factor for getting up early this morning was that I was hating my bed. It was lumpy and clothed in layers of nylon sheets and heavy wool blankets which seemed to either fall off or wrap themselves around my limbs until movement was completely restricted. :mad: I even kept the Boss awake with all the shuffling going on, apparently. I'm sure this will be the last time we stay here. At least there's breakfast to look forward to because there are fruiting orange trees outside and surely a glass of juice must be on the menu.
Obviously there's no menu so it's the usual coffee pots. which is just fine by me, bread, cheese triangles :barf, jam and of course the orange juice. I suppose I'll have to wait for sausage, egg, beans and buttered toast until tomorrow. :augie I guess it's just a matter of having to get used to the meals we are given when on a trip and look forward to something different when you arrive elsewhere: I'm looking forward to Spain again (I can't believe I'm moaning about the food after only four days and a night. :blast)

Other early risers were Ifan and Alan who both went looking to capture the morning light of the surrounding area and our accomodation.

A couple of views from the roof...

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The peak altitude in view around here is over 2000m and falls to 1000m if you could look back to the way we came in; it is afterall a mountain range. Down at ground level the rooms we used last night are shown...

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Not too bad but could do with some investment.

Once packed and loaded it's off to find out which way we're going today.

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The Boss leads us on our way...

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Jono's KTM HP2...:augie

I know Tafraoute is the final desintation for today but the routes have been tweaked to include as many pistes that we can fit in during daylight hours and not give ourselves any problems. The trouble with this is that so many trails and tracks are ridden that sometimes a whole day gets lost in confusion as to what you've been doing and when: This was one of those days. :confused:
I know we had an immediate fuel stop and rode for about 30 minutes on the road but after that it was piste, tracks and trails which occupied most of the day, and all are so different yet similar, it become confusing to stitch together what happened. I suppose what that all boils down to is a good day's riding. :D

I reckon we're going up there...

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...and then given a five break to contemplate what's coming up next:

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The climb starts on roacky piste and then patches of tarmac and concrete which wind's it's way up the sides of the mountains. The road is completely traffic free and we have the whole place to ourselves...

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Look who's peeing again...:blagblah

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Sky. Often underrated until you catch this. Mr IFan's work...:thumb2

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Stopping for a while in locations like this, where ever it is, make's the effort well worth while. If we had bacon here we could have got away with a second breakfast and not upset anyone at all.

We ride on and the surfaces change all the time. I suspect this has something to do with what the local road management team know about the problems which occur when the weather changes and the amount of use each road is subjected to. Here we have found a superficial layer of tarmac:

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The Boss leads the way.

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Greater Manchester and Derby is represented here.

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The Tail End getting dropped by quicker riding...:augie

This has all been fine and dandy but there's no lunch up here and we have to drop down to the road and into Igherm (or was it Timzit?) for an omelette lunch. The lunch was fine, if not protracted, because the Boss found the the cafe with the village idiot in charge for today. All of what was asked for arrived on the table but I think we overwhelmed him with the fact that we were probabley the most unusual customers this Geezer had seen in months.

Getting back onto the trails took no time at all after lunch. It was a short three minute ride and a left turn to digest our meals before we had to get back into shape and our next piste. You have to be careful at lunch time because too much food can make a man weary and lose the will to go on. Omelette, bread and mint tea is just right to provide enough energy for the remainder of the day and not put you down for the rest of the afternoon. This turned out to be crucial today because our real riding challenge came upon us soon enough.
The first post lunch trails where fairly standard for around here. The width of a truck, a hard packed stoney surface and lined with more rocks:

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Jono chases his roommate's rear.


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Spout: The HP2's make it look easy and do good times.

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No hurry here...:augie

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It is like riding alone up here. :)

As always the Boss leads the way, or should that be finds our way. It can't be easy at the front because that's where the problems on the road are found first.

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Skygod.

He did have good back up though with Spout closely following on another HP2.

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Spout.

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Jono.

Is it better to stand up or sit down on the corners? The two HP2 riders above show a different technique on the same corner. The surface is more rocky now so, do you go for more control or less height to fall from and land on a rock?

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Alan.

