40th Birthday Morocco

Well Jackki arrived safely in Marrakech and I met her at the airport as planned. Had a fantastic weekend without really doing a whole lot and I guess that is what people do here. It feels hectic all the time, you walk around in the heat soaking up the atmosphere with a little eating, drinking and shopping thrown in. It was brilliant having Jackki along for a small part of the trip and I hope that in the future we will be doing trips like this together.

Brief update tonight from Beni Casim just north of Valencia. Lots of miles through spectactular mountains today but a lot of motorways involved.

Had a late full English breakfast before setting off at midday. Route via Malaga, Granada, Murcia and Valencia. Tomorrow heading for the Pyrenees and any route suggestions by email would be welcome.

After Jackki left Marrakech I had a sense that essentially I had done what I wanted to do in Morocco and that the trip needed a boost to avoid the last week feeling like that long journey home after a great holiday. Had to get back to the mindset of travel being the holiday and find some momentum. Decision made I decided to pile on the miles and head north with the objective of reaching Tanger quickly but without resorting to the motorway. It was a holiday weekend of some kind in northern Morocco so I made a few stops to watch the multi-coloured festivities but didnt hang around too long.

What a spectacular day of riding! Took the N630 (need to check that road number later) from Vinaroz to Zaragoza this morning and the sections around Morella were fantastic. Trying to keep pointing North but staying off AutoVia as much as possible was the plan. Hooked around Zaragoza on the motorway and then took the N230 (another one to check) after Huesca (nice little town where i stopped for coffee) and headed firmly into the mountains. Got up pretty high through the ski resorts and there was still plenty snow around but the roads were clear and the views stunning.

Set out after breakfast and a strangely disturbed nights sleep, not sure I can handle the drink any more!

Another great day of riding without touching a motorway once. The mountain trail down to Pau was spectacular as expected and I then focused on getting up toward Le Mans using only N and D roads and found some great roads, towns and countryside through the Loire and Dordogne. Did a bit of campsite scouting for the summer en route.

Well my last day in France unfolded as planned with a lovely scenic ride avoiding motorways and following the course of the Loire to avoid major cities in the morning. I rolled up in Le Mans after lunch, did a lap of the 24 Hour circuit, toured the museum and had lunch in the circuit cafe. Le Mans GSXR1000

Le Mans Circuit

I have just read back through my travel story from 13 years ago to remind myself of the great time I had. If you happen to read through and ever wonder "what happened next" then I have been blogging about life in general for some time now at Adriancoe.uk and I would be glad to hear from you.

My update here was prompted by me finally placing an order for a new motorcycle so keep an eye out for new adventures......TBC