Jebel Sahro, Morocco

In February 2009 we went walking in Jebel Sahro, Morocco with KE Adventure Travel.  Our Trek leader was Hajj, a tall smiley Berber man.  There were 16 in our group and I was the youngest member, the oldest being 73.


We set off from Marrakech by mini bus driving across the Atlas mountains to Ouarzazate where we stopped for lunch.  Oarzazate is a bustling town in the middle of the plains.  We passed oasis areas with palm trees and lush green vegetation surrounded by arid nothingness.  It took all day to reach the town of N'Kob, a village on the fringes of the Sahara and our accommodation for the night - a wonderful Kasbah (fortified town house).  

N’Kob was also the start of our trek.  A wander around the town led to us being surrounded by groups of children chorusing "merci pour un stilo," a phrase we would hear often en route.  

We set out into the foothills of the Jebel Sahro on a bright sunny Monday morning with six muleteers, a cook, eight mules and Hajj.  The walk, which was paced very well, took us through farms and villages in the Hanedour Valley.  Our first night’s camp was near the village of Tiguiza (1210m/3970ft).  Hajj walked with an easy long stride, almost as if he was just out for a short stroll, while we huffed and puffed behind.  

On Day 4 we ascended Jebel Amial (2,450m/8,038ft) and it was a hard, long day - 10 hours of walking.  We did have fresh donoughts in the mess tent when we got back to compensate!  

Day 5, described as one of the best day's walking was amazing and my favourite.  The walk took us to the high plateau of Tadaout ‘n Tablah via Bab n’Ali (reminiscent to Monument Valley).  The sky was blue, the rock formations stunning.  We even got to see a nomadic family with camel and baby camel.  It was another long day of walking, but mostly flat.    We lunched in a dry river bed under the shade of a palm tree.  

For the next two days the walking was easier, but we had the option to climb a few of the nearby crags, which we did.  There then followed a longer day as we climbed to cross a high pass and high ridges via an old French fort to the foot of Bou Gafer.  The next day we had the option to trek to the summit of Bou Gafer (1978m/6490ft).  We then descended from camp following a stream through green valleys and deep gorges to the village of Oulili where we camped.  The next day was a short day as we climbed out of the Oulili Valley towards the settlement of Tanemlalt.  

Almond Blossom

The last day's walk up Amalou n Mansour (2,712m/8898ft), the biggest peak in the Jebel Sahro range, was a fitting finale with views showing the route we had trekked, with views of the snow-capped High Atlas and the Sahara.    

We ate well.  Haji always carried a bag of “trail mix,” which he would offer at intervals during the day.  Lunch was usually (unless we were up a mountain) a huge salad with fish, pasta or rice, sometimes there was lentils - a group favourite.  Dinner was fiery Harissa soup with freshly baked roti bread (they cooked the bread on hot stones - amazing), followed by boiled vegetables and tinned fruit.   We were usually up between six and seven and two nights we camped in the same spot, which was good.  Most afternoons we managed to have a wash with water from little streams or communal wells.  The locals were a little reserved, but a smile usually did the trick. The children were great and on one particular day I found myself surrounded by a group practicing the verb Etre!  In total we walked 200kms.

Some Berber words:-
Sahar - thank you
Layal - goodbye
Salam - hello
Mahaben - welcome

A walk down the Aveyron

Summer seems to have arrived overnight so taking advantage of the good weather we headed off on one of our favourite local walks.  The starting point was Pont St Blaise the ancient bridge over the river Aveyron below Najac.  The river was very swollen because of the week of rain.  We headed along the right hand bank for 15 mins (passing by a house and hydraulic generator).  Then we took a zig-zag path straight up the hillside through woods.  We joined the GR36 at the top of the hill on a broad track & followed it south through Mergieux (holiday village) and down to the river.  If you turned right here on the GR36 it would eventually lead to Laguepie, but we turn left and come off the GR36 following the river back to Najac.  Halfway back you need to head up to the railway bridge and cross the river continuing the walk on the left hand side.  Then it's a pleasant flat walk back to Pont St Blaise.

We were the only people walking, but did see six canoeists shooting the rapids (looked fun but scary).  The highlight of the walk was spotting an otter, our first sighting in the Aveyron. The walk is about 10 miles in length and took us four and a half hours including a stop for a picnic lunch and otter admiring time!

(This is the view of Najac from the top at the beginning of the walk.  I took this photo last Summer - yesterday the sky was bluer, but of course there were not so many leaves on the trees!)

Pech Merle, France

This week we visited the cave paintings at Pech Merle in the town of Cabrerets in The Lot.  www.pechmerle.com.  

The caves were discovered in 1922 by a young lad aged 16.  They had been remarkably preserved for some 25,000 years.  The first tours of the caves began in 1926.  We were lucky that the season has just started and we ended up having our own personal tour.  Clementine, our tour guide, spoke excellent English and her enthusiasm for the caves brought them to life.  The highlight for me was seeing a footprint preserved in the clay where someone had trod 25,000 years ago.  Clementine told us that the caves were the wettest she had known in her ten years working there because of the very wet winter they have experienced. The caverns were filled with gigantic stalagmites and stalactites.   We watched rivulets of water running down the rocks forming the next layer of calcite before our very eyes.  Unfortunately I wasn’t allowed to take any photos, but you can see some of the paintings on the website.  Well worth a visit and good value at 10 Euros, but better to go out of season.    

We also had a delicious lunch in La Roue in Cabrerets – 13 Euros for four courses for the menu du jour.