The Intended Route (part two - Sausage time in the Sahara)

The Search for the Sausage

 The map below gives an outline of the Moroccan meanderings as I search for the elusive Merguez.....I will bring out a few of the key points once you have had a chance to get the gist of the journey.



As stated previously times are likely to change but a rough breakdown of the weeks will be as follows:

Week 1        The trip to Tangier

Highlights
  • Dinner at Le Champignon Sauvage in Cheltenham
  • Chirizo Pies in Salamanca
  • The seedy Vermouth dens of Seville
Concerns
  • The ferry journey across the Bay of Biscay -  As Spike Milligan said, the best way to avoid Sea Sickness is to sit under a tree....I am with him on this! 😢
  • Not being able to find the ingredients in the local Seville markets for the required Bullshot to restore my rosy pallor after the night before.(PS for all the literary Geeks, I can recommend this and the source book from which I have extracted the recipe)                   



Week 2        Tangier to Volubis

Highlights
  • The Blue Washed Medina's of Chefchauen
  • Imperial Cities of Fes and Meknes - My first Hammam bath of this journey
  • The Roman Ruins of Volubilis 
Concerns
  • Point 2 above - My first Hammam of the Journey - I am just hoping it will be nothing like my first experience of the Russian Public Baths in Moscow where following a particularly strong 'thrashing' I was picking birch leaves out of my backside for a fortnight!! (another tale completely).

Week 3         To Marrakesh

Highlights
  • The Middle Atlas Mountains & the Ziz Gorges
  • Erg Chebbi (dipping the toe into the Sahara in prep for week 6)
  • Todra Gorge in the High Atlas


  • Imilchil Village 
Concerns
  • Snow in the Atlas
  • Will the inevitable Tangier Trots (or Sahara Sh*ts) have hit yet and if so how will i manage in a roof tent........should i have brought 6' of guttering just in case!

Week 4        Viv (my beloved life-controller visiting 😀

Highlights
  • The obvious......
  • Essouira  a beautiful former hippie hangout on the Atlantic coast
  • Taroudant - Some great eateries and local scene


Concerns
  • Viv has not had a good experience with the new kitchen being fitted (by a stroke of luck the kitchen is being replaced starting 2 days after I depart 😂)

Week 5         Atlantic Coast to Erg Chigaga

Highlights
  • Windsurfing in Mirleft
  • Off Roading in the High Atlas to get to some of the remote villages

  • The first 48 hours in the deep desert to get to the beautiful Erg Chigaga


Concerns
  • The probability of testing my plans for recovering myself and the landrover when stuck in the soft sand
  • The distance....a lot of difficult ground to cover this week.

Week 6       The Sahara (Erg Chigaga to Erg Chebbi)

Highlights 
  • Proper solitude
  • The desert
  • Pushing my off-road/desert driving skills
Concerns
  • All of the above !

Week 7        Back to Tangier

Highlights
  • Casablanca
  • Rabat
Concerns
  • That Casablanca does not live upto my romantic impressions (I know it wont)


Cumulative Miles to date c. 3,900

Next Blog - The return leg and enjoying southern Spain

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