Richard

Shared a good breakfast with the other Spanish guest and then set off on the gravel path along the ridge running into oncoming sheep which is a regular occurrence. Headed down the steep ramp giving my brakes a good workout before returning to the main mountain road. Rolling hills into the large regional town for a coffee stop and taking in this off-the-beaten-path town. To avoid the busier main road to the coast, I had plotted a quieter gravel route through the countryside. The rough gravel and dirt with old, broken pavement pieces was slow going but scenic and I was rewarded by people being more curious and more friendly than I had experienced so far. Everyone waved hello and one guy on a motorbike even stopped to offer me the biggest strawberries I have ever seen. I stopped in a local town for a coffee and had a fun exchange with a group of high school students who were curious and wanted to practise english. Road back roads through the more industrial scale agriculture with green houses everywhere and more trucks and vans transporting produce. Crossing under the main coastal highway the back roads turned very sandy so struggled with some hike-a-bike through sand until I found a paved road to take me north to the major city of Larache. Entered on big, busy road but it surprisingly had a nice, wide shoulder for cyclists. I then rode smaller streets to the promenade with a nice sea view dodging traffic and potholes. The waterfront cliffs and promenade were in poor shape but offered nice vieraws. I found a well-rated Riad hotel inside the Medina with very friendly staff and after a stroll through the very authentic (no tourists) Medina I went for a fantastic, fresh and very cheap seafood meal.

Woke with a bit of an upset stomach so took a lot of the big hotel breakfast with me. Nice views over Chefchaouen heading up out of town before a nice long descent. Then started climbing on a super quiet road which traversed and wound through the lower Rif mountains. Very rural with the typical small scale farming and people out walking with their goats and sheep. Lots of dogs but thankfully almost always timid. I met a Spanish couple on Bikepacking trip and they told me about the road closure ahead. Half the mountain had come down in an avalanche during the period of heavy rains earlier this year and wiped out half the village. Quite a hike-a-bike section to get through the mounds of debris and torn up road. I underestimated the amount of climbing on this section with constant uphill and downhill plus a strong headwind. Only a couple of small towns to get a coffee and some water but very scenic in the rolling hills. Lots of signs of damaged roads from the rain. 
The sun was almost down as I reached the view over the huge water reservoir lake and with not many overnight options I headed for the only place in the area. Unfortunately it was up a very steep rough hill on a ridge so had to hike up part of it to finally arrive quite cold in the dark. Very long, tiring day but a hot shower and a good tagine meal with a young Spanish guy staying there was a good finish.

After a good sleep and a hearty breakfast I set off in the cool mountain air with beautiful vistas in all directions. I had chosen the quiet mountain road which descended into Chefchaouen after the Pass. Quite a workout with 800 meters climbing in less than 10km and most of it 10-16%. Lots of traditional mountain agriculture with an abundance of goats, sheep, donkeys and horses for ploughing. 
I stopped in one small village for coffee with some locals and my bike seemed popular.
It seems the region is also well known for marijuana plantations with lots on offer.
Beautiful weather and just a light breeze and great views.
I had a nice picnic stop with views of the “blue city“ of Chefchaouen from above before descending into the town. Although not many km today, I wanted to explore the famous Medina so decided on an afternoon of sightseeing. I quickly found a nice little hotel just outside the old town with good ratings and good bike storage. Nice old town but, in contrast to Tetouan which was very authentic, it is extremely touristy so a little disappointing.

After a nice breakfast in the sunshine at a local café I set off inland, first with some gentle climbing and then increasingly steeper. Traditional agriculture with donkeys and manual labour in these parts but great, fresh fruit and vegetables in abundance and no signs of spraying everything. 
I had planned a gravel deviation but quickly realised this was for MTBs only so turned around. Today there was very little wind so quite hot, especially with the long, steep climbing sections.
Beautiful mountain scenery and steep gorges the further I climbed. I underestimated the steepness of the terrain (plus my tired legs) so decided to take a room at a nice mountain Auberge and break up the climbing to Chefchaouen.

After a little shopping in the old town I road across town to the bike shop I was recommended for my needed part but it was closed. As I was leaving Tetouan I decided to try the other bike shop in town. Jawad used his connections to somehow find the part I needed and even went to pick it up for me. Amazing!! I helped him with some nice social media posts for his shop before setting out mid-afternoon but at least able to ride my bike without being super careful again. Sunny blue skies but brutal and quite cold east headwind today. Really nice coastal scenery but lots of steep climbs in the relatively short afternoon ride. Happy to get to my beach town destination not too late but found the town quite empty in this pre-season. I managed to find a private room through guys I spoke to on the street and found a restaurant that was open for an amazing and inexpensive fresh grilled fish dinner.

Beautiful sunny day and much less wind. After coffee with my Belgian host and breakfast in a local café I headed east along the coast on small roads past the huge Cargo Terminal. Then climbed up to the pass at about 400m with very little traffic and beautiful views across to Spain and Gibraltar and then over to the Moroccan Mediterranean coast. Nice long descent with views over the Spanish enclave Ceuta. Stopped in Mdiq as it was market day and got some fresh fruit. Then headed south along the.coast with many vacation villages and beach-side promenades until Martil. Then inland a bit to Tetouan with its Unesco Medina. Very impressive town and fun getting lost in the Medina labyrinth.

Much later start than planned after bike reassembly issues and a temporary fix via a helpful local bike shop. Nice ride out of Tanger on new waterfront promenade and then along hilly coastal road heading east. Blue skies and sunshine but heavy headwinds today along Strait of Gibraltar. Nice view of Spain across the strait and nice Moroccan coastal scenery. Got a room in a small seaside town guesthouse run by a nice Belgian-Moroccan couple.