The following is a resume by Dennis Coulson from Hampshire following his Morocco Atlas Mountains Raid Motorbike trip on his BMW in April 2006.

Personal Highlights of the 2006 Moroccan Tour.

Morocco is a country of extremes. One moment you are bowling along a dead straight road through bare and barren, arid, gravely rock strewn , flat, wide, empty valleys bordered by distant towering extinct volcanoes. Suddenly you are crossing an indentation full of life giving cool water with lush green vegetation and vegetables tended by industrious locals and tireless donkeys. One moment you are battling your way up snow capped mountains on steep, U bend rich roads with unguarded hundred foot drops and the most beautiful panorama stretching for miles below you. The next moment you are thundering past a police check into a town seething with humanity, cars, lorries, donkeys cohabiting in what can best be described as organised chaos.

Our days normally started at eight or nine o’clock, but there were occasions when we were in the saddle in the cool of the day at seven o’clock, after the compulsory tyre check, in order to ensure an early arrival at a particularly pleasant or interesting location, be it a luxurious hotel or a comfortable and characterful desert dwelling. One such was the Kasbah on the very edge of the desert just outside a little village overlooking Erg Chebbi, the highest sand dune in Morocco. We were looking at sand, sand, and more sand, beautiful and deceptively soft. Ahead of us were the dunes, hundreds of feet high, towering over us, waiting to be destabilised by the slightest touch to engulf us; yet they were three or four miles distant. A camel ride was organised for those who wanted to wade and wallow and gambol galore in this shifting substance.

It was here we saw water welling out of the sand, apparently coming from the mountains miles away, to be capped and channelled to create an irrigation system to sustain and nourish an oasis of palm trees and a huge variety of luscious vegetables, all well tended and arranged in neat squares between the little water ways. There appears to be plenty of water in the country, but not necessarily where you might want it.

To-day we are on the road to cross the Atlas Mountains. What beauty there is to be seen if you have the time or nerve to take your eyes off the sharp twisties. Such glorious riding, this is what we came to do. However, it was not all road bashing; one afternoon being spent exploring the Roman remains of Volubilis and admiring the nesting storks on the ancient columns.

We ride through the spectacular Gorge Du Ziz to exit to the High Plains, and ride through patchwork fields, orchards , through valleys dominated by ancient Berber Forts. Another afternoon was spent exploring The Kasbahs of Ait Ben Haddou, an ancient fortification where the films Lawrence of Arabia , Kundun and Gladiator were made.

In Marrakech we had a welcome rest day to do some sightseeing and there was much to see. A local guide took us for a tour of the gardens, museums and palaces. A stroll through the maze of the Suk was absolutely fascinating, but a place where you really do not want to get lost. Those who did not care to have their senses bombarded by all the fascinating colours, sounds and smells had the option of whiling away time in the hotel pool.

This left us refreshed to tackle the beautiful ride through the Anti Atlas Mountains. Such breathtaking scenery necessitated frequent photographic stops. A day was spent relaxing in a very luxurious hotel with a huge swimming pool in a lovely setting in the outskirts of a village in the Amelne Valley, surrounded by majestic mountains; all this under a cloudless sky. The visit was timed perfectly to coincide with the weekly market, which was quite a spectacle of colour and life, full of the hustle and bustle of kind and gentle people.

This was the point where we turned for home along the coast road that allowed us frequent views of the Atlantic. The last afternoon we spent in the colourful and crowded harbour of Agadir, full of Moroccan fishing fleet . It left us wondering how the bent and battered craft could survive the rigours of the seas.

A long ride to our last, and first, hotel on the African continent overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, where we would sit and reminisce over a cold beer about all we had seen and experienced during the last ten days. What an adventure!

We came to see Morocco, to ride our motorcycles and take photographs. We did all that very well. Thank you, John and Brigitte, for a most wonderful tour.

Dennis Coulson(Hampshire, UK) - Morocco Atlas Mountains Raid April 2006

Photos by John Fulton & Brigitte Lucas