Quick Morocco Tour in October
 

I'm off to Morocco on my BMW R1150GS , leaving Plymouth ( to Santander ) on 17th oct, and coming back from Santander ( to Plymouth ) on the 29th oct the plan is to get down thru Spain and over into Morroco, and have a short tour of whatever I can fit in, Picking up my wife from Marrakesh airport on 23rd then she goes back on 26th, if anyone is interested in coming along for all or part of the trip, or is already going and interested in hooking up along the way then let me know. It's my first trip over so the more the merrier !
Mike

I am doing nearly the same as you but I depart Plymouth on 7th meet wife and family in Marakech on 17th until 24th then I return via Spain and Santander, probably on the same boat back as you.

Have a good trip.

Hi Austin,
What bike will you be on? I'll look out for you and we can compare notes ( hopefully all good ones ! ) Have a good trip and I may see you.
Mike

I will be on a Transalp - Metal Mule Panniers, two fog lamps fitted to crash bars (very distinctive from front), oh and probably looking very scared. This is my first trip for a long long time.

oh forgot to ask 2 questions (for anyone to answer)

Hotels en-route in Spain. Any recommendations? Cheap and easy to find best.

In Morocco, camp or hotel? Not camping means loads less gear to take, but leaves you with fewer options. Hotels, could get expensive. I am still undecided at 3 weeks to go:( I know some on here and UKGser say Hotel.

Hi Austin,
Last year me and a mate spent two weeks biking around Spain and Portugal, we took the full camping gear but only ended up camping for two nights! The hotels were very inexpensive. This trip I will probably still take a tent etc, because it gives the option to camp very cheaply ( or even for free ) and also although the hotels etc were cheap last year that was partly because there were two of us to share the cost, the cost of a twin room is probably the same whether there's one or two of you staying. Probably boils down to how minted you are at the moment !
Cheers Mike

Most towns and larger villages in Spain have a Hostal or Pension which are about the cheapest and most basic accommodation you can get. In the 'touristy' areas, a lot of expats run B&B's but you may well be paying a bit more for a room. Around Andalucia you can expect to pay 35-45 euros for a double hotel room. Don't be misled by the star rating, a lot of hotels opt for a lower rating, therefore paying less business tax.

To give you an idea what you get for your money, this hotel (I believe it's a 2 star) is in the next village to us - Hotel Belen - low cost and comfortable accommodation in Colmenar, Malaga - and is popular with cyclists.

If you're passing through close to Malaga around 19/20/21 Oct, drop in to the Moto Andalucia meet.

planning route
 

in middle of planning my route as we speak, last minute as always! that's me! anyway will be entering morocco the 9th oct and doing the round's. will be following the route tim cullis suggested on thread 'morocco for beginners'. not exactly this route but will be going a wondering!!! want to follow some trails also and get off tarmac. on an red/white/blue 2002 AT 2'd up with TT boxes. will probably be at marakesch at about same time as you austin. will be playing around for 2-3wks depending how i like it.

I was thinking of doing a similar route - it certainly goes to or near most of the places I had in mind to visit. Hopefully we may all bump into each (figuratively rather than literally).

Traveling less loaded bike as possible is the best, we didn't take camp stuff, just a sleeping bag and a survival cover and that's it.
You can find hotels, B&B lodging etc.. at all prices, cheap or expensive. Even there is no accomodation somebody would offer a room or at least a roof.
We spent all the nights in this kind of accomodations choosing the cheapest we found, it was ok, two weeks in Morocco, including accomodation meal and gas we paid around 600€

Eric

Deux 400XR au MAROC
Picasa Albums Web - Eric
Two 400 XR in Morocco - ADVrider

Your map is not very clear, so I don't know if we talk about the same track. I don't want to put in here a copy of the Michelin, I don't want to get in trouble. I did 2006 the following:
Bin el-Ouidane - Ouaouizarth - Oulad M'Barek. It was all tarmac.
2005 I did Ouaouizarth - Tilougguite. The tarmac ended after 37 km.

Hi Dakota,
I'd like to drop in to the Moto Andalucia Meet ( maybe for a day and night ) , roughly how long would it take to get from the meet ( nr Malaga ) to Algaceira ? Thanks in advance.
Cheers Mike

Hi Mike

Campsite to Algeciras is a couple of hours - here's a link of the route http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=36.493776~-4.784054&style=r&lvl=9&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&rtp=pos.q4bkh9gnjg9w_Origin~pos.q0n46cgjc1hs_ Algeciras%2C%20Andalusia%2C%20Spain&encType=1
Stick to the toll roads (Autopista costs around 9 euros) - the coastal road (Autovia) has the dubious reputation of being one of the most dangerous stretches of road in Europe.

This years meet (Moto Andalucia) is just a 'taster/test the waters' for the official HU Andalucia 2008 meet. Tim Cullis will be joining us to talk about Morocco and Vaufi will be talking about South Africa for those who are interested in venturing a little further.

I'll pencil you in and see you there!

Hi Dakota,
Thanks for the reply and look forward to meeting you next month.
Cheers Mike

You're right, before Tilouguite is paved road. The tarmac ended after Tilouguite toward La Cathédrale but the track is very good. In Oct 2006 the bridge at Tilouguite had been broken by flood, only peoples, bicycle, donkeys and bike could cross over the Oued.

Eric