The following is a resume by John Holtham
following his Morocco Atlas Mountains Raid
Motorbike trip on his Honda in April 2007

This article has been written by John Holtham for publication in Honda Owners Club GB quarterly magazine the Golden Wing .

Morocco Motorbike Tour April 2007

I enjoyed biking in Europe but wanted something different so booked a 17 day trip to Morocco leaving from Plymouth on 8 April 2007. Five other bikers and myself met up with John and Brigitte of Wildcat Adventures at Brittany ferries and caught the overnight ferry to Sandander northern Spain.

We docked midday and had three great days of riding and two overnights stops to reach the ferry to Morocco. Once free of Santander we headed south through the remarkable Cantabrian mountains to our first overnight stop.

Next day we continued south over the High Plains and Sierras with snow capped mountains and hovering birds of prey. That night we stayed in an attractive mountain village in the High Sierras. The following day we rode south through Andalucia to the port of Tarifa and our ferry to Tangier. On clearing customs we rode to our Hotel in a picturesque village on the Atlantic coast and our first taste of Moroccan food.

Travelling east we crossed the foothills of the Rif mountains and visited the Roman site of Volubilis on the fertile plains. We then continued to the cedar forests of the Middle Atlas mountains for our overnight stop.

Next day we rode part of the ancient trade route from Timbuktu to Fez traversing the High Atlas mountains passing through a spectacular gorge. Our j ourney led us to the High Plains of the south and provided us with the first glimpse of the Sahara Desert.

At the edge of the desert we enjoyed local Berber accommodation hospitality and wonderful food.

We left the desert and rode east across the High Desert Plains with the desert Hamada to the south and volcanic mountains of Jbel Sarhro to the north. This classic peaceful desert route had an incredible landscape with miles of enjoyable riding.

We saw the Berber way of life unchanged for centuries in some areas still in biblical times - with patchwork fields orchards and Berber Forts. We left the valley and crossed the Jbel Sarhro Mountains to our overnight stop.

Next morning we visited the UNESCO World Heritage site of Ait BenHaddou - a 900 year old hill town with Kasbahs made out of sun dried bricks - where families still live much as they've always done. The film Gladiators was made there.

We then kitted up for an unforgettable ride through the spectacular mountain scenery of the High Atlas mountains over a 7400ft pass to Marrakech where we stayed two nights.

During the morning a guide took to see the wonderful sights of Marrakech. In the evening we visited the city's unforgettable and fascinating Djemma el Fna square with its stalls, jugglers, story tellers and snake charmers.

Next day we rode into the foothills of Western Atlas through cedar forests following the winding river. Then over the High Atlas crossing a 7300ft pass - a great experience as it is the most scenic and quietest routes across the High Atlas. After lunch we started with a winding 22 mile decent down ridges through gorges with views of terraced fields and villages 5000ft below. Here we stay in the heart of the Anti Atlas Mountains for two nights for a rest day. The area has spectacular rock spires and Berber villages.

The following day starts with an unforgettable ride through the Anti Atlas Mountains over a high ridge and plateau to the end of a magnificent canyon. We then travelled a scenic route north along the Atlantic coast to our hotel in a wonderful old fishing port.

Next morning was an early start for the long ride up the west coast of Morocco bypassing Casablanca and Rabat to our hotel and last night in Morocco where we caught the ferry to Spain the following day. Over the next three days we had good weather and excellent riding to Santander and disembarked in Plymouth on 24 April.

Thanks to John & Brigitte of Wildcat Adventures for the most enjoyable motorcycling trip I've had. www.wildcat-adventures.co.uk

John Holtham, East Midlands

Photos by John Fulton & Brigitte Lucas