Cycling UK Forum

Doing the High Atlas CTC two week Tour this year starting from Marrakesh in mid march then instead of flying back, I intend to cycle /train/ferry back to Gibralter, spain, Portugal to Santiago[spain] East on the Pilgrims way, then probably Santander/Portsmouth and home. Wondered if anyone has done this and if they have any advice to offer.e.g. How long is it likely to take for a fit older tourist like me, a good route from Marrakesh etc. I will be taking a tent and going economique. Also, I thought , if anyone has the spare time ,[could be 4 weeks ] would they like to join me in Marrakesh for the return journey [ or part thereof]. Only £70 airfare from Manchester inc. cost of carrying bike. Any interest and I will get back to them. thanks. Bob. J.

Google Peter Gostelow. He's riding UK - Cape town and is in Morocco at the moment, so has done what you propose in reverse.

He's a really nice guy - try emailing him through his web site and I'm sure he'll give you good advice.

I've ridden from Lisbon to Bilbao. It was obvious to me that doing the ride in a straight line mostly through spain would have been rather dull, and that hugging the coast would have been too traffic infested, so I headed north through Portugal about half way between the coast and the Spanish border, then turned east riding a similar distance from the northern spanish coast. It was a beautiful ride, although the hills in the Asturias were brutal. It was a while ago, but as I recall it took me 9 days - but I do tend to get a move on!

Good luck.

Diane.
I'd have a word with the leader ,Pete Jarvis, of that CTC tour he knows Morrocco very well. I'd be a little nervous about the route north from Marrakesh, there does n't seem to be many options and you may find you will have no option but to mix it with quite a few lorries across a pretty boring desert plain which might not be to much much fun.The Altas roads to the south on the otherhand are truely wonderful.