Morocco

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This journey began at the Historical Dockyard.

Every time we arrive at the cross channel ferry terminal we wish there was time to visit the city of Portsmouth

This trip we stayed at the campground just on the edge of the sea. We took time to visit the Historical Dockyard and the Mary Rose museum which was very informative.

HMS Victory was larger than expected and is a beautiful ship.

The tour around was interesting and the interior is just as it might have been when the ship was in service.

The stern is fantastic and here Admiral Nelson had his quarters which were very luxurious. The huge dining table could be set with silverware for a banquet. However the table would be taken to pieces when the ship was at war.

Travelling through Spain to Granada for the ISDE.

We walked around the old walled town of Avila.

Then a full day wandering around Toledo, famous for its swords and suits of armour.

A lovely campsite beside a reservoir just outside Granada on the edge of the Sierra Nevada mountains was our base for two weeks.

The ISDE got under way and the British service crews had to cope with cold mornings and wet days.

We rode around the course each day getting information for our article for Trail Bike Magazine.

Patsy Quick was smiling as she wheeled her KTM 400 from the finish.

We were to see a lot more of both Patsy and her bikes on the Dakar.

Once the ISDE article was finished Dot used all the latest technology to send it to the editor-laptop and mobile phone.

However she had to ride close to the mast to get a good signal!

Now we had time to visit the lovely Alhambra and become tourists for a few days.

Once again there were plenty of subjects for Dot to sketch.

The reservoir at Ardales has a lovely campsite and we were the only people there.

Around the hills we found some lovely tracks for our dirt bikes.

But had to walk to the Chemin de Rey a famous cliff hanging walkway through the gorge.

The most southerly campsite in Europe is the Rio Jara at Tarifa.

We were just a few yards from the fabulous beaches where the wind surfers and kite boarders hone their skills.

We prepared for our first trip to Morocco.

Before boarding the ferry at Algeciras we took a trip to Gibraltar to stock up with Xmas goodies at Safeway.

The view from the top of the rock was great and we tried to avoid the attentions of the apes.

The campsite at Meknes is in the gardens of the Royal Palace.

If our bus had been any bigger we would not have passed through the archway in the Palace walls.

At Fez we wandered around the souk and the tannery was an eye-opener. The smell at the famous tannery was awful.

We had the distinct feeling the souk was just for the tourists to visit.

It was time to head south into the desert.

Near Er Rachida is a campsite at the Source Blue Meske where we stayed under the palm trees.

But the traders on the site were trying to sell us carpets and souvenirs.

It was so cold here at night that the water pipes froze!

Out in the desert finding the right track is quite difficult as the local people riding donkeys make many tracks to and from the villages.

Chris had lent us his GPS so Dot was learning how useless it was if you do not have any waypoints to enter.

Getting the water every day is a time consuming task for the villagers.

The water supply is clean and piped but not right into the houses.

Notice that the desert is very stony-no sand!

Christmas at Zagora-the Dakar at Ouarazate.

Christmas is celebrated in Morocco and in the market you can buy a blow up Santa Claus and artificial snow.

We hung up the fairy lights and a plastic tree to decorate the awning.

The sunsets in the desert are very special and the warm evenings give time to study the stars before the temperature falls dramatically.

We drove out to see the end of the Dakar special stage near Tazzerine before returning to the bivouac at Ouarzazate airfield.

Most of the bikers were already asleep so we returned at 5am next day to meet John Deacon.

Jim had a lovely interview with him to make a story for TBM before we went to the start line to wish them all good luck.

Across to the Atlantic coast.

Our gas cylinder was refilled at Agadir before we went south to the old walled town of Tiznit.

Here we witnessed a total eclipse of the moon on 9th January and next day Dot celebrated her birthday.

Once again it was time to do some dirt biking. Riding along tracks beside the ocean was a hard task but we put up with it and enjoyed the scenery.

On the journey back to the north we called in at Casablanca to see the Corniche. Then visited the huge new Mosque that had just been built and funded by public subscription.

The tile designs were very beautiful.

High winds, horses and sherry in Spain.

Our route took us back across the Straits of Gibraltar back to Spain.

At Cadiz we wandered around the old town and its fortifications.

At Jerez we watched the Maclaren Formula One team testing at the race circuit.

Then we visited the Spanish Riding school to see a wonderful display of horsemanship and skill.

Once a year at Rocio there is a horse festival and none of the streets have any tarmac.

We camped overnight in the Church square beside the shallow lagoon where the horses were paddling and the flamingos feeding..

This area of Spain is very low lying and is a wet lands refuge for all the migrating birds.

A huge storm blew up and we were worried about our awning-the poles all bent but it survived and we left as soon as we could to find more shelter.

In Heulva at Los Americas is a very good display all about the discovery of the New World.

Three replica ships lie in the small pool and they are very small. Walking around them makes you think about the brave souls who set out into the unknown.

The canons at Cape St Vincent, Portugal, face the sea to repel the enemy.

Here we could look at the compass rose of Henry the Navigator.

Palaces, Monasteries and World Championships.

Serpa is a typical walled Portuguese town. Very friendly people and famous for its cheese made from ewes milk. The campground is run by the town and it is just outside the walls

It became a favourite place where we stay when passing through.

Along the cliffs of the dramatic Portuguese Atlantic coast the storm whipped up the waves.

We braved the rain to wonder at the sanity of the fisherman on the cliff tops. Each time a huge wave hit the coast we could feel the earth shake!

Staying on a campsite near to Cais Cais enabled us to ride along the coast and join all the bikers who gather at Cabo Roca, the most westerly point in Europe, for breakfast.

Thousands arrive from all over Portugal and Spain every Sunday morning and chat and admire the machinery.

The town of Sintra, just outside Lisbon, up in the hills is famous for its Museum of Childhood.

We wandered around all the toys on display and wished we had kept all our old ones.

The icing on the cake are the palaces at Sintra. They are like something out of a fairy story set in spectacular gardens.

We rode up through the woods to the top where we parked and walked around the gardens and palaces.

Portugal has many fine Monastries and Miracle sites.

On our journey northwards we visited this fine example at Batahla. However Fatima seemed too commercial and not a place for unbelievers to visit.

Tomar is a lovely town with another fine Monastery and this impressive viaduct.

The first round of the 2001 World Enduro Championship was based here with the paddock in the town square.

The wet weather played a big part in this event with a riders strike and day two cancelled.

Here we met up with everyone again and found David Knight from IOM in the same Yamaha UFO team as the awesome Spehan Peterhansel who was determined to add another World Championship to his collection of Trophies.

We set off northward and the rain kept falling.

A bridge over the river Duoro collapsed and a coach was swept away.

At Porto we joined a tour of the Sandeman port wine factory and enjoyed the tasting of their products.

Then we went to the railway station to admire the tile pictures.

Back into Spain and the town of Ourense where the next round of the WEC was held.

The indoor paddock was unusual and the event had far to much roadwork as we all had to negotiate the main roads out of town.

The scenery here provided a good backdrop for the very close racing. The event would be decided just on the special test times and as the weather improved the competition was fierce.

The northern part of Spain is very different from the south and much greener. Small towns, secluded beaches and inlets all along the coast. Here they have traditional houses for drying the corn.

Now it was time to head back up through France to catch the ferry home

------Time to travel even further north to the Artic Circle May 2001-July 2001------