Trekking up into the Atlas mountains and arriving at the first Berber village can be an unforgettable experience. This place is a world away from the life we know in Europe, an almost forgotten land where time is still measured by daylight and the seasons rather than by watches. Indeed many villages refuse to change
-
Arriving in a Berber village
-
Unseasonable rain and Atlas flowers
Morocco, the land of blue skies, has begun to feel more like Wales! This winter’s weather in Morocco has been very unusual. Back in December, there had been so little rain that the Berber shepherds were having to go up to the summer pastures to find grazing for their flocks. That could have turned bad
-
Toubkal winter conditions update
I haven’t been up to the refuges this week, but what remains of last month’s last snowfall is very nearly gone now. Today’s picture is taken across the Tizi n Test valley looking towards the Toubkal massif. Just a little snow remains in the gulleys, and a bit of a snow field still sits on
-
Kestrels nesting in Morocco
Exploring our corner of Morocco, we caught sight of some Kestrels. They were nesting high above the Anogual valley here in the Atlas Mountains. All together there were five or six individuals flying around. Deep in a crack in the limestone we saw one poking its head out, presumably this is where its nest is.
-
Running the Berber footpaths
Yesterday I decided to go out for an exploratory run up into some berber villages in the Anougual valley. The great thing about living in Morocco is that you can just get out there and explore. I started with an easy jog up to the first berber village, passing olive groves and shepherds with
-
Marmots above Imlil?
Walking above Imlil yesterday on the way towards Tizi Mzig, we came across a family of marmots high on the cliffside. They must be very happy that spring is coming to the atlas mountains now! We have yet to identify their species. They are much smaller than alpine marmots, and more brown than gray. Their
-
Toubkal winter conditions update
Up at the Toubkal refuges we had three days of snow and blizzard. It really was more Scottish than Moroccan! The waist deep powder made for hard going once the storm had finally passed, although some austrian ski-tourers absolutely loved it! Despite several hours of graupel falling from the sky during the storm, a quick