It's becoming a long a day today with so many pistes to ride and there have been many changes of scenery. The one change we didn't want though was the disappearance of the trail. We arrived in another valley but there was no sight of which way we should go. The GPS showed our route to be between two hills which was full of rocks the size of a washing machine. This would have been too much for even the best trials rider, let alone us on these big bikes, and now we'll have to find another way out. Rather than turn back it was to be another unplanned river bed ride. :blast Thankfully this time it wasn't as bad as the River of Death on our last trip but it was challenging at times when bouncing over the banks to the short stretches of stoney land winding it's way out the valley.

We followed the path of the riverbed until we found ourselves back on track and climbed our way out and in the general direction of Tafraoute on some nice wide graded pistes.

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It can't be too far now but the day has been taking it's toll on us and some more than others...

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Dean. :comfort

That's become an increasingly familiar sight over the last couple of days with Dean. He seems to have picked up a little bit of a bug and it's not doing him any good whatsoever but he has managed to keep on riding. It'll all be over soon because we are now starting to see some signs of civilisation and we're getting closer to finding a road.

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Somewhere down there will be Tafraoute.

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It's nice to be on tarmac again for a run into the town and we're all tired now. There's beer at this hotel, a pool and a nice view...

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There's no swimming this evening because it's getting cool now and the patchy cloud looks threatening. After a cold drink, or three, a table of tagines and an hour or so chatting it will soon be time for bed because tomorrow we have a day off to go a play on our bikes, and come back to the same hotel again.

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Additional memories of today -

The fuel attendant at the early fill tried ripping us off (not zeroing the meter). But he chose the wrong tourists this time.:rob

Alan is fairly new to biking and wouldn't take a turn at leading "in case I hold everybody up". He was eventually persuaded to today on a long hilly climb, and off he went - we couldn't keep up :clap

Today was the day I had my only drop of the tour. But it wasn't a real one because I kept the engine going and got the bike upright before any cameras came out. Phew :augie

We all had a bit of a moment before we even got to any pistes, as a hidden section of road had washed away behind a concrete river crossing. Following Gary I saw him drop a couple of feet and bounce around a bit and I didn't have time or distance to stop so had to follow him off the drop. It took everyone by surprise but we managed to forewarn Ian in the Land Cruiser chasing up behind us.

Lots and lots and lots and lots of trails today. Nice medium speed pistes. If I went again but could only do one day this could be it :thumb

Moroccan roads!
 

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Hi

Sorry it was all good when we rode it :D



Looking forwards to more of your report :thumb2

keep it coming both

Louis

Thanks. More to come later when I've edited the pictures.

Your images have just ressurected a nightmare for me when seeing that place again. :( We didn't have time to stop for photo's but I'm hoping to find some video to drop in.
 
Day 6 05/10/2012: R and R.

Is it necessary that we are given a day off after less than a weeks riding? Personally I would have been quite happy to get back on my bike this morning and set off to another destination for tonight, but that's just me. It is however a good opportunity to get some washing done, you know who you are, check your bike over, adjust your chain (HP2's excluded) and tyre pressures or lounge around and regain your strength for the forthcoming Man's Days'. On the other had you could just take your bike out for a little spin in the morning, have a spot of lunch in the early afternoon, drink a couple of beers by the pool and to go for a swim while the sun is shining. :thumb

After breakfast we have been invited to be stood to attention next to our bikes if we want to have a bit of unrestricted playtime at the Blue Rocks near Agard Oudad (the spelling is loose for most places in Morocco but this is what it says on my map) and only a short ride from Tafraoute. Should you care to look at this place is can be seen on Google's satellite imaging just south and west of Agard Oudad. Look for the blue spots within the wadi's and rocks.

It only takes about twenty minutes from our hotel, and past the Napolian's Hat rock formation (Thanks to Mr Harrison for pointing that out), to put ourselves on track to the Blue Rocks and a seemingly unlimited and varied landscape to throw your bike around. There's miles and miles of it and is well worth the journey to get here. You could even ride straight here to spend a few days exploring and beef up your riding skills on the range of challenging obstacles to be found here and there. In fact I may even suggest having a trials competion next time where the rider who drops the most points buys the first two rounds in the evening.

