Jane & Rog’s retirement tour, Morocco 2023

[Jane NotRog]

Wingingit#1 - first stop the Adria dealer at Salamanca. Ideally hope to be in be the sputh & better weather tonight. We’re 42km north of S and it’s still foggy, yhpugh burnjng off.

 

[Jane NotRog]

Reallyretired - yes, we do, thanks. Flynn is on his original pet passport - he’s Hungarian.

 

[tonka]

Safe trip and keep posting..

Cant believe that tomorrow will be 10 years since i first posted the MOROCCO 2013 thread.
Happy memories and made some great friends from those trips, sadly we have also lost a few of the originals

Remember the moto " the plan can always change"... Which it did a lot...

Morocco 2013

As the time nears for this "meet up". I thought maybe a good idea to start a new thread as the adventure begins. A big thanks to Dave (snowbird) who originaly started the idea and no doubt expected 1 or 2 vans to join him, :Doh: We still have a potential 12 - 14 vans who will meet on Tuesday...

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

 

[Reallyretired]

Request for Flynn pictures for the doggy fanciers on here, please

 

[Jane NotRog]

tonka - yes, we keep reminding ourselves of this. It’s been a long drive, and although we had wanted to get to Dakhla, perhaps it’s too much, as we have to be back in the UK for my Dad’s 90th celebration on Mar 4th.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Jane NotRog]

Reallyretired

Today dozing on the trip. He has a harness that plugs into the seat belt on the dinette - he loves having his own personal window.

And my favourite one of him, taken with a proper camera, at home.

 

[Jane NotRog]

Today we set off in thick fog and a temperature of -3. I’d paid for the Say Something in Spanish course but Rog found driving and Spanish too much, understandably.

The Adria dealer in Salamanca was only open for people collecting their vans, not for repairs until the 8th. We’re getting the hang of it now.

We stopped for lunch at a petrol station café - 4 great tapas, including some surprise tripe, a coffee and a no alcohol beer for €8.90.

We drove on as far as Camping Cáceres, as we’d decided it was well over time for a shower. Sadly I misread the price as 17€, but I think that was only for ACSI members. Must look into that, we paid 27€.

Rog looked into another of the water heater suggestions but sadly no joy. The remaining one is much more of a job so we need the time to do it.

There was a good dog walk leading up the hill, and we added a good few new plants to our spots on the Seek app. The fields to our right were an unusual* combination of sheep grazing under olive trees.

*I live on the edge of Romney Marsh. Olives would find it a little too soggy.

The campsite is unusual in that each pitch gets its own little hut with loo, sink and shower. We made good use of it after the dog walk and are now clean and shiny for the first time in days.

 

[Stonemags76]

I had a thought that the campsite at Caceres usually sell the ACSI books? Worth asking maybe? The town is worth a visit - a fairly easy walk, & a lovely citadel with a square lined with restaurants- menu del dia really cheap, surprisingly!

 

[Stonemags76]

There’s a bus opposite the campsite, but no dogs allowed unfortunately!

 

[Jane NotRog]

Thanks Stonemags76, will take a look in reception before we leave. We’re not doing a massive amount of sightseeing this time in Spain as it’s a bit of a route march south to sun and Morocco. However, we’ve both fallen in love with Spain, which feels a little like France did 30 years ago, and want to come back in shoulder season, when it’s warmer. And learn some Spanish!

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Mikey RV]

It’s worth going into the town, it’s got a great indoor market in a fantastic building. Agree the pitches are great with there own little bathroom.

 

[Jane NotRog]

Last night we mooched down to the campsite bar for a drink, which had interesting service from the barman - very abrupt but kind of friendly at the same time.

There was a football match on at the stadium - possibly quite an important match as there were loads of people and police keeping them out of the campsite and bar! This also means lots of fireworks, so Flynn wasn’t super happy and needed reassurance…

He loves camping but he’s a big dog and he misses sharing a sofa with us as he does at home. Pointers are very cuddly dogs!

Dinner was, thank heavens, the last of the fridge-emptyings we’d bought to get us through the long drives. (Well, apart from the odd sprout and a sad-looking red cabbage). Beef cheek (previously pressure cooked), with a baby potato and sprout stir-fry. Much better than it sounds, or looks.

