Saturday 6 February

Having decided to return to Tafraoute we attempted an early start as it was a long drive. Coming here a week ago we did this bit over two days, although the Foum Zguid to Tata leg is on an excellent road and takes no more than 2 hours. Still after 11.00 though.

Once we were ready we couldn't find a guardian to pay and wondered if, as there was now only one van apart from us on the site, they'd given up and gone home. They hadn't taken any registration details so we could have just driven off without paying, but apart from that being criminal it would also have been unfair to the lads who worked so hard to keep the place nice, so we left the fees with a note in their “office”. Hope they got it alright!

With quiet roads, well actually almost deserted, we did Tata in well under two hours, seeing perhaps 5 other vehicles on the way – this is supposed to be a main road! Tata seemed very quiet also so we motored gently through and onto the Igherm road. I waxed lyrical about this road when we came down it the other way and have to say it was equally as stunning going the other way.

One particular thing we noticed was that the almond blossom was almost fully out, a little early this year; wonder how that'll affect the Almond Blossom Festival at Tafraoute, which normally takes place 3^rd week in February.

Beautiful though it was, 199 miles was a lot in one day and we were more than grateful when we rolled into a remarkably busy Tafraoute town. Pushing on through to the guardian parking we found a lot more vans there than a week ago, but located a spot near some old friends, who were delighted to see us, and settled in. We already felt better!

Then to round it all off we walked down to the Chicken Shack, a very reasonable cafe/restaurant for our evening meal, having only stopped briefly for a snack during the day. And remarkably we met another English couple, the husband of which lived just round the corner from Terry in Birmingham when they were both youngsters! Small world.

Must mention; during our walk into and out of the town we passed the open square next door to the college which was very lively with groups of teenage girls being followed around by pairs of teenage boys....... So that's how they do their courting here!