Now, there's a lot of pictures which have been taken today so it might be woth having a video to start of with showing a short run of the route to get to the playground we are beginning to adopt as our own. It's raw and unedited but does show some of the running which can be found...

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...and some stills of the downhill ride into a pile of bone breaking rocks:

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As usual the Boss leads the way and eventually finds our first Man's test for the day. It's only a short run downhill but if you get it wrong your going to break something and that something might just be attached to yourself rather than the bike. Either way there's still over a week to go so let's save the crashes for the sand.

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Pick your line early and go for it. :bow

You have to hold your nerve for a few seconds during this decent and try not to be distracted by the bike-wrecking larger obstacles...

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The correct line...:)

There's a step to get over so having a long wheelbase bike helps...

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Jono has chosen the easier side without so many rocks... :thumb

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...and so has Paul. :)

Dean, Alan and I go for the middle where there's a few more rocks to roll over but...

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...it does give you a better line, as seen with Al's KTM above, and keep you away from trouble...

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Rudiemoto's steering stem seems to have a tight spot...:blast

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You're about a meter off line there Geezer. :rolleyes:

We all get down to the bottom safely and it's helmets off for a cigar, some doughnuts from Spout and to decide whether to go back up and have another go. There's only two who are willing to play on the hard stoney surface and show off their trial riding heritage and that's Spout, and then Rudiemoto...

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Spout on the way up, while Jono checks out the sand circles (top lefthand corner).

He's looking good, lifts a wheel, turns around and comes straight back down...

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Jono follows as soon a Paul is back on safe ground and any chance of getting in the way. Just as well really. :augie

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That's a good fighting start, pushing hard with lots of rev's...

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...leading to an impossible situation. :comfort To be fair the rest of us just watched all of this HP2 bravado so, well done to them for providing us with a few minutes of entertainment. :Motomartin They probably didn't realise that there was another rock climb to take on almost immediately once we ridden for a few minutes from here. It's a popular ride for Tossers because I know it's been done a few times before but again, it looks fairly straightforward until you and your bike starts flipping on the way down if you're not concentrating.

Just like Nipple Hill, it's one of those climbs that need a bit of awareness once you've reached the top and don't try to ride over the other side unless you're feeling strong and confident. Jono and Paul where up there first for a look around and to watch the remaining four meeting them at the top. Alan is instructed and sent on his way...

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Don't back off...

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Safe. Phew!

Spout has had enough and comes back down to break out the Embassy No1's...

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...and the Boss goes up.

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"Does me arse look big on this?" :nenau

Again, as with all riding challenges, you have to pick out your route and then commit to 100%...

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Choosing a line.

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Jono comes down and picks out his line...

Lastly, Dean steps lifts himself out of the shade of his bike (He's poorly remember) and shoots himself straight up and back down on the bike which I tried to prise out of his hands and secure my rights of ownership...

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Stay out of the tram lines!

With the trials riding completed it's time for some training on fesh fesh, a term I've only learnt recently from Simon Pavey's descriptions within this years' Dakar reports, which will be useful in couple of days time. Fesh fesh is best described as a soft sandy or dusty surface on top of a firm substrate which makes for a wobbly front end. What that equates to for us is riding on sand and how to deal with it and not breaking a wrist or ankle.

This place, which we've been to before, looks like a dry stream bed and has a decent stretch to ride through near the place where we have parked. If you're feeling confident you can ride even further but be careful not to get lost.

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Rudiemoto has been set the challenge to Skygod. :eek

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They made it...in reverse order. :confused:

It's not that easy at first because you have to ride fast otherwise the front wheel just digs in and gives the rider a hard time managing the bars.

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There's no supervision here, no Hi Viz rent-a-cops, and no HSE so soon enough we are all at it...

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All HP2 riders are confident and just go for it. :blagblah Spout.

It's a tad easier on a smaller bike such a KTM or Yamaha...

Alan looks quite comfortable from the off...

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...and I suspect Dean has seen something similar to this during his Spanish Rally earlier in the year...

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And my bike? I've learnt my lessons over the last 18 months or so and now know when it's about to crash. :hide...

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Also, there's the "Can I ride Your bike" question from Gaz. He and Alan are quite happy to share their saddles with each other...

