8 Nov 2010 – Torremolinos to Casablanca

The plan was an early start to catch the ferry from Algeciras to Ceuta.   The coach left at 0730, and on the way we were told that the plan had changed to catch the ferry from Tarifa to Tangier.

The 92 miles to Tarifa was along the coast road with views of Malaga and Gibraltar and we arrived at the ferry port at 0930.

There was some confusion at the ferry terminal, but we were eventually told that the ferry would not leave until 1100.   Lots of grumbling about “hurry up and wait” – like being back in the army again!

We had been told that we would have to complete entry forms and get them signed by the Spanish police, who have an office on the boat.   However to save us all having to queue Jan collected all 45 forms and got them signed for us.  

After a city tour in the coach we set off for Casablanca.   Leaving Tangier behind us we soon realised we were in a third world country.   This type of transport was more common than cars. 

We expected our first stop to be at Rabat, but due to the delay caused by the change of ferry we stopped for lunch at Larache.   It took us about two hours to get there, and we were surprised at how long it had taken us to cover such a short distance.

There was not much to see in Larache, and our local guide took us to a smart restaurant where the staff spoke English and accepted euros.   A meal of omelet, chips, bread and coffee cost us 5 euros.

It was 1700 when we arrived in Rabat, five hours and 170 miles after leaving Tangier.   Rabat is the second largest city in the Kingdom of Morocco and the home of the king.   We drove past the Royal Palace with a motley collection of untidy soldiers every hundred yards or so.

The Royal Guards at the Mausoleum of Mohammed V are more impressive, and were quite happy to be photographed.   We were fortunate that we had arrived just in time for the ceremonial lowering of the national flag, and whilst it was light enough to take some photographs.

The Mausoleum reminded me of Napoleons Tomb in Paris.   It was crowded with tourists who had been warned to speak quietly, and were told to keep quiet by the four ceremonial guards if they failed to do so.   The chap reading the Koran on the right seemed more interested in the tourists and kept looking up at them.  He eventually went into a side room, apparently to answer his mobile phone!

Hassan, our local guide, then took us for a guided tour around the outside area, and it was good to have a chance to stretch our legs after such a long time on the coach.

David obliged by taking the standard shot for the photograph album.

It was dark when we left Rabat and 1900 when we arrived in Casablanca.   We drove through the centre of the city, but our hotel was too far from the nightlife to tempt anyone to explore.  After a long day we were all ready for a hot meal and off to bed.

7 to 13 Nov 2010 - Morocco Tour

Bob and Janet arranged a coach trip to Morocco for a group of 45, most from the Costa Blanca Mountain Walkers.   The holiday took us to Torremolinos, Tarifa, Tangier, Rabat, Casablanca, Marskesh and Fez.   At the end of the holiday the coach driver estimated that he had driven approximately 3000 kilometers. 

                                        Sunday 7 November - arrive hotel in Torremolinos

 We joined the coach at 0840 at Moraira.   Nine hours, and 350 miles later, we arrived at Torremolinos.   The driver has to stop every two hours, so we had plenty of short breaks and time for a coffee.   After an excellent dinner we walked along the sea front with David and Rosemary and found a beach side bar.

                             Monday 8 November - arrive at Tarifa for ferry to Morocco

It was an early start as the coach left at 0730 for the two hour drive to Tarifa to catch the ferry to Tangier.  Due to a change of plans we arrived early at the port, and had to wait over an hour for the ferry.   Despite Bob warning of heavy seas, the crossing was comfortable with very calm seas!

                               Monday 8 November - Bob and Janet meet our guide Hassan

We had two guides for the duration of our visit to Morocco, Hassan and Youssef.   The first was a very stern local who spoke reasonable English, but with a strong accent which made him difficult to understand.    His assistant Youssef was always smiling and anxious to help.  His main job was to help ladies off the coach, count all passengers after each stop and look after our suitcases.  He was a lovely chap and, unlike poor Hassan, very popular.

                                                Monday 8 November - Tour of Rabat

Due to the later ferry it was almost dark when we arrived in Rabat, the second largest city in the Kingdom of Morocco (as our guide would put it).   We drove past the large Royal Palace with its collection of scruffy soldiers and on to the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, with its much smarter royal guards.   Our visit was a hurried one, as we still had to travel on to our hotel in Casablanca.   We arrived at our hotel at 1930 having covered almost 300 miles in the 12 hours since we left Torremolinos.

                                  Tuesday 9 November - Hassan II mosque in Casablanca

Apart from this impressive mosque, there is little else to see in Casablanca.   Another early breakfast and a quick tour of the city so that we arrived at the mosque in time for the 0900 tour.   We had a very good guide who made the whole experience most memorable.

                                              Tuesday 9 November - Marakesh square

It was only 170 miles from Casablanca to Marakesh, and we arrived late afternoon.  At last a city which looks just like we imagined all cities in Morocco would.   After depositing our suitcases in the hotel it was back to the coach for a tour of the city, followed by free time in the world famous square with its mass of open air café, street entertainers and tourist shops.   We returned to the hotel for our evening meal, but some remained to sample the nightlife.

                                            Wednesday 10 November  - Marakesh to Fez

The 300 miles road from Marakesh to Fez is a national road (not a motorway) over the Atlas Mountains.  There are few places to stop and in fact we drove for three hours without a single stop.    The scenery was just what we expected, high mountains and barren desert.   There was no opportunity for photographs, except from the window of the moving coach.  But we did see our first camel.  As night fell the rain started and there was a thick mist – a nightmare of a drive on narrow winding roads for our poor coach driver.   I am sure that he was as pleased as we were to arrive at the hotel in Fez after ten long hours on the road.

