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| Kaouki Beach to Aourir - 120 miles |
As we were moving on we
actually managed an earlier start, despite a latish night. We'd done
some of the packing away and clearing up last night so little to do
after breakfast except service the van then pay our dues, interrupted
briefly by a chat with another Brit couple on the site. First port of
call was to return to Carrefour at Essaouira for a big stock-up shop
as we didn't want to have to rush at the end of the day, the next
opportunity being Agadir. We also topped up the fuel tank – didn't
actually need fuel but we have a sort of rule not to let the tank get
below half full in case we find ourselves in an area that has limited
fuel stations.
Then back onto the N1
towards Agadir with no particular destination in mind, knowing we had
multiple choices depending on how far we wanted to drive. Initially
quite busy the road soon became quiet and we ambled along in the wake
of a Swiss campervan who was going just about fast enough to be
comfortable for us. We passed through several small towns, some with
the hustle and bustle of market day, others quiet with few people
about. Eventually the Swiss van stopped at one of the towns and as it
was late lunchtime we thought that a break for us was in order too
although to avoid being pestered we chose a pull off on the mountain
pass just before Tamri. Interestingly there was a concrete
games/football pitch right in the middle of nowhere and we were on
it's “car-park”!
After lunch we had some
debate about where to stop for the night. We had passed a suggested
place, at Imsouane where we've stopped before, ages ago and thought
Agadir was well within reach. However the choices there were limited
to popular campsites which at our ETA most likely would have been
full. However around 20 miles north of Agadir we remembered a brand
new site we had spotted, right on the beach and which at that time
was almost empty so thought we might have a look at that.
We descended the pass
into Tamri and the road then became coastal, running alongside the
Atlantic where huge waves were breaking onto the sandy beaches –
ideal surfing although we saw no-one until much further south,
perhaps a bit too rough! Finding the afore-mentioned site was easy
but we could see from the road that it was very crowded and although
we possibly could have squeezed in instead we elected to travel a few
miles further on, past our old friend Taghazoute which is now
completely overrun with new building, noting on our way several
places where motorhomes had parked up – whether they were
wild-camping or not we don't know and may well have been there just
for the day enjoying the beaches. So on to another site we've used
before just a few kilometres inland at Aourir. As expected, due to
it's distance from almost anywhere, there was plenty of room and we
chose a pleasant pitch in full sunshine although we had forgotten
that in late afternoon the sun disappears behind the adjacent
hill.....! Not to worry it was still pleasantly warm well into the
evening. We booked in for three nights with the intention of doing
absolutely nothing.
Tuesday &
Wednesday
A real suntrap here and
we enjoyed hours just lazing around. Terry had a look at the van
air-conditioning in an effort to get it working but with no joy. As
we had elected not to take an electricity hookup a trip onto the van
roof to clean the solar panel was beneficial. Then the internet
credit ran out – we've been using it a lot more than before as it
is so cheap – but the site shop had top-up cards so that was soon
sorted.
Camping Aourir has full
facilities and features something a bit rare in Morocco, fully
serviced pitches including water, electricity and waste water
disposal, obviously of course for more money! We didn't bother. There
are also washing machines, a well-stocked small shop, restaurant and
a swimming pool (for a small supplement). In the evening a pizza van
parks just outside the entrance – we might try him tonight.
We've also met a few
other Brits; parked in a nearby bay was a couple we met on the ferry
back to Algeciras last year. Then Keith & Niki, who were at
Kaouki Beach, turned up after having their van Lucille “tattooed”
by Rashid, whose excellent work adorns many vans, including ours done
in 2015 which is still as fresh as the day it was painted.
Tomorrow it's our
thought to continue south, most likely pausing at Marjane in Agadir
as it's probably our last chance for a while to find a hypermarket,
although of course that really isn't a problem. Tiznit? Mireleft? We
have a hankering to visit Sidi Ifni again, our most southerly point
reached when we first came to Morocco in 2013 but then most likely up
into the mountains to Tafraoute and further.
We have to say that
this year, so far, has been the best weather we've ever had in
Morocco, not a drop of rain with just a few hazy cloud periods. There
has been wind but nothing as strong as we've encountered in the past.
It has been very warm but not over-bearingly so and we've been able
to sit out in it everyday whilst managing to keep the inside of
Bertie nice and cool. An idyllic way to spend the winter! Wish you
were here?
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