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Skygod on Al's 690 Enduro: The start of an orange addiction?

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Alan on the HPN: "Armchair riding" was mentioned as a comparison to his current steed after that...:augie
Here's another short'ish video showing a couple of blasts through the sandy stream bed.

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Thumbs Up to Rudiemoto for giving me his GoPro for this. :thumb

We give ourselves plenty of time around here to enjoy ourselve on our bikes, take pictures, absorb the environment and enjoy the sunshine or a moment together...

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Some of us suspected this would come about. :eek: (Jono did a good job of hiding his disappointment over the next couple of days. :comfort

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Happy to be here. :D

When away and on a trip it's everyman's objective to capture his own picturial records for his own benefit in the future but, what does it take to setup this picture?

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Alan's KTM 690 Enduro in front of a rock painted blue. :thumb

It took some effort to get that bike positioned correctly...

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Taming a KTM...

Hold onto the reigns Geezer and you'll be okay...

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Hard work eh!

Before we move on, and while Alan's picture's are open, which one of these did you want us to use Old Chap?

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Picture 1 or...

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...or Picture 2, or...

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...Picture 3?

One of us decides to go exploring to find something else to do elsewhere.

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That's Spout. He has decided to find a huge painted rock to climb and leaves the rest of no choice but to follow him up there to save our face. We all begin to set off towards him and then find our own way up...

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There's success for a couple.

...and once when we arrive it's start to get silly.

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Everyone has to find their own path to where Paul has put himself and in the end we all get there...

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Awesome!

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Moderate!

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The Cheque Book.

Getting back down to ground level is somewhat less easy that getting up there so Spout demonstrates the rding and navigation skills to get us on our way. The problem is that we should be paying attntion here and to that end it all falls apart for a few minutes...

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We're close to being done here and after a few more doughnuts we decide it's time to get back to the hotel and get dressed for a spot of roast chicken and frittes for tiffin before an afternoon beside the pool to discuss tomorrows' adventures...

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PS: The chicken lunch was shown in the earlier report. :drool
 
Day7 06/10/2012 Part 1: Tafraoute to Tata.

The clothes washing has been done, the bikes have oil and our chains are now coated in green lube and with a rest day under our belts we have to get back to some proper riding. Today we are going to Tata and even though it's another place name starting with a T it's an easy one to remember should anyone get lost on the way. Upon leaving Tafraoute we pass the afor mentioned Napolian's Hat rock formation which Ian takes to a moment to capture:

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Is this the right one? They all look the same to me.

The riders didn't stop for this. We carried on on the road to our first stop of the morning just beyond the palmery of the Gorges d'Ait Mansour. Earlier this year the road through the palmery had been recently resurfaced and there was a lot of of loose stone resting on the tarmac but this time around it had either been shifted to the sides of the road or has become embedded in the topcoat making the ride a lot less nervous for a bike.
I think it's worth stopping for a minute or so in the gorge to take a picture even if you are on your own:

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Serenity.

I soon catch up to the group which has stopped in a layby. It's not as nice as where I took my last picture :roll but nevertheless it is safe and away from the traffic and allows others to take their own pictures, have a smoke, take a pee and, should you feel like it lay down in the shade of your bike...

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Skygod, Alan, Jono and his now ex-boyfriend, and Spout.

It's nice and warm here at this time of year in the early morning. What is easy to ignore is that whilst we are here in the cooler morning air of a gorge that in less than an hour we are going to be getting a lot hotter during our ride towards our lunch break on a harsh stoney piste. All we had to do to get there was finish off the road riding through Timkyet and pick up the piste...

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The piste we take is a genuine thoroughfare for those who reside around here but for us it's a trail ride just like those we may search for in the UK or elsewhere on our travels. It's fairly wide and open to start with, which gives the riders plently of options, but get too far offline and you will be paddling or pushing your bike back on track...

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Ride The Line: Dean chases Paul. :Motomartin

Dean is quite good on that bike. He pushes it well and has so far kept it away from the verges.

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It turns out to be quite pretty along here once we've broken the early miles of this piste...

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...but there are small, and frequent, obstacles along the way which make you look twice before commiting to them.

