The obvious time to climb Mount Toubkal, the highest mountain in North Africa, would be in the summer when you could enjoy reaching the 4,200m peak wearing little more than shorts and a T shirt. As a contrast, December would require full waterproofs, ski goggles and crampons – but it would also provide an incredible challenge and experience so, in my eyes, December becomes the obvious choice! Not only that, but I would be joining a dozen other Virgin adventurers as part of the incredible “Have fun do good” adventures organised by one of our legendary Captains, Chris. And the thing that really tipped the balance of choosing December to undertake this epic climb was the lure of two nights at the luxurious Kasbah Tamadot on completion – an extraordinary hotel in the Atlas Mountains owned by Sir Richard Branson.

But first, we had to get to Marrakesh. Again, the obvious method of travel and the one chosen by all the other adventurers was to fly there in just a few short hours. As a contrast, driving there would take a couple of days, but would be an amazing opportunity to see parts of Morocco not on the routine tourist trail and have our own private adventure…….so (you’re probably sensing a theme here!), driving for us became the obvious choice! Skye, our motorhome, is always at the ready for a quick departure, so it didn’t take us long to load her up and drive a few hours to the port near Gibraltar and (reverse!) onto the ship. Crossing the Straits takes well under an hour, so before we knew it we were driving through Ceuta, the Spanish colony on the Northern coast of Africa. Spain seem to have done a good job of keeping their African ‘exclaves’ out of the public eye, particularly with their slightly hypocritical claim on Gibraltar, but it is a fascinating example of how history shapes boundaries. We just passed through this time as we were keen to explore Morocco’s interior, so drove on to the city of Tetouan and found a gorgeous restaurant in the tiny lanes of the old town. Knowing that Morocco is a ‘dry’ country, a very welcome added bonus was discovering that not only was wine on the menu, but that Moroccan wine is so good – perhaps unsurprising really, given that the climate is so suitable for grapevines.

Our drive the following day took us through some stunning mountain scenery before reaching, high up in the hills, the “blue pearl” of Chefchaouen. For anyone wanting to explore Morocco, I would urge you to put this place on your list; the houses are splashed in every possible shade of blue and at every turn of it’s small winding streets, you are overawed by the multitude of cool shades of blue, ranging from aquamarine to indigo. This is a photographer’s paradise and, for once, I’d say that the photos really do it justice, although it’s still better in real life!

Next stop was Meknes, one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco (and a past capital) and renamed the “City of Endless Walls” by us after our long walk around under their shadows. These were no small walls; this became especially apparent when watching workmen balancing on rickety wooden scaffolding 40’ in the air wielding a pickaxe. It’s good to see the Moroccans preserving their heritage and this will certainly be a city to revisit when the works are complete, especially the vast granary store that was built to feed all inhabitants and horses for over a year if under siege – just walking beside the (inevitable!) long wall demonstrated the enormity of this building and the measures that were taken in medieval days. Skye was parked right under the city walls (of course!) – our plan to only stay in campsites having been abandoned when we saw how well she was guarded for just a few dirham and, despite being right in the city centre, surprisingly quiet.

After spending a bit of time in the medina of Rabat, the modern-day capital of Morocco, we were thwarted in accessing the Royal Palace, so decided to take a swim between the near monsoon-level rain showers instead. The waves were huge, but we found a small inlet and swam with the sound of the waves crashing on the rocks – so exciting and invigorating, the perfect way to prepare for our final long shift on the road to reach our next destination…….Marrakech. Another of Morocco’s Imperial cities (just Fes to visit to complete the list), this has been on my bucket list for decades; the mere sound of it conjures up images of souks, spices and mosques and I was most definitely not disappointed. Despite arriving late in the evening, we were plunged into the pandemonium of the open air street food stalls that take over the main square of Djemaa El Fna and offer anything from traditional tagines to sheep brains. Unsurprisingly, we decided on the former, the first of many, and were entertained by the lengths to which stall holders resorted in order to entice people to their stand. No wonder it’s pandemonium; this is the busiest market in the whole of Africa!

Yet again we found a guarded spot for Skye right in the centre of the city, just beneath the enormous minaret of the huge Koutoubia Mosque – a motorhome really does allow you to get under the skin of these places……

Now Skye had safely delivered us to Marrakech, it was time for her to have a rest, as we joined the Virgin Adventurers at our Riad for the night and had our first ‘team talk’ outlining our adventure ahead. We made it quick, as we couldn’t possibly miss the opportunity for some World Cup action watching Morocco play Spain in a bar full of locals (with not a beer in sight!). Their excitement was infectious and, as we quickly moved to a new venue during Half time, the spectacle of the crowds watching it on the big screen in the main square was something to behold. By the time the match had reached penalty shoot-out, we were on the rooftop of El Fenn Riad, with all waiters downing tools to watch the tense drama unfold. The fanfare of car horns once the final penalty was scored was a joyful addition to the picturesque view of this special city at sunset. This was an auspicious start to our Adventure Launch party, held in the private open air dining area of this extra-special Riad owned by Sir Richard’s sister Vanessa. Tagines and Moroccan wine flowed…..

