An easy day's ride.

[jackdaw]

I'm planning a 4 week visit in June with my wife on my Varadero SD01. Experience tells me that we need to plan 'easy' days (maybe a total of 4 hours riding) to keep her sweet. This is our first visit to Morocco so I'm unsure of what's achieveable. Obviously this depends on which roads we ride. These are some examples of day's riding that I have planned so far:
Tangier Med to Chefchaouen,
Chefchaouen to Azrou,
Azrou to Imilchil,
Imilchil to Boumaine Dades,
Boumaine to Ouarzazate,
Ouarzazate to Taroudant,
Taroudant to Sidi Infi
These are not consecutive days riding. We'll stop over a few nights in Chefchaouen, Boumaine Dadaes. Playing it by ear.
Have I got the distances about right or am I wildly out?
Thanks for your help
Dave

[Tim Cullis]

1. Tanger Med to Chefchaouen is good.

2. Chefchaouen to Fez is about four hours, to Azrou maybe five and a half.

3. From Azrou I would stop off to see the wild apes, the head through the middle of the Middle Atlas via Ain Leuh and Oum er Rbia to Khenifra which will be a full four hours of riding.

4. Khenifra via El Kebab (turn right just before), then Aghbala to Imilchil is getting on for four hours.

5. Unless you want to go on pistes, you should not go Imilchil - Agoudal - Boumalne as the Agoudal to Msemrir section is piste. Instead go Imilchil - Agoudal - Ait Hani and down the Todra gorge to Tinerhir. But I would overnight IN the Todra rather than at Tinerhir. Same applies to Boumalne, don't stay in the town on the main road, instead stay up in the Dades gorge.

6. Tinerhir to Ouarzazate is probably 3.5 hours, Boumalne to Ouarzazate is less. Divert by turning right in El Kelaa M'Gouna and head north for about 8km to have lunch (or at least drinks) at Kasbah Itran.

7. Taroudannt is OK as a destination but personally I would go Ouarzazate to Taliouine and then south west via Igherm to Tafraoute which is beautiful and spend a couple of nights there.

8. Hotel Suerte Loca is now my favourite hotel in Sidi Ifni.

check on destinations at LookLex / Morocco

[jackdaw]

Many thanks for you reply Tim. Will modify my plans accordingly. The route from Azrou, through Ain Leuh makes that day too long. If I rode the N8 from Azrou to Khenifra (82k on the map- Just over an hour?) that would bring the Azrou-Imilchil time to about 5 hours? I should have said that we would be leaving Imilchil towards the Todra gorge and the on to Boumaine, where I've pre-booked a hotel for 3 days.
Will probably pick up your suggestion of Taliouine and Tafraouted will definately check out Suerte Loca
Cheers
Dave