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A heavy bike and a good rider can deal with the landing. :thumb2

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A light bike and marginally lighter rider can also produce the goods. :thumb

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A cautious rider has to take a cautious landing...:augie

Everyone else either lifted a front wheel for a moment or dumped it straight away for the safer option, including me. :)

Of course we do stop every so often to recompose ourselves and take a few few minutes to chat, smoke, pee or have a minute on our our own...

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The Skull & Crossbones is very puzzling. Is it a warning?

This piste goes on forever and is a bone shaking lane of torture which is difficult to ride at speed. My handlebars are flapping constantly and Alan has had enough of his front wheel washing out. Actually so am I and my left mirror is swinging about its threading and I have to keep lifting a hand and try to tighten it on the move. :( I'm sure we'll stop again once the end is in sight to top up on water and have a rest from the heat.

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Come on Dean! Get up!

We have to climb our way out here to get away from the steep slopes either side of us which are keeping the heat in and once away from the valley we take another short cigar break before the next pistes and our well deserved lunch and fuel stop, again in Igherm.

It's a nice easy start across a short plateaux which barely reveals which way the trails go. It's a case of linking the adhock bridges across the rocky wadi's until stop to scan the hillside to see which way to go next. If you like hillclimbs then the next track will be excellent for you...

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Spout gets to lead for a while...

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...but is still supervised by the Boss.

This is another staggering landscape to ride through. The only landmarks are the peaks of the mountains and occasional buttresses holding up the piste in places.

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Do you fancy going for a ride? :D

Going up or down the corners just keep coming...

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Rudiemoto being chased by Dean...:augie

Eventually we do begin to reach the summit of our climb all though much to Alan's dismay it gets very rocky on the piste again:

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It's not fun anymore is it?

Sure enough we make it onto the next plateaux for some nice smooth graded pistes...

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Bliss for Alan and bike he wishes he was riding now. :p

It has been all plain sailing to get here and today's trails have claimed there first victims of the day: My bike's clock assembley AGAIN, and Dean AGAIN...

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Those clocks need cable ties again. :eek

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It's that man again. :comfort

There's just a few more tricky miles but you never know when those trickier sections will come. Alan's camera takes a look back during one short stop and soon after takes a look forward to one more session...

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These sections just pop up from time to time. :cool:

It's been a tough morning and we are all happy with what we've done so far but the sight of this, the road to a lunch break, gives us a bit of relief for a while although there is more to do later.

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We need feeding. :rob
 
Still reading, still following.

So much work goes into writing a ride report like this, its been a brilliant read so far and a real credit to you Ditchwater :thumb2
 
Still reading, still following.

So much work goes into writing a ride report like this, its been a brilliant read so far and a real credit to you Ditchwater :thumb2

I totally agree. I have really enjoyed reading this report so far. Thank You.
I just wish I had the skill/bottle/fitness/time to do something like this myself.

Looking forward to the next instalment :thumb
 
Looking forward to the next instalment :thumb

Day 7, Part 2 - Our finest moment?

“….we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender”

“…..victory, however long and hard the road may be".

"I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat."

:popcorn
 
Day7 06/10/2012 Part 2: Death or Disabilty.

Thanks to All for your positive comments. :beerjug: Book yourselves's a night with Skygod to fulfill your desires. :eek:

Our lunch in Igherm was neither a lesser nor greater culinary experience than our previous visit to the same cafe we used yesterday. However it did feature better omelletes, probably due to the fact that we didn't have the Boss's village idiot to deal with, and some shared tagines. :) He did find something to complain about though and that was the amount owed to the bill. I can't say much more to those coming over here than this: DO NOT MAKE MEAL ORDERS WITHOUT ASKING FOR AN APPROXIMATE TOTAL COST AND TO WATCH OUT FOR WHAT'S HAPPENING TO THE CLOCKS AT THE PETROL STATIONS. It's been more that a few times already on this trip where we have had to stand our ground and refuse the excessive tourists' excess. You have been warned. :rob

A long lunch like this, even without wine, takes no prisoners. If you can use your spoon as skillfully as Erroll Flynn used a rapier and you spend alot of time stretching to the bread basket you are going to have a full belly and feel it when you try to mount your bike after the table has been cleared.
Now I'm not saying that there is anyone here whose physical dimensions or appetite have overwhelmed their owners today but it's my responsibilty to report that three of the team have decided to go straight to Tata (read that as HOTEL) and to miss out on (read as AVOID) this afternoon's piste. The excuses are: "tired, feeling unwell and tired, tired, enough for today, tired and tired and ,today's been good enough already I'm tired". The stoney valley ride this morning has been a Man's Test of sorts but to follow the car this afternoon is not an option for the remainder of the riders.