And finally, we were on the start of our trek up Mount Toubkal; standing at 13,671’ (4,267m), it may not reach the heights of my previous mountain expedition of Kilimanjaro, but what it lacks in altitude it more than makes up for in “prominence”. This is the distance from base to summit and, in this respect, it ranks 36th in the world……that’s a lot of vertical gain and loss in just 3 days 😳😅 However, we set off in good spirits with friendly guides leading the way and sure-footed donkeys carrying our packs and, despite knowing that the forecast was not looking good, we were blessed with sun on our backs for much of the climb.

After many hours of steep ascent, several rest stops including a delicious lunch in a small hut, we finally reached the snow line and it wasn’t long before we saw the Refuge. Our home for the next two nights, imposing like a fortress in the snow, was not what you would call “warm and cosy”; in fact, we had been warned that sleep was a rare commodity here, although it wasn’t just the below-freezing temperature of the dormitory room. No, that improved as breath from the many inhabitants (picture eight bunk beds in two rows of four with no room between them……certainly not for people who were planning on privacy!) warmed up the air. The real reason why sleep is so elusive here is that, at any time during the night, there is a chorus of several different strains of snoring melodies, all adding up to a cacophony of snorts; the morning could not come quickly enough!

Our very early start for “summit day” relieved us from the snoring overture and we all gathered, wearing all the layers we could find, along with helmets and head torches, to pick up our crampons. This was most definitely not a day for the faint-hearted, especially as the weather had deteriorated and the guides were debating whether it was even safe enough to make a start on the climb. The decision was made to give it a go, despite knowing that with a snowstorm blowing 45kph wind, it was unlikely that it would be wise to attempt the ridge where you have to be roped-up for safety even in good weather! However, relieved we were allowed to even make the attempt, we climbed almost 2/3s of the way before having a “conflab” on a 45 degree slope in near-horizontal blowing snow. Almost impossible to hear beneath the gale, we deduced that the guides had made the decision to abort; an immensely disappointing but understandable conclusion, putting safety above the need to “conquer” the mountain. Although disappointing, there are benefits; not only is there now a clear reason to come back for another attempt, but I now have a real inkling of how it would feel to be on the slopes of Mount Everest!

Descending the following day, starting in the snow and ending in T-shirts, was made bearable with the use of poles, although my knees were still complaining a few days later (or was that due to the dancing at the Gala dinner??!). After our guides gave us a final delicious tagine lunch, it was time to head off to the magnificent Kasbah Tamadot where we were greeted like heroes by clapping staff on a red carpet. If they had any thoughts on the dirty and dishevelled state of this crowd of guests, they politely ignored them and gave us a memorable start to our incredible two night stay in one of Morocco’s most elite hotels. (In fact, I’m not exaggerating…….Kasbah Tamadot was nominated as #1 Resort Hotel in North Africa & the Middle East in the Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards 2021!)

With just 28 suites, we were able to take over the entire hotel with the manager pulling out all the stops to welcome us, starting by a cocktail party and sumptuous dinner on the first night and an outstanding “Gala dinner” complete with magician and disco on the second! Our “suite” was, in fact, the most enormous and luxurious glamping tent that you could ever envisage; set about 10’ walk from the main hotel through spectacular gardens, complete with our own balcony overlooking a valley of the Atlas mountain range and a perfect spot to recover from our epic climb. Words simply cannot do justice to this little slice of heaven……

The primary concept in taking part in a “Have-fun-do-good” adventure is to contribute to the local community through raising money whilst taking part in an extraordinary adventure locally. We had raised a decent amount through holding a wine tasting event at home and the following day we got to see exactly how this money is being spent. The local town’s secondary school has around 1,000 students from surrounding local villages, but only space for half of them at any time; our combined fundraising cash was earmarked to complete a study centre for the students to do their homework between lessons. Education is such an important way to help, so it was quite overwhelming to stand in this almost-finished centre and imagine the children studying before windows filled of views of the Atlas Mountains.

The journey home was uneventful and we now have Moroccan lights in the garden and a tagine in the kitchen as physical reminders of our superb time in this remarkable country. And now I have a particularly special connection to this unique part of Morocco giving me many good reasons to come back and see how the study centre has progressed – along with that mission to complete unfinished business and conquer Mount Toubkal……just not in a snowstorm this time!