Thursday 11 November - city tour of fez

The one day when we did not have to travel.   Some of our group, including David, were feeling pretty frail after a sleepless night and an upset tummy.   But none wanted to miss the city tour of Fez.   We were lucky to have another excellent local guide, who took us on a coach tour around the city, followed by a visit to a mosaic and ceramics factory.

                                              Thursday 11 November - tour of Fez Souk 

But the highlight of the morning was a walking tour through the Souk.   We were all looking forward to getting a bit of exercise, but were surprised that it turned into a trek through endless narrow streets of shops and living areas.   We had planned to spend the afternoon in the city centre, but by the time the tour finished at 1400 we had enough.  We returned to the hotel to freshen up, and walked to the nearby very modern super market to compare prices with the Souk!

                                          Friday 12 November - Bob and Janet in Tangier

Another early breakfast, as the coach left at 0730 for the 165 mile drive to Tangier to catch the 1400 ferry back to Spain.   We arrived early and were allowed half an hour to find somewhere for lunch.   Most, like Bob and Janet above, took the opportunity of a short walk along the sea front.

                                       Friday 12 November - Back in Spain, Tarifa harbour

We were back in Spain by 1500, and had to collect our suitcases from the coach and carry them through customs – who were completely disinterested.   The coach took a little longer to clear customs, and we were then on the road again for the 90 mile drive to Torremolinos.   We stayed at the same hotel, and were very pleased to have “normal” food for our evening meal.   By comparison Spain seemed very modern and wealthy.

Saturday 13 November - the last of many coach stops

We were offered a late start, but all preferred to leave at 0900.   Another smooth and comfortable drive and we celebrated our last coffee stop at a service station between Murcia and Alicante.    We arrived back at Moraira just after 1700, and were home in Parcent just after 1800.

It was an excellent, if tiring, holiday.   We would never have tackled the journey by car, so a coach trip was an excellent alternative.   There were long distances to cover, but there was no other option if we were to see the important cities of Morocco.

Bob and Janet well deserved the grateful thanks of each and every passenger.  There were no complaints, everything went smoothly and everyone seemed to enjoy the experience.

It will take a few days for me to sort out the many photographs I took, and to receive those promised by David and Wendy.   But in the next week or so I will be publishing a series of blogs of the visit.

4 Nov 2010 - Bolulla Castle

Last week David did this walk with CBMW, starting from the castle itself.   It involved a longer drive over the Col de Rates and past Tarbena, then up a steep road to park near the castle.   He wanted to do a recce to confirm the route, and asked us to join him.

We have walked this area many times in the past, but this time it would be in reverse.   After a short, but steep, climb from the car we arrived at the castle.   From here we walked towards kilometer seven, which is where this walk used to start.   We were lucky to have a sunny day with a light breeze, ideal for walking.  And not too cold for sitting either!   

We made good progress, and had soon passed the half way point.  We then joined a small path, which was often very difficult when coming in the opposite direction.  But today it was much easier, even though it was quite slippery due to being shaded from the sun.

A little short of three hours into the walk we reached the top of the hill overlooking Bolulla castle.   Walking in the opposite direction we usually had lunch at the castle, and then had to tackle this long and steep hill immediately afterwards. 

Today we had lunch at the top of the hill.   The wind was quite cold but we managed to find a sheltered spot which was also a sun trap.

We always make a point of finding a good spot for lunch, and today was no exception with lovely views of Bernia and the coast towards Benidorm.

As we were about to pack up after lunch we discovered that we had a small visitor sitting on Rosemary’s bag.

The next hour was downhill to the castle.   Much easier than our usual climb up, but on a poor track which required care to avoid a slip on the loose stones.

Including our banana and lunch breaks, it took about four hours to get back to the castle.  We were in no hurry to finish, so we had another short break before walking downhill to the car.

1 Nov 2010 - Juvees de D’Alt

We had planned to walk the Green Horse today, but we woke to an overcast morning with light rain and very heavy winds. Not the best of weather for a ridge walk. We all agreed that we would walk in the valley instead.

Fortunately both David and Pat had done a valley walk some time ago, and were reasonably confident that they could find it again. We had also walked it before, but that was three years and in the opposite direction to today.

The walk started down the mosarabic path to the valley bottom. This is the same path we use on the return leg of the Baranco Inferno walk. Good path and much easier going down than coming up!

At the bottom is this sign to Cova Santa – more appropriate for Christmas perhaps


This valley must have been quite populated at one time, for there are more abandoned finca’s and farms than is normal.

By the time we reached the valley bottom the weather had improved. The grey skies were replaced with blue, and we had a warm sun on our backs. So a halt was called to remove a layer or two.


This is a very dramatic looking valley, with a distant view to Denia and the sea

However it’s not long before we are climbing up again. Another mosarabic path, but a very manageable ascent. It is a gradual climb with level bits to recover in between the more steep sections. A cool breeze also helped to make it a pleasant climb.

We had no idea what this walk is called until we came upon this sign post - Juvees de D’Alt

A short distance further on we arrived at our first objective, an abandoned village.

Trust Pat to find not only a chair, but even a table! Just one of the perks of being “the boss”

The first part of the walk had been much better marked than we anticipated. And from here it was a broad dirt road to the rural restaurant where we usually have lunch when we walk The Green Horse.

The dirt road runs around one side of the valley, and climbs the whole way. There are no really steep parts, but the constant gradient is quite tiring.


This is a view of the dirt road from the opposite side of the valley.


We were all quite pleased when Pat decided it was time for lunch.


And it would be hard to find a better spot for it


After lunch we soon joined the track back to Benimaurrel, with long views past the village to the coast beyond.


Next Walk

The next walk will be on Monday 15 November.   It will be El Cau.   Meet at same place as last time.  Take Pinos road.   Just past motorway bridge look for parking area on right of road.  We will meet there at 1000.