#LIKEACHALLENGE 

As promised, here’s a closer look at what it takes to reach the highest peak of the Atlas. It was my first major climb and I knew it wouldn’t be easy - 4167m is not a walk in the park. Toubkal is a really tough hike, rather than a technical climb, but nonetheless serious business. I prepped what I could beforehand: sorted out my attire including thermals, coat, gloves, hat, trekking trousers (I actually wore three layers altogether, putting them on or off depending on the ch

My Moroccan breakfasts were quite a sweet affair, with the addition of eggs, goat's cheese, olives and the dozen types of bread that tie everything together. You can see the French and Spanish influence with ubiquitous amounts of pastries and orange juice. Then there's the famous Moroccan mint tea (which I drink without sugar, as the original version is way sweeter than Coca Cola) and for those in need of a stronger kick, you can always have a coffee. This was my breakfast

Tangier was the final destination. The very last 3,5 hours driving back from Casablanca to where it all started. I was very sad that my Moroccan adventure was coming to an end now, but busy planning in my head: what's next? For the first time I properly had a chance to look through all the photos and thought how much I've achieved within the space of just 10 days. I've enjoyed every second of Morocco, learnt a about off-road driving and climbed the highest peak in the Atlas.

Casablanca was the penultimate stop on the rally. I had a very romantic imagine of this city based on the cult Hollywood film under the same name, but the reality is...Casablanca is a giant construction site. It's a mix of modern commercial and apartment buildings, and some old soviet-like blocks...so I was left quite unimpressed. It lacks any architectural or historical landmarks apart from the Hassan II Mosque, which was well worth the drive. It's an imposing structure bu

After spending a whole week driving inland, I couldn't wait to head west towards the ocean. Initially the plan involved a nearly 800km / 10 hour drive south to Tarfaya after Marrakesh, but two days of the rally got eaten up by the Mount Toubkal climb... In hindsight, I should have given myself 12 days altogether (including the climb) to be able to visit Tarfaya... but hey, it's one of the first challenges and I will definitely work on logistics a bit more next time! Essaour

The drive from Aroumd to Marrakesh after climbing Mount Toubkal was the shortest one I had on this rally, but it felt like forever. I was unbelievably tired, desperately in need of a shower (I didn’t wash for 2 nights running) and hungry (a massive KFC bucket sorted that out). Just so you know, the smiling photo above was taken AFTER I had a 12 hour sleep :) Source: Google Maps I spent my only ‘day off’ exploring the dazzling Marrakesh. Wow, what a city! It’s impossible to

A lot of you have been asking about my Mount Toubkal climbing challenge: how hard it was, current weather conditions at the summit, how did I prepare, costs etc I'm still on the road this week and I'll be writing more once I'm back in London, but here's a quick Q&A: How long did it take? Two days which involve walking from Imlil (or in my case from Aroumd) to the refugee at 3200m. It's a 9km walk which took me just under 5 hours (let's say 4 hours if you don't count the teas

Day 4 was a drive from Ouarzazate to Imlil in prep for the Mount Toubkal climb. Just over 240km but the winding mountain tracks (add roadworks to that) made it into a solid 6 hour trek. I never actually feel it takes that long as I'm constantly distracted by the amazing views on route: Nearly looks like LA ;) Ah, the roadworks which stopped the whole traffic for a good hour.. If you look closely there's a digger 'hanging' on the side of the mountain at a 45 degree ang

Day 5 & 6 of the Morocco rally were dedicated to climbing Toubkal, the highest peak in the Atlas Mountains and North Africa. I was in the middle of nowhere for the last two days with no reception whatsoever, so forgive me the slight delay with posting updates to the site. I'll make up for that tomorrow while I'll pamper myself in Marrakesh and do some sightseeing around this amazing city. Firstly, I am soooo knackered. I still can't actually believe I climbed all the way up