Meandering round Morocco in a Hilux

Northern jock

Northern jock

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That’s the plan, meander round Morocco in the Hilux.
We had a false start last week, got as far as Carlisle then my brother called to say that my mother had fallen seriously ill so we turned round and went back home. He was right but she survived the night, antibiotics did their job and she is close to normal again, normal for a stubborn 92 year old at least.
We decided to go off again but I thought I’d delay starting a trip report until we had taken at least one ferry.
So we left again on Sunday, a beautiful day in the Highlands and an easy drive down to a wee village called Lymm. Very peaceful, quaint and a good choice of pubs.
One had a good looking roast dinner but the footie was on big screens with the volume way up high so we went to another which was really nice inside bit a bland roast dinner.
And a comfy bed.
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The trip has been a while in coming. In 2019 we had planned to go to Mongolia but Covid then Putin derailed those plans, followed by a couple of health blips. Currently though all is stable with health so we can do a wee meander. The key point is, if you’re healthy enough to get travel insurance and have a yearning for far off places, just go. Grab the moment. You don’t know what’s round the corner.

I was last in Morocco in 1996 on my way north from Cameroon in a very hot July/August. The highlight of that trip was blowing a piston just outside Marrakesh, finding a second hand one in the souk that was a good fit, finding a mechanic who came to the campsite and helped me install it. It got us home.

I’m hoping for a more relaxed trip this time and to visit some bits I’ve not yet gone to.

As I mentioned, the Highlands looked great on Sunday, lots of folk heading north so I thought maybe England will be empty but, the M6 soon sorted that out.
We also have two leaving Kingussie photos, 6 days apart.

We don’t plan where to stop in advance, we just get going and decide when it’s time to stop. Whoever is the passenger then finds a village close to the road, then looks online for accommodation and off we go. Generally it works well and on the odd occasion it doesn’t, I blame Jennifer. She then buys me a beer and we make the most of it.

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Your starter for ten:


Morocco is a world-class destination for geology, offering ancient shields, dramatic mountain building (orogeny), deep canyons, and exceptionally rich fossil and mineral beds.

Key Geological Highlights to See
    • The Anti-Atlas & Bou Azzer Ophiolite
      • What it is: Some of the oldest rocks in Morocco (Precambrian and Paleoproterozoic).
      • Must-see: The Bou Azzer ophiolite, a rare 660-million-year-old slice of ancient oceanic crust pushed up onto the continent during the Pan-African Orogeny. You can also see the striking pink-to-orange granite domes and painted boulders around Tafraoute.
    • The Atlas Mountains (High & Middle Atlas)
      • What it is: High-altitude mountain belts formed by Mesozoic basin rifting followed by Cenozoic tectonic inversion (compression).
      • Must-see:
        • Todra and Dades Gorges: Towering limestone canyons carved deep into Jurassic marine strata.
        • Jebel Toubkal: North Africa’s highest peak (4,167 m), noted for anomalous thermal support and thin lithosphere.
        • Friouato Caves: Extensive karst cave systems in the Middle Atlas.
    • Fossil Hotspots (Alnif & Erfoud)
      • What it is: Paleozoic and Mesozoic marine and terrestrial sediments.
      • Must-see:
        • Alnif: Known as the "Trilobite Capital of the World," famous for giant Cambrian, Ordovician, and Devonian trilobites (like Paradoxides).
        • Erfoud & Merzouga: Famous for Silurian-Devonian orthoceratoid limestone, ammonites, and dinosaur fossils from the Kem Kem beds.
    • Triassic-Jurassic Red Beds & Saharan Dunes
      • What it is: Rift-valley red sandstones and active erg deserts.
      • Must-see:
        • Argana Valley: Classic Triassic red sandstones marking early Pangaea rifting.
        • Erg Chebbi (Merzouga): Massive Saharan sand dunes showcasing modern aeolian sediment dynamics.
    • Coastal and Karst Features
      • Must-see: The dramatic sea arches of Legzira Beach or the dinosaur footprints exposed on tidal sandstone platforms in Anza.


No, I am not jealous at all. Not even one tiny bit... honest!

;)
 
geotim said:
Your starter for ten:


Morocco is a world-class destination for geology, offering ancient shields, dramatic mountain building (orogeny), deep canyons, and exceptionally rich fossil and mineral beds.

