Morocco in Sep ... any interest?

[composite]

Fair shout, a few nights with some extra comfort is sure to be welcome.

Easyjet from Bristol to Marrakech just came up cheaper than Monarch from Manchester to Agadir. Good chance it will be cheaper for me to get to Manchester though... however my girlfriend does owe me a lift to and picking up from the airport now so this might be the time to cash in my chips!

Is there any preference on where to fly in to?

I need to do the some sums before I can commit but certainly interested as it does seem quite affordable. One of my aims this year was to spend less money on buying bikes and more money on riding bikes.

[Chew]

Dont think anything has gone past an initial idea, but i'd imagine flying into Marrakesh would be logistically easier and give better access to the Atlas Mountains.

In terms of budgeting i'd imagine you'd get change from £500 for a 7-10 day trip.

~£200 Flights and baggage
~£100 Accommodation (£25 x 4 nights)
~£150 Food (£15 x 10 days)
~£50 Other stuff

[Ray Young]

£50 for "other stuff", is that code for .................................hashish? Only joking .

[composite]

Relevant discussions have been had and I'm in.

[FLV]

Bivi the whole time I take it?

I'd imagine 2 nights roughing it 1 night a bit more civilized is always the best option. Can't imagine Morocco being that expensive for either food or accommodation?

At a minimum i'd say at least one night for the day we arrive to unpack and rebuild the bikes, and then the night before flying back to repack the bikes. This would also give the opportunity to sweet talk the hotel to look after our stuff while we were there.

A night in a room before the flight is always good. A shower makes it more pleasant for other passengers....

I'm still in too

[Farawayvisions]

You can get a room for about five to ten euro a night. Sometimes they're great sometimes they're not. But you are less likely to get stung by scorpions. Food is very cheap and fresh if a little dull. Simply stay away from touristy joints. Remember that Friday is a holy day and in the more remote areas nothing opens.

[Farawayvisions]

£50 for "other stuff", is that code for ............

Ray, will you ever learn? Now I know why your wife won't let you go away on you ownio.

[Mpolo]

10 quid should see you allright for other stuff

[S.Softie]

I'd be interested and have sewn a seed in the wife's head without getting immediate negative feedback.

[composite]

How are we going with this? Can we at least agree a date and get flights booked? (Quick before I buy a carbon fork)

Need any help with route planning Stu? I was looking at 4x4 guide books the other day for the Atlas mountains and wondered if one might be worth picking up.

[Bearbonesnorm]

Need any help with route planning Stu? I was looking at 4x4 guide books the other day for the Atlas mountains and wondered if one might be worth picking up.

I've plenty of info to hand but not much time to sit and sift through it I've got as far as fly into Marrakech, load the bikes on a bus (or maybe taxi) and head east towards the High Atlas to avoid the tarmac drag out of the city. Promise I'll come up with something a bit more detailed within the week

How are we going with this? Can we at least agree a date and get flights booked? (Quick before I buy a carbon fork)

Is everyone still happy with something around Sep 20th?

[composite]

Is everyone still happy with something around Sep 20th?

20th to the 30th works for me and seems to match up with when Easy Jet flights leave/return Bristol/Marrakech.

[Chew]

Anything after the 20th sounds good to me (i’ll be able to confirm something with work this week for the time off)

One thing that we would need to do before we starting booking flights is agree on what type of trip this is going to be. We may all have different expectations of what we want from the trip so its good to be clear now to avoid any issues later.

Things like average daily distances (we’ll need to factor in the heat and altitude)
Hours in the saddle (touring vs getting you heads down)
Sightseeing vs riding (i’ve never been to Morocco, so it may be nice to spend a bit of extra time in some of the places we visit)
Camping vs Accommodation (the old 2-1 ratio works well on long trips)
How many days we spend out there (all route/ mileage dependant)

[Bearbonesnorm]

One thing that we would need to do before we starting booking flights is agree on what type of trip this is going to be. We may all have different expectations of what we want from the trip so its good to be clear now to avoid any issues later.

Very wise Chew.

Things like average daily distances (we’ll need to factor in the heat and altitude)

We'll have a better idea once we've a rough route.

Hours in the saddle (touring vs getting you heads down)

Again, as above ... although I don't think anyone's adverse to getting their head down if required.