I suppose we may as well get the pictures of those who chose the road ride out of the way for now and clean my palette of the weak and make way for the brave (or is it foolish?)...

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Dean: Not feeling his best. :comfort

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Alan: Tired. :comfort

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Jono: Not looking too bad for now but is still overweight after all the work he's done this week. :nenau

You Chaps do have a nice view. :thumb

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Upon arrival in Tata the Half-a-Trip Troupe were worried about the weather. :augie

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It's only water so don't worry.

Meanwhile the Tata Three were going to finish off the days' planned route for completeness, satisfaction and pleasure. The Boss, Spout and I committed ourselves to the remainder of the day and to recce an unknown piste (to us) which should make for a short'ish shortcut between Igherm and Tata.

To acheive this the Tata Three had to back-track for few a few kilometers from Igherm to find the way onto the unknown piste and test our luck. It was an easy search and The Boss led Spout and I onto a twisty and regularly stone laden track up a series of hills, hairpin bends and then onto another flat plateaux. The lay of these sections is becoming very familiar to us and can now be done without any concerns other than where one may fall off at speed and break a bone on a rock at the side of the trail.

What we found upon our arrival on the plateaux was very welcoming and to be honest, I thought this was going to be a doddle. We could see far enough ahead to use high gears and there was enough run-off to avoid a sudden stop or hit something hard. The fast flat tracks makes it feel easy for 40 minutes of riding and the three of us are enjoying ourselves, lifting some dust and splashing through a puddle or two. We have noticed the dark clouds in front of us and we're not bothered about that because it's all looking good at the moment and we reckon this piste should be completed in a hour when considering we ony have about 25k's to cover before we connect with the next real road.

The problem with our optimism was that we weren't expecting the change on the piste. It immediately switched from firm, dusty and occasional dampness to stones, stoney, rocky and stoney. This piste is turning into something that needed respect. The plateaux had disappeared and left us on the edge of a cliff, the smooth surface had disappeared and left us with marbles and to cap it all off I was running out of cigars even though I thought I had stashed another box somewhere. :confused:

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The picture above shows Spout's veiw of what the Three have encountered. It looks like fun doesn't it? That's until your little Yamaha's suspension get into an oscillation and directs itself to a failed buttress where you're going to have to lay your bike down or take a long distance tumble. I know this because I had to put my bike down on one occasion to avoid a rapid descent to the bottom of this valley. That cost me a mirror and some confidence. :tears

The Boss and Spout are miles ahead of me on this piste and Paul even has time to take a picture of his own bike whilst waiting for me to catch up...

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Another nice view of The Top Of The World.
I'm probably on the other side of the valley from there and being shouted at to get a move on!

This painfull trail continues in it's same condition and continues to present us with challenges which could either be overcome to allow us to carry on or, turn us around to take the now long road ride to Tata. We decide to carry on... :blast

It's not long before we arrive at a significant problem. There's a complete hairpin corner which has fallen apart and been filled with rocks. It requires a steady approach and a touch of bravery to get over it. We Three manage to complete this rough section without too much delay and press on to discover that we have wasted our time. We have encountered another disappearance of the piste which is definately going to prevent us from travelling any further...

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Nobody here fancies riding around that!

We do go forward to have a closer look and check out whether it's possible but it's not on and all we can do is to talk about the fact that we have turn around, go back and do it all again in reverse.

Before I carry on, here's another of the unedited video footage taken from rudiemoto's borrowed GoPro on this trail...

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We turn around and head back to the unwelcome scene of the first big challenge that we took on earlier. It looks so different this way around that I had to get my handbrush out to make the riding bit simpler:

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Removing stuff...:blush

It did help the Boss...

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...but not me. :blast

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Bugger!

