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Morocco Expedition 2007

Day 1 – Welbeck to Manchester to Marrakech

The trip started with what should have been a short coach trip and routine flight to Marrakech. However we soon realised it was not going to be that simple after getting delayed after boarding the plane due to “minor technical faults”. This failed to put lower our spirits though although it meant missing out on half a day in Marrakech.

Day 2 – Marrakech Tour

Today was an easy day. We started with a leisurely breakfast of French tradition, including cakes and croissants, and then enjoyed a short tour of the souks near the main square in Marrakech. We stopped in a small shop selling remedial spices and learnt about all the different spices used in Moroccan cooking and medicine, including one that we would later become very familiar to, Cumin. This also gave the girls a chance to try out another Moroccan tradition of Henna which is an ink that stains your skin in a particular pattern. We then enjoyed a meal at a local café which served Moroccan delicacies such as kefta which are similar to meat balls. We then had a chance to buy anything we had seen earlier, not forgetting to haggle! After this short shopping trip, we journeyed to Imlil to start the real purpose of the trip.

Day 3 – Acclimatisation

Today was devoted to getting use to the heat and altitude around the Imlil area. It involved a leisurely stroll up the side of a mountain, a short stop at the top to enjoy a fizzy drink and then back to the hostel in imlil where we stayed the night before. Despite it being a short route, we all found it harder than we thought it would be due to the heat, and us not being accustomed to it.

Day 4 – Trekking Day 1

Today was the first real day of trekking, and with the prospect of the hardest day yet, we made an early start. The route involved a short down hill stretch until we cleared Aroumd and then a long uphill climb to a pass that would hopefully bring us to our camp before it got to hot. It was also the first day we used mules to carry our baggage which walked near us. When we arrived, lunch was already ready and we enjoyed cold drinks and what was going to be a lazy afternoon for most, except the brave few who decided to climb a nearby mountain.

Day 5 – Trekking Day 2

After what we thought was an early start the day before we were horrified to learn that today we would be starting even earlier. This was not helped when the person who was meant to be waking us up, still had his watch in English time meaning we got up a whole hour early. The route today took us over another high pass, 1000m above our current level and then back down towards a large river where our next campsite was. With the first proper climb of the expedition, many felt it was actually harder to stay on your feet going down than it was to get to the top in the first place.

Day 6 – Trekking Day 3

Today we decided to take an easy route and follow the river bed as we were all still tired from the day before. We set off late by our standard but enjoyed a walk of brisk place, as the route was easy and morale was high. Many of us said afterwards that apart from the summiting this was the best day. In tradition Welbeck fashion we again finished an hour ahead of schedule and so enjoyed another lazy afternoon.

We knew the next few days would be a lot harder so many of us just decided to rest at the campsite.

Day 7 – Trekking Day 4

Today we aimed to reach a pass not far from Mount Toubkal which would leave us a shorter route for the next day as we would be climbing more than we had before. Doing this took us near the largest fresh water body in the Atlas Mountains, Lac d’Ifni. We started well as expected and soon reached Café Toubkal for our first stop of the day, where some of us decided it just wasn’t challenging enough so added rocks to their packs. After some funny looks from other tourists, we set off again, and due to only stopping briefly to cool down, we soon made it to Ifni where to cool down further, we had lunch and a brief swim in the cool waters. As by this point, most of us where hot and tired, and some even burnt, it came as a welcome surprise as the water was at just the right temperature after a hard days walk. After lunch we walked to the next pass, where we set up camp for the night. That night most slept outside to see the shooting stars.

Day 8 – Trekking Day 5

With Toubkal barely a days walk away, morale was high as we climbed the last pass before the mountain. It however soon diminished as the day wore on and it seemed like we were making little progress. Also one of our number was beginning to feel the effect of the foreign food on her stomach. Despite this she pressed on bravely and soon we managed to reach the summit. Here we stopped for a brief sandwich break and dreamt of the luxuries awaiting us at the refugee at the base of Toubkal, which included a real toilet not a tent! We quickly descend, spurred on by the desire to reach the refugee arriving little over an hour after we had summated the pass. With the rest of the day free for us to enjoy, and somewhere to enjoy it, morale was restored that night. Ali and Chloe also made new friends with two small goats, named Ron and Harry after they got separated from the rest of the herd. After deciding that an early night was a good idea, we soon were asleep and dreaming of the next day.

Day 9 – Ascent of Jebel Toubkal (4167m)

With a long day ahead of us, and some of the group having upset stomachs still, we started early and aimed to summit well before lunch. Given an estimated time for getting up and down at 5 hours, we blitz this arriving at the summit in 2 hours where we stopped for sandwiches and photos. The climb, being easy from the day before was entertaining as we raced another group up the side of the mountain, arriving long before them. When we descended, we tried a new skill called rock surfing where due to the loose nature of the ground, you could move very fast by moving your feet very little, which some of us were better at than others. We also managed to pick up a dog during our descent which followed us all the way to base camp, where we then had lunch. After that we had a short walk to the place where we stayed after the acclimatisation walk and the end of the trekking part of the expedition.

Day 10 – Marrakech again!

With the expedition almost at an end all we had left to do was haggle for souvenirs again in the souks in the city. We left with some good deals and after enjoying the late night festivities in the main square where ready to go home.

Day 11 – Home!

In repayment from missing half a day earlier on the trip, we ended up stuck in the departure lounge for 4 hours waiting for the plane to come. After it had arrived however the trip passed uneventfully with everyone getting back the UK in good condition.

Thank you to…

• All the staff who came with us and walked alongside us
• KE travel for giving us a Brilliant guide
• All the muleteers and cooks who made our stay a bit more manageable.

Thomas Roberts (06e)

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