I've spent the last few days on Jebel Siroua and crossing the high passes. Much of this info will be known to Maroc regulars, but maybe will be of use to newer visitors to this wonderful country.

Having dropped Reggwensie off at the airport, I headed over Tichka to try to get to warmer and drier weather on the south side of the Atlas. However, it just got colder and wetter. The top of the pass was sleety, and snow at the very top, so I didn't linger. It dried up further down, but still cold. I took the turn off to Telouet, rather than the main road to Ourzazate. It's a nice country route and one I'd recommend. There are nice new shiny signs for Auberge Tasga at Telouet, so I decided to check it out. It's about 5k beyond the town at the end of a twisty piste at the mouth of a gorge. Food is good and local girls provide after dinner entertainment using only a big drum and some some complicated rhythms. Then the guests dress up and join in the dancing! A very cold night, fully dressed, in a bag liner under two doubled up blankets, but a wonderful crisp sunny morning.

I continued down the road to Ait Benhaddou, then the main road to Ourzazate. I checked out the Municipal Camping which looked OK but very busy, then headed over to Bikershome just to see where it is. There I spotted signs for Camping Palmerie. It's relatively small, but well run and has good food to order. Much warmer weather now of course, so a comfortable night.

Next morning after a very slow start I set off back up the main road to travel west to Askaoun. I could have taken a piste out of Ourzazate, but then I wouldn't have found the barber shop at the Ait Behaddou turn off. Definitely recommended. Travelling west the piste starts as tar then changes to good piste. About halfway along it turns into a new super-piste, but of course that's the wrong way and leads to a dead end at a very high village. Back tracking onto the correct route I continued over the two high passes. After the first pass, the piste deteriorates significantly and became a real test of man and machine. At the top of the narrow defile down to Askaoun, man gave up and had to stop for the night. That was the frozen breath camp.