Tuesday 24 January 2017

Algeciras to Assilah - 61 miles

Up at 6.15 and it's still dark although traffic on the main road is busy. A quick breakfast then convoy the group to the port which is only 10 minutes. Check in opened at 8.00 and, as assured, provided me with individual tickets for each van, although I'm glad I had the forethought to make a list of registrations and names, it was much appreciated.

Through a couple of police checks and a short wait on the quayside before being loaded onto quite a small ferry; there didn't seem to be many vehicles to load and only a handful of foot passengers. Once aboard we got into the line for police control and the ship departed only 7 minutes late, which is on-time for Spain! Once passports were stamped we adjourned to the cafe to enjoy a very pleasant smooth crossing.

Arrived on time then disembarked and drove to the Customs & Immigration checks. As expected our group were put together whilst they cleared everybody else first but as the ferry had been almost empty it didn't take long. Usual courteous and efficient bureaocracy but no unexpected problems and we were passed through then to the bureaux de change where we all obtained our initial currency. There are four different agencies and they all tout for your business, but the rate is the same for all of them! We usually go for the one that doesn't have a tout!

The plan was now to head to an overnight stop about an hour away, pausing to refuel at the first service area so we joined the excellent motorway just outside the port entrance, taking our time because one of the party was an older classic motorhome and not quite as sprightly as the rest! Refuelled and stopping only to pay the toll, we continued on through bright sunshine to the town of Assilah, on the Atlantic coast south of Tangiers, where we parked up on the guardian parking site on the northern edge of the town.

Guardian parking is basically a parking area for motorhomes, sometimes on some spare land, a carpark or even a disused campsite, which is loked after by a few locals who provide security, waste disposal and often other services too, all for a very modest fee. The GP at Assilah has been improved since we were here last with more room, resurfaced and a cafe/restaurant set up on the entrance. Bit more expensive too but £4 is reasonable and we got all six of our party parked up by 12.30. Time for some lunch and then walk up to Maroc Telecom to get datasims for internet access.

Morocco is now almost all mobile phones, there being few long distance land lines, and so internet via the mobile phone systems is easy, fast and very cheap. We had to return later as they were suffering a technical problem but we were taken in hand by the local manager who was very helpful, extremely knowledgable and managed to sort us all out even though we each probably had different needs.

For a group meal we thought we'd give the cafe/restaurant a try and pre-ordered typical Moroccan meals for around 7.00 pm, forgetting that by then it was dark and not very warm but, hey ho, a warm jacket and woolly hat made do. Shame really then that the meal wasn't up to much but for around £3 per head we couldn't complain and enjoyed the experience. But everyone was soon back in their vans for warming drinks!

Grupo Terry - somewhat chilly meal at Assilah

We can now relax because we've achieved our objective and got our group all set up ready for their tours of Morocco.