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The TTR250 FAQ web pages -> TTR250 -> Overlanding a TTR250 -> Last minute dash to Morocco
Post Info TOPIC: Last minute dash to Morocco
mossproof


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Last minute dash to Morocco
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After a winter of work and other commitments, I realised I had a window of opportunity to get away at the end of March for a while. Having a love for Morocco, a last minute "f**k it, I'm going" urge came over me and a ferry to France was booked. Too last minute for anyone else to come, and I was feeling antisocial anyway, I put my trusty 325 in the van and Brittany ferries took me overnight to St Malo. A significantly cheaper boat than the one to Santander in Spain, but then requiring a day on the road in France. No hardship in the van with the music on! Another day to cross Spain, and the following morning I was on a boat again, from Algeciras to Tanger Med port in Northern Morocco. It's only a short distance, but took most of the day, ending only 100km or so into Africa. Ramadan was in March this year, and tempers were very short in the heat of the day, and the queues were long because so many Moroccan expats were heading back to their families in time for Eid. Next day drive to Marrakesh, where I would leave the van and head south on the bike.

5 days travelling before I even got on the bike!

This is the reason that for me, it's worth it:

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mossproof


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10 days riding in the High Atlas, Jebel Saghro region and a bit further south in the Anti Atlas. For my last 2 days, I met up with a mate who had done a similar last minute thing, but in his case he and a friend flew in and hired Royal Enfield 450s. His report is here:

Tested: 450 Himalayan 3000km review | Adventure Motorcycling Handbook

 

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After those 10 days, the poor old bike is doing the usual 325 barrel weep (to be fair, it's being doing it a bit for 6 months or so, but I think the heat finally made it worse), I had no rear brake pads left, and a headlight bracket had fractured from the vibrations.

Long journey home, and it's back to standard UK trail riding conditions...

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IOWChris


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Looks amazing, espedito a last minute trip. Have you been there before and knew the route or were you GPS or map navigating?

I can appreciate the feeling of feeling antisocial, I’ve done a load of bikepacking trips solo and it’s a whole different experience to ones I’ve done with friends

What headlight is that? Looks like it could be pretty bright

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mossproof


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I've been lucky enough to have been a few times, in 4x4 and on bikes. I knew roughly where I wanted to to, and have used Chris Scott's "Morocco Overland" books for years for route planning. Edition 4 is massively detailed. I also did a couple of sections of the Trans Morocco Trail, which is a free to download GPX route created by Chris and a guy called Ed Gill, who is another extremely experienced desert wanderer. To get the best out of a trip either needs a fair bit of research (with the book) if you want to stay off the tar, or just download the TMT and go, keeping topped up with snacks, water and fuel! Nothing needs advance booking, but that can feel like a leap of faith if you've never been before!

I have a self confessed headlight obsession! This one is an expensive combination of Baja Designs Squadron Sport Wide angle (the 4-led beam) which has a reasonably flat beam which my MOT guy accepts as a dipped beam, and S2 Pro spot beam, which comes on in addition when I switch to main beam, and is like daylight when you're on the last trail of the day in the dark and wet of a winter Welsh lane!

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