Tuesady 23rd February - Wednesday 24th February

Tuesday 23rd February

We got up early and said our goodbye’s, as we had the intention of trying to get as much of the journey done as we could in a day. We spent the rest of the day travelling down the toll road at a steady rate of around 70kmph. The toll roads ended up being pricey but a much smoother way of travelling. Seven hours driving later we were arriving on the outskirts of Marrakech as the light was dying from the day. We had pretty good weather while driving and saw a lot more of the Moroccan countryside, which we were starting to like the look of and the landscape seems to change every so often. We were tired so parked up at the campsite had a bite to eat then
sleep.

Wednesday 24th February[i]

The peacocks and the young family next to us awoke us early, so we decided to get up and complete the final leg of around 300km to Agadir. On our Map there was a motorway still under construction from Marrakech to Agadir and we were told on the campsite that it was now open. So off we headed and followed the motorway signs to Agadir. The signs led us back towards the way we came, until we finally got on the motorway, only to have to get off at the next couple of junctions. This was due to the motorway not being completed any further and still under construction. We paid our small toll fee for what we had travelled and basically ended up a little down the road from the campsite where we had started! The rest of the route was taken on the normal Moroccan highroad over the hills. The road was good and the views were amazing, with snow capped mountains in the distance and the sun beating down. At times the landscape reminded me of Arizona, not that I’ve been just what I’d seen in films etc.

We arrived in Agadir at around 2pm and found ourselves a big cash and carry. So we went in and found what we had been told, that wine and cheese and other western goods were very expensive in Morocco. After a call to the ADAC rep, for her to meet us, she told us she didn’t know where the cash and carry was so we would have to meet her outside the campsite. We then drove around Agadir getting very hot, lost and frustrated! Eventually we found the campsite and called her to come down. She arrived and then got us to follow her to the garage for them to check on the glass. We ended up following her till we reached her office, where she pulled over a petit taxi. Then came to us and said she didn’t know where the garage was so we would have to follow the taxi and she would go back to the office if we needed her! This woman really is useless. We followed the taxi over roundabouts and down streets till we arrived near where we had started. We then had to pay the taxi driver for his service! We were beginning to get a little pied off with the ADAC rep. Funnily enough at the garage he didn’t have the windscreen, so I phoned the ADAC rep as we hadn’t got a clue how to get back to her office. She said she would order it tomorrow, as now it was too late. I think too late for her to be bothered to make the call rather than an order to go through, as it was not even 4pm! Anyway, still at least we were getting help and in a week hopefully a new window. The weather was 30 degrees, so it wasn’t a bad place to stop.

The campsite was full in the town and after all the driving around it already we were wanting to get out, so off we headed up the coast to a campsite a French person had given us the leaflet for. We drove past the horrible looking Atlantic park site, a small stretch by the sea with motorhomes lined up tight, like a big motorhome forecourt. We carried on and found another site overlooking the sea from the cliffs, although this was reached by a rather bumpy dirt track. There the campsite was busy with shiny new motorhomes, but we found a spot. All spots were really just overlooking other motorhomes with a glimpse of the sea behind. We settled down to catch the very last bit of afternoon sun and I could even sit out in the evening in a t-shirt.