Well, in a nutshell, Betty and I are off on our travels again. This time we are leaving Europe behind and heading to Africa, albeit, the closest part Morocco and Western Sahara.

To go and visit the Sahara is something I have always wanted to do, I was making plans to do it in a very different form over 20 years ago, but it never happened. However, my fascination with deserts has never dimmed. Not that there is much of your typical dune sea desert in Morocco, but it isn’t too far away from it in places.

The more I learnt about Morocco, the more I liked it, The people, the mountains, the cities, the history and of course, camels. And the reality of it is this country in Africa is easy to reach in just 4 days.

The plan is to leave in mid April, take the ferry to avoid France, leave the ferry at Santander, with my wallet this time and take 2 days to get through Spain. The ferry across the Gibraltar straight will get me to Tangier Med and then it’s off to the south through the deserts, into Western Sahara and eventually to the sea. Then we will head back, over the mountains, stopping off at a few of the cities and having a good look around.

I’ve decided to not religiously plan my whole trip and have left a few days free just so there is a bit of stop and staring time, but with three whole weeks in Morocco I hope to get a good taste of the country.

So what’s new... Not a lot, everything is just a bit older and more worn. Betty, my '08 Aprilia Pegaso Trail is going well, coming up to 40 000 miles she, still feels very strong despite hammering around on just one cylinder. Not that she has got any more, but the thought of that poor cylinder having to do all the work with no help brings a tear to my eye. Well, not really.

A lot of talk with fellow Pegaso-ists and a bit of bodgeration has helped to iron out common problems and weaknesses on the bike. A change in work direction also means that she is now my main form of transport ensuring a speeding up of corrosion all over the place. To be honest I would not want to travel anywhere, on any other bike, even If I could do it for free because I really know Betty now, and that knowledge is priceless if you break down, especially far from home and with limited resources.

As for myself, there is plenty of wear and tear, coupled with some lack of maintenance. Travelling as a type 1 diabetic always makes planning a little more of a necessity and communication skills will be much needed.

Spending a lot of time on the HU HUBB, gleaning insights into piste conditions and if I am likely to encounter bog roll has helped me to understand what to expect and I am very grateful to everyone who has helped out. In many ways I am looking forward to the whole new world I am about to experience. I might be feeling a little nervous too!