 

[Jane NotRog]

Today was a game of three thirds. Two thirds of us had quite an exciting day, the third third (the doggy one) only got scraps of walks all day. Mind you, as I type now, I’ve walked over 20k steps, so not bad for a travel day!

We did call in at Caceres after the recommendations. It was very atmospheric in the fog, and the market was amazing, full of amazing meat products.

We just bought some jamon iberico though, as plans were to make it all the way to La Linea. We did shop for bread, and Rog, who although 55 years old is 7 in his head, had to buy some of these for his breakfast.

When we got back, I had to tell Flynn it’s not polite put your feet on tables…

We did end up in La Linea, after a major wobble about should we wait near Seville for the Adria dealer to open on the 6th. But we thought that it could just be a total waste of time if they couldn’t help us or we had to wait for a new heater.

First stop Carlos, or rather his daughters at Viajes Normandie. I phoned them first and found that cards are now accepted and the cost to Tangier Med was €310. (Under €300 to Ceuta.) We parked up to find the shop packed, and sounding rather like the Tower of Babel, if 90% of it had been French.

The other good thing was that our ticket is not only an open return, but flexible on when we go out. We’re booked on the 10am ferry tonight, but apparently could have gone tonight, or the day after tomorrow.

We’re now parked for the night at the aire at the marina at La Linea. There’s black waste emptying which we needed, and no doubt all other services too. But apart from the “Massiven Ginormousen Wagen” section at Düsseldorf, never have I seen so many massive motorhomes congregated in one place. These things made the number 66 bus from Ashford look a bit tincy. How do people park them in normal sites, or drive them through villages?

Tonight we went to another country for dinner, but I’ll save that to write up on the ferry tomorrow.

 

[Jane NotRog]

We were quite undecided about visiting Gibraltar. Everything I read said that it was not dog-friendly - cable car, Top of the Rock, etc. And leaving Flynn in the van for a long time in the sunshine doesn’t work unless we are on hook-up, and can run the air-con.

So we hatched a plan to walk over in the evening for dinner just to get a feel for the place. It was about 20 minutes on foot from the aire, with great views of the rock over the water.

Then we went through Spanish and British passport control…

to come face to face with this.

We walked to Main Street, which was all decked up for Christmas, and where you could shop at Holland and Barrett for knitted food, or Clarks for shoes.

We stopped for a pint of beer and a half of cider at the Venture Inn, which is an Irish pub. It was totally bizarre - it looked like the real thing, in an overdone way, but the locals propping up the bar were talking in what Wikipedia describes as almost indistinguishable from Andalucian Spanish. That is, until they all burst out into a verse of “I’m tired and I want to go home”.

I still couldn’t get over this oddness of language, which was everywhere - signs in perfect English, without any Spanish translation, and English shops selling cornflakes and ketchup, but most of the people we passed speaking in Spanish.

We had another pint and cider at the Lord Nelson, complete with motto over the door, “England expects that every man will do his duty,” with no trace of irony.

We were expecting to have a totally ironic pub grub meal as a joke, but then found Aquaterra, offering very good Spanish food, so changed our minds. Rog is easily bribed with jamon Ibérico, and so am I, especially if it comes with cava.

On our way back, the barriers to the footpath and road across the runway were closed, and a jet took off just in front of us, almost in touching distance.

I’m very glad to have visited such a weird place, and wish we could have visited for longer in the daytime, but I’m still not sure it makes sense with the dog.

And now to today’s worries - on the Morocco 23 thread, someone has said that we might need a health certificate from Spain on entry to Morocco. I’ve found a vet who opens at 8:30, or we could delay a day. Or risk it. Decisions, decisions, when Rog wakes up.

 

[Mike Warland]

I like reading these so thought I’d try to keep a thread up to date. The more family focussed version is on our blog.

We were booked on the 07:50 Eurotunnel yesterday, but as it’s a mere 20 minute hop from home we were there in good time and were bumped to a train leaving an hour earlier. Met another Adria Twin owner in the car park who usually travels with two Spinones - makes our one German Wirehaired Pointer look rather lacking in ambition.