Sightseeing vs riding (i’ve never been to Morocco, so it may be nice to spend a bit of extra time in some of the places we visit)

I will try to add some 'areas of interest' along the way ... such as

Camping vs Accommodation (the old 2-1 ratio works well on long trips)

I suppose we can play that by ear depending on weather, tiredness, being soft, etc

How many days we spend out there (all route/ mileage dependant)

We'll have a better idea once we have a route in mind.

[composite]

So some thoughts on what Chew is saying.

Camping vs Accommodation - I think that a room for the first night and last night would definitely be a good idea for all of the reasons already mentioned. Anything in between I'm happy to take it as it comes.

I've never been to Morocco either so seeing some sites would be great, be that natural wonders or towns/villages of interest, it's all good. More of that kind of thing Stu would be frankly amazing. I'll do some more researches myself on the site seeing type stuff and post up some places that look interesting and see how that fits with possible routes.

I'm not adverse to getting my head down and doing some miles if that is going to work for us. I'm comfortable with long days in the saddle and actually would look forward to a few days like that but wouldn't want that every day and I'm not sure how the altitude might effect me. Obviously the heat will take it's toll so maybe mileage for the first few days could be a bit less whilst we are getting used it? There is a good chance my fair skinned ass won't get that used to it at though.

A few slightly more neurotic detailed questions. :p

Bike bag or cardboard box?
Would you just go with a small meths type burner or count on being able to get hold of gas canisters?
Planning on taking any more spares than you would for a trip here?

[Bearbonesnorm]

Bike bag or cardboard box?

One of those CTC plastic bags I reckon ... could carry it and use it as a tarp?

Would you just go with a small meths type burner or count on being able to get hold of gas canisters?

Muslim country + alcohol might not be easy ... Mpolo and Faraway Visions had a few issues with this.

Extra spares? ... I'll be taking a spare QR

[Bearbonesnorm]

I'll also be getting a hat like these lads

[Gari]

Rocking the sandals Shimano do a pair right?

[composite]

I think I'm going to be rocking the fez and aviators.

[Gari]

I reckon those tassels are going to look great as you ride along in the movie, all windswept and rugged.

[FLV]

Just spotted this.

Count me in Stu. I've fancied a wee tour about in Morroco for a while.
I cant think of a single reason why not :D

me and my big mouth.

Summary version:
I now wont know If I can come on this trip for until about mid June.

Long version;
I've just accepted a new Job. A proper one which means I'm packing in contracting. Its a hugely positive thing for my home life, and work life I think. The plus points is that I will be able to go home every night, do a job I'm interested in, get paid for time off, re-join monday night rides, not have to find a new job every 6 months, not live out of a suitcase / saddle bag / boot of a car 5 days a week...
On the down side, booking a holiday in September will now have to wait until I'm properly installed and know what allowance I have.
I have, however, negotiated time off for the HT550. So at least thats still on.

Basically, If it turns out that I can come to Morocco, I'll just have to join in with whatever you guys have decided re the above.
If you have to book stuff for the 'group' best to do so without me and if it means I cant join on later, so be it.

[Bearbonesnorm]

That's a shame Dave but it sounds like a small price to pay given the benefits you change in circumstances should bring ... you never know I might have a route sorted out by June

[Chew]

I now wont know If I can come on this trip for until about mid June

I don’t think theres any rush to confirm if you can come along or not at this stage. All we are doing is agreeing is which dates to fly out/back on and maybe looking to book our flights within the next few weeks.

Any ‘organising’ (hotels/buses/taxi’s) wont need to be sorted until a few weeks before we go.

There seems to be a few people hovering so we’ll just see you in Marrakesh if you can make it

[Gari]

So this is what I have so far, around 1700km as you can see. I have no issue in using the busses to stay on schedule should I get sidetracked(literally!) or cover dangerous/dull sections. I am thinking stretches like Ouarzazate to Marrakech, with a stop to the the Tizi 'n Tichka, for example.
Not sure how long yet but somewhere between 4 and 5 weeks hopefully. With a daily average of around 65km that should take a little less than 30 days, assuming no bus trips

[voodoo_simon]

Won't be joining in with this trip but if you can watch a film called Mondo Sahara by (I think) Vince Austin, then it will certainly wet your appetite for an adventure