As it happens (Not Savile related) it wasn't that easy for all of us...

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After a momentary rest the Boss managed to get his big bike over the pile of rock which we had ridden over earlier and showed me how to do it...

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We battled on for a while hoping that the fast and smooth tracks would come to us sooner that they left us on the way here but in hindsight that was wishfull thinking. Once we were convinced that we were well away from the difficult sections of this piste it ws time to afford a Five-Break. Even though I had run out of cigars there was a orange about my person, stolen from this mornings breakfast, which we divided equally as a reward for our effort this afternoon:

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Rocky trails in Morocco 1/10. Sucking the juice from oranges 9/10. :)

Well, we have to carry on but before we go there' one more shot of the landscape from Spout...

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His picture shows not alot more than where we've been today but does show alot of what can be found when you go looking and are prepared to take a chance.

We do clear the difficult rocky and cliff edged piste before the light drops over the horizon. We even make it onto the road which we have to ride to Tata but eventually the light fades on the way to make it into a night ride into town. All I should add from here is that when your headlamp is pointing skyward try to avoid riding in the dark: A big :beerjug: goes to Skygod and Spout for illuminating the road and to MrIfan for looking out for us and guiding us to the hotel. :)
 
Day 8 07/10/2012: Ta Ta to Tata: Part 1.

Well, it wasn't a good night last night. After the Tata Three had a honking afternoon on the piste to nowhere we arrived at an hotel that was mingin'. This was only because we couldn't get enough rooms to accomodate us all at the posh place. It wasn't everything about this hotel which was bad: They had a secret bar, the food was good, and there was a nice balcony to sit on but the rooms were in need of a facilities managers' keen eye to detail. I suppose it could have been worse if the Three had been caught in the downpour which we heard had hit Tata before we arrived. Fortunately for the other riders they had already arrived at the hotel, shared a soapy shower, and were drying each other off when the heavens opened. God knows what they would have been upto if they had checked-in already wet for the afternoon after their relaxing road ride!

There's no problem getting out of bed this morning because it was another rough nights sleep in a small room with beds of sacking. Another good reason be bright and early is because we have alot of trails to cover today because we're off to Zagora. The standard Moroccan breakfast is comsumed, the kit is loaded into the car, we fuel the bikes and set off.

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Goodbye!

One of the saving graces for Tata is that it only takes half an hour on the road to get the first tracks and forget the previous night.

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The Boss in the lead...

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...and his wingman, Spout.

Nice tarmac that was for Morocco but we want this...

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You can get this by turning left after a short ride when heading east from Tata.

I noticed before we left Tata this morning that my bike would be needing another top up of the engine oil but the Boss wanted to get to away and we agreed that it could be done when we stopped for a break. Well that time is now. Engine oil is not that interesting but what is noticable here is how the piste has changed from rock to what I think we've found is fesh fesh.

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Alan takes a lot of pictures of his bike. He has though captured the surface change.

I do wish it was easier, and quicker, to take the seat off my bike...

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It could be worse. We could be on a damp island in the North Atlantic.

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Nearly done.

With the bike maintenance and cigar break done we are now free to on with rest of this mornings ride which is going to be a good one. There are countless miles of this piste to be had and it can be ridden at speed if you pay enough attention to which way it goes. Sometime there are even choices for which way you can go. The alternative paths are not that far apart but sometimes it keeps you out of the dust or simply offers you a lazy corner.

The HP2s are leading the way again...

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Skygod and rudiemoto...

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...followed by Spout...

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...then Alan. I don't know what happened to Dean here? Lying down somewhere. :nenau

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Sorry Ifan. I'll get there in the eventually.

This trail does eventually begin to broaden and we soon move out onto an open plain and are pretty much free to go where we want, as long as we keep the Boss in sight andare all travelling in the same eastery direction.

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Even though it is good riding we do have to stop occasionally. The pace has been quite fast and it is getting much warmer as the day goes on so, when places like this appear it looks llike just the right place to stop for those who like the shade.

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Random palms.

It's not just the bike riders who get to enjoy themselves on these trips. Our support driver also has the freedom of the countryside over here. Some places are easier than others and some are faster than others, and this looks like the place to get get some wind in your hair.