We headed off from Calais in the driving rain, and took the autoroute to try and outrun it. Quite a cost - I haven‘t totalled it properly but must have been about 95 euros? We’ll try to avoid the tolls today, now the weather has improved.

Spent the night in a fantastic place we found on Park for night - a level, dry car park outside Vounieul-sous-Biard. (Just west of Poitiers.) It was very peaceful, even on New Year’s Eve. Also a great spot for dog owners - trails lead directly off the var park along the river valley.

The town has a pharmacy, a bar, and Google maps says it has a small Carrefour too - we didn’t walk that far.

View attachment 701581

We had a special celebratory “last day of last month of salary” meal, which featured English wines and a Wiltshire truffle, just to show those Frenchies.

View attachment 701582

We travelled over on the 6.20 tunnel also with our dog Max on a Spanish passport. The weather in Calais was pretty awful we were glad to be on the tunnel not a ferry. We stopped the night at Pamproux just south of Poitiers. My wife wants to do Morocco but not this year we will stick to Spain.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[The Dudess]

We were quite undecided about visiting Gibraltar. Everything I read said that it was not dog-friendly - cable car, Top of the Rock, etc. And leaving Flynn in the van for a long time in the sunshine doesn’t work unless we are on hook-up, and can run the air-con.

So we hatched a plan to walk over in the evening for dinner just to get a feel for the place. It was about 20 minutes on foot from the aire, with great views of the rock over the water.

View attachment 703092


Then we went through Spanish and British passport control…

View attachment 703093

to come face to face with this.

View attachment 703091

We walked to Main Street, which was all decked up for Christmas, and where you could shop at Holland and Barrett for knitted food, or Clarks for shoes.

View attachment 703095

We stopped for a pint of beer and a half of cider at the Venture Inn, which is an Irish pub. It was totally bizarre - it looked like the real thing, in an overdone way, but the locals propping up the bar were talking in what Wikipedia describes as almost indistinguishable from Andalucian Spanish. That is, until they all burst out into a verse of “I’m tired and I want to go home”.

View attachment 703094

I still couldn’t get over this oddness of language, which was everywhere - signs in perfect English, without any Spanish translation, and English shops selling cornflakes and ketchup, but most of the people we passed speaking in Spanish.

We had another pint and cider at the Lord Nelson, complete with motto over the door, “England expects that every man will do his duty,” with no trace of irony.

View attachment 703096

We were expecting to have a totally ironic pub grub meal as a joke, but then found Aquaterra, offering very good Spanish food, so changed our minds. Rog is easily bribed with jamon Ibérico, and so am I, especially if it comes with cava.

View attachment 703097

On our way back, the barriers to the footpath and road across the runway were closed, and a jet took off just in front of us, almost in touching distance.

I’m very glad to have visited such a weird place, and wish we could have visited for longer in the daytime, but I’m still not sure it makes sense with the dog.

And now to today’s worries - on the Morocco 23 thread, someone has said that we might need a health certificate from Spain on entry to Morocco. I’ve found a vet who opens at 8:30, or we could delay a day. Or risk it. Decisions, decisions, when Rog wakes up.

I'm fairly sure you will need a Titre test to be allowed into Morocco. See Tam's thread Northernraider

 

[Jane NotRog]

We have a titre test, done last month. The thing we hadn’t heard of is a vet’s certificate of heath.

 

[Carpmart]

Great thread (so far) and I’m looking forward to following the rest of your travels.

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

We have a titre test, done last month. The thing we hadn’t heard of is a vet’s certificate of heath.

You must have the British AHC for your dog when you exited the UK? Would not this suffice.

 

[Carpmart]

You must have the British AHC for your dog when you exited the UK? Would not this suffice.

Jim - It said earlier in the thread that the dogs on an EU passport already, so they won’t have and AHC.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Littlewheels]

Having read it throughly my understanding is that the PP and Titre certificate are proof and provide every thing that’s required.