Key Geological Highlights to See
    • The Anti-Atlas & Bou Azzer Ophiolite
      • What it is: Some of the oldest rocks in Morocco (Precambrian and Paleoproterozoic).
      • Must-see: The Bou Azzer ophiolite, a rare 660-million-year-old slice of ancient oceanic crust pushed up onto the continent during the Pan-African Orogeny. You can also see the striking pink-to-orange granite domes and painted boulders around Tafraoute.
    • The Atlas Mountains (High & Middle Atlas)
      • What it is: High-altitude mountain belts formed by Mesozoic basin rifting followed by Cenozoic tectonic inversion (compression).
      • Must-see:
        • Todra and Dades Gorges: Towering limestone canyons carved deep into Jurassic marine strata.
        • Jebel Toubkal: North Africa’s highest peak (4,167 m), noted for anomalous thermal support and thin lithosphere.
        • Friouato Caves: Extensive karst cave systems in the Middle Atlas.
    • Fossil Hotspots (Alnif & Erfoud)
      • What it is: Paleozoic and Mesozoic marine and terrestrial sediments.
      • Must-see:
        • Alnif: Known as the "Trilobite Capital of the World," famous for giant Cambrian, Ordovician, and Devonian trilobites (like Paradoxides).
        • Erfoud & Merzouga: Famous for Silurian-Devonian orthoceratoid limestone, ammonites, and dinosaur fossils from the Kem Kem beds.
    • Triassic-Jurassic Red Beds & Saharan Dunes
      • What it is: Rift-valley red sandstones and active erg deserts.
      • Must-see:
        • Argana Valley: Classic Triassic red sandstones marking early Pangaea rifting.
        • Erg Chebbi (Merzouga): Massive Saharan sand dunes showcasing modern aeolian sediment dynamics.
    • Coastal and Karst Features
      • Must-see: The dramatic sea arches of Legzira Beach or the dinosaur footprints exposed on tidal sandstone platforms in Anza.


No, I am not jealous at all. Not even one tiny bit... honest!

;)
Click to expand...
Thanks, on the lookout!
 
We left Lymm at 0900, AI having advised to leave either at 0400 or 0900. Easy decision seeing as how the ferry wasn’t until 2015 from Portsmouth.
So, off back to the M6 which seemed to have all of England on it but then we found Business Class and took a nice empty road.
And so down to Portsmouth via dropping in on mates in Bosham, who we dog sat for in the summer.
Then ferry, all easy, just about last on but parked right at the ramp on the lower deck so looked like we’d be first off, which we were.
The cabin was big and smart with two windows, the beer was cold and the crossing was very flat and calm and we both had a good kip.
Then we arrived in St Malo at 0815 and by 0825 we were on our way to do battle on the roads of France.
Nformally if we have a satnav the female voice is called Brenda. This time we had an interface to phone navigation called Jennifer, which turned out much harder to turn down the noise and random squawks, of which there were plenty.
We drove for about 7 hours and picked a small town called Labouheyre for the night.
The town was a bit run down, lots of closed shops and empty houses but the square was really nice with an amazing canopy of trees, must be good in summer.
Not much was open but we found a cafe bar and they sold beer. Then we worked out that the only restaurant open that night didn’t open till later and the bar was nice so we had some Ricard.
Then she sold us some wine and gave us an excellent plate of cold meat and cheese and the evening was complete. Very enjoyable time in a small French town where nobody spoke English and we were well fed and watered.
The accommodation was a room in a house converted to letting rooms, nobody else there. The room was fine but we couldn’t find the toilet, the bathroom only had shower and sink. I opened one wardrobe, just hanging space. I opened the other one and voila, a toilet.
Jennifer said she’d never been to the toilet in a wardrobe before and I agreed I’d rarely done so (that time in Spain on a lads climbing trip when I had a great afternoon with my Spanish mate San Miguel was a long time ago).
A good day.
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<<Jennifer said she’d never been to the toilet in a wardrobe before >>

Never been on a caravan holiday, then? :ROFLMAO:

I'm looking forward to this - please add any details of costs for ferries, tolls etc, I'm very familiar with costs for bikes, but I'd be interested to know what it costs to take a 4x4. Cheers and travel safely.
 
Brilliant so far, jealous!

I’m always up for an adventure, though I draw the line at sh1tting in the wardrobe… each to their own 🙂

Don’t forget to pack ice for your drinks. I find a large block lasts ages, even in the desert, though you have to get creative with the ice pick at times.

The back end of a Hilux makes a good bar top. An AK47 bayonet is a good proxy for an ice pick…

Breaking the Ice.jpeg
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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