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Not a bad place to be if you have the 4x4 driving experience.

There's something I nearly forgot to mention about the riding we've done so far and that it is can take its toll on your bike. In the last week we've had crash damage which required straightening the front end of a KTM, oil for engines, lubrication for chains, trailer rides for failing electrical systems, foam fillers for punctured tyres and now exhaust silencers falling off. Spout's wobbly silencer, from new according to it's owner, has been moving so much that it has fractured the lug it is bolted to on the rear subframe.

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Don't worry. We know a welder in Zagora. :comfort

Paul's silencer goes in the Land Cruiser and we ride on for a while to carry out a sound check. It isn't that bad really but actually there's nobody around to complain...

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Another change of scenery in only half an hour once again.

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Jono is overheating and Dean is lying down again...:augie

After the relatively flat riding on the plain the trail is again starting to become a single track route in places, just like the earlier ones which wrecked Spout's end-can, and we are again forced to follow a narrow path through piles of rock and several wadis.
There's not too much to worry about here...

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...but a few seconds later you have this to deal with...

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Don't drop it. :rob

...or to make it as difficult as you want. :blast

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A good recovery with a touch of roost. :D

Crossing a wadi is always fraught with danger. They are usually full of rocks and often have more than one point of entry and exit, and the one you use is more often dictated by the type of vehicle you have and its condition. We're on bikes so it's a case of choosing your line and going for it...

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It's only me here because I'm miles behind everyone else. :hide

Being Tail End Charlie on this trip does have its problems, especially if you can't keep up, because shortly before the picture below was taken when everyone else had stopped, I arrived at an invisible gulley a short distance away from where the group had stopped.

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Get up Dean!

IF I had been closer to the others I would probably have noticed them slow down for an obstacle. IF I had been standing up I may have seen it earlier and been ready but, I was sitting down and relaxing in preparation for a cigar. What happened taught me a lesson here. I had a close call for a potentially serious headache when I saw the gulley too late. I tried to lift the front wheel over the gulley but was far too late because I didn't see it until I was on top of it. The cost of a minute on my saddle was the opportunity to kiss my front mud guard and be thankfull for the bar pad on my handlebars and the chest protector in my body armour; thanks to Farmer Palmer for that. :thumb . I consider myself fortunate that I didn't have my bike landing on top of me and learned another lesson for riding on unfamiliar territory: Do not be complacent and to look as far ahead as you can, just like on the road. :blast

It will not be too long from now before we are back on a real road, with a genuinely engineered top surface, and a defined destination to our lunch break in Foum Zguid. However, and yet again, we are given a few more moments of pleasure to take in when we encountered a herd, or caravan, of camels going about their business on both sides of the piste we were using...

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A supremely happy KTM rider...:)

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Leave 'em alone Boss! They've seen you before and are still in shock. :eek:

We survived the caravan, or herd, of camel and carried on for only a short while on this trail...

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...until there was an almost miraculous appearance of tarmac. Actually it's not that miraculous because all we have to do is turn left, or right, and search out the real road from here (wherever HERE is?) because these pistes are the original roads and new roads tend to run in parallel or thereabouts. After a while we arrived at a T-Junction and it was from here where the bikes turned right and the Land Cruiser turned left and both set off on a very different journey to Zagora.

MrIfan took a series of mountain passes to Zagora to ensure he had enough time to arrive safely and not wreck the car on the route which the riders would be taking. It wasn't all go, go ,go for IFan though because he did have time in hand to stop and look at this accomodation for a moment...

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I'll give you £600 and no more!

We, on our bikes, did feel a bit more relaxed and took a on decent feed at a restaurant in the square in Foum Zguid. We're looking forward to numerous brogettes, plates full of frittes and something left over to feed the cats...

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Waiting for food...:fnikefork

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Have you had enough now...:rolleyes:
 
Now that video bit titled -
"Before I carry on, here's another of the unedited video footage taken from rudiemoto's borrowed GoPro on this trail... "

Just a tadge scary I thought and also came to the conclusion that if you'd got it slightly wrong and err, gone over the edge......

Well I suppose the consolation is that no ambulance would be neccessary.

Excellent write up, thanks very much.
 


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