 

[Jane NotRog]

That’s not the case. You now need a certificate of health from a vet - we just got one in Algeciras, and an export certificate from the PIF at the port - I’m sitting waiting for that now. I will do a full post with details later. Let’s hope Carlos (son-in-law?) was correct when he said our outward ticket was flexible, as we’ve missed our 10am ferry now.

 

[TheMachMan]

Great thread, thanks for sharing. Looking forward to your Moroccan adventures.

 

[Riverbankannie]

Hoping your ferry journey goes smoothly and you have a great time in Morocco.

We have a PVC like yours and I very rarely use the water heater. A kettle full is enough for a good wash down and washing up is done with extra water boiled for tea/coffee. In hot weather like we had here in Uk this summer and you hopefully get in Morocco, I use the shower with unheated water.
I think you will get back and wonder why you worried about it

 

[Jane NotRog]

We are now in the queue for the next ferry, which I think is at 13:30. The first ticket check gave us our sticker and waved us through, so I think missing our original ferry has not been too problematic.

What you now need, I think since June 22, is an export certificate from PIF in the port. They also gave us what I think is a customs form for the dog.

Finding the PIF building caused us much stress this morning as we ended up in the lorry park by following the PIF Parking sign. It’s at floor.straw.exhale, on the first floor. There is car parking right by it, and we managed to find somewhere that fitted our PVC.

These documents were free of charge, and the friendly official told us we needed nothing more to return to Spain. (On the Morocco 23 thread, I found an EU document that worried me that we needed another health cert to return.) I had to wait 20 minutes.

To give us these 2 documents, the PIF people needed to see the dog’s pet passport, serology certificate (titre test) and health certificate - which we got just now from a Spanish vet. (I think PIF kept this health cert - I don’t have it now, anyway.) We can highly recommend Clinica Veterinaria La Huella which is nearby, opens at 8:30 and she speaks good English and is friendly. They are at head.playoffs.primed

Parking round there is difficult, so the best best is to park at El Jamon supermarket near by - don’t go in if the barriers are up, you need them to be down so you take a ticket. It opens at 9, which I think is when the barriers go down. Pop into the supermarket as you are leaving, buy something, and you will get a free exit ticket. You can’t just pay to leave - we assumed this and couldn’t, which caused a delay while I tried to negotiate with the supermarket and prove we’d bought some bread. El Jamon is at reach.icicles.pizzas

The vet needed to see Flynn’s pet passport and titre test. Without the latter, it would have been impossible to get the health certificate the same day. It sounded like Flynn should already have taken a worming tablet, but she was happy to give him one, and us the health certificate. The cost of this was just over €38 - much better value than others I’ve heard of. We had to wait 30 minutes, and then the vet also wanted Rog’s passport and our vehicle registration - we showed our V5, not sure if we needed to.

I’m not sure on what would happen if you don’t have a pet passport. Do you need to show a titre test to get a UK health certificate? If not, I would assume you need the Spanish vet’s health certificate. There’s also a time issue - the health cert must be recent. I’ve read it must be within either 3 or 10 days - no idea which is correct.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Jane NotRog]

This was stuck up on the window at PIF, may help Spanish speakers

 

[Abgs]

I really should be out on the road doing something similar but after a silly ladder accident in November I’m still not walking property and can’t drive any great distance. I am hoping to get away for all of Feb into March and am just trying to figure whether Morocco is doable from the UK and back in 4 - 5 weeks. I’ve been before on a motorbike and also toured in rental car so I know what to expect.

In the meantime I’m just loving this thread and incredibly envious of you guys. Keep up the excellent postings!

 

[Billylou]

Excellent thread, informative, enjoyable to read and you come across as really nice people. Looking forward to reading more.

 

[Jane NotRog]

Also following on from my previous thread, I think the main need for these export documents will be on returning to Spain. So very important - it would be much worse not be be able to get back, than to be turned away now & go somewhere else instead.

 

[HugoBNB]

Good luck on yout trip. We will follow with interest your adventures.
We had a similar problem with our heater. Attached is tge place that sorted us out. It was only a fuse and they wouldn't even charge us. We did give them 20 euros as a thank you. Good luck.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}