If i remember correctly i Went on the Ibn Batuta from Tangier to Sete 1 trip when i worked for Jan De Lely,i Think about 1986 ish.
hutpik:
If i remember correctly i Went on the Ibn Batuta from Tangier to Sete 1 trip when i worked for Jan De Lely,i Think about 1986 ish.
Here’s the last time I ever used it, in 2005 going down to Ouarzazate in the south. Robert
This German outfit did a lot of drawbar work into Maroc. Robert
Hi Robert
Bulldog International Transport Express Ltd ran to Takdoum (sic), Rabat, from 1990 to 1993. I had an unwritten Renault LHD 420, followed by a Scania 143 top line, pulling an unwritten tri- axle box. The client also had an offshoot in agidir, which we serviced as an when. My abiding memory, on my first trip, was finding my way into the takdoum industrial area, only too pleased to get there at 0400hrs ish, of kids chucking rocks down onto the cab from the cliffs above the shanty town.
The very one, and thanks so much for the memory. I gave my copy of the article to my mum (RIP) just after the trip, so its been some 25 years since i have seen that photo. Like many of us of a certain age, i wish I had paid more attention with the camera lens over those years. The Marco Polo Hotel, along with its prolific supply of Heineken Export bottled ( large green) lager remains a fond memory , along with certain other bar stool decorations that were in abundance. The Renault proved to be a disaster, electrics in particular, so we took a 143 off the Italian run and it never missed a beat. Neither did the F 16 that followed it.
JohnAnthonyBuckley:
The very one, and thanks so much for the memory. I gave my copy of the article to my mum (RIP) just after the trip, so its been some 25 years since i have seen that photo. Like many of us of a certain age, i wish I had paid more attention with the camera lens over those years. The Marco Polo Hotel, along with its prolific supply of Heineken Export bottled ( large green) lager remains a fond memory , along with certain other bar stool decorations that were in abundance. The Renault proved to be a disaster, electrics in particular, so we took a 143 off the Italian run and it never missed a beat. Neither did the F 16 that followed it.
Takkadoum was always a bit of a hot spot! Do remember the steep hill out of it on the main road? Murder in the wet! Robert
Yes, i rember the steep hill, the Scottish manager at the factory where i used to tip used to go mad when he saw me arrive along that road, saying how unsafe it was, and i must use the ‘other’ road in. I never found it. Robert do you remember the Spanish fishermans strike in th spring of 1990? Something about the EU directive on the size of fishing nets? The blocked the port of Alegercias on the Sunday i rolled in for the Midday sailing of the Ibn Battuta, and we were still there 19 days later. Word went out that a ferry was going into Cadiz under cover of darkness that night, so an orederly mass stampede of 100 or so trucks barreled up over Tarifa and along into Cadiz port. No linkspan, so we all were guided on board in a really rough swell by a deck hand like he was at the Monaco Grand Prix, when the swell dropped he dropped his flag and you made a dash. The underbumper spots, along with the rear end of the trailer onthe up swell took a hammering that night.
Sorry, my bad. 9 days, not 19.
JohnAnthonyBuckley:
Yes, i rember the steep hill, the Scottish manager at the factory where i used to tip used to go mad when he saw me arrive along that road, saying how unsafe it was, and i must use the ‘other’ road in. I never found it. Robert do you remember the Spanish fishermans strike in th spring of 1990? Something about the EU directive on the size of fishing nets? The blocked the port of Alegercias on the Sunday i rolled in for the Midday sailing of the Ibn Battuta, and we were still there 19 days later. Word went out that a ferry was going into Cadiz under cover of darkness that night, so an orederly mass stampede of 100 or so trucks barreled up over Tarifa and along into Cadiz port. No linkspan, so we all were guided on board in a really rough swell by a deck hand like he was at the Monaco Grand Prix, when the swell dropped he dropped his flag and you made a dash. The underbumper spots, along with the rear end of the trailer onthe up swell took a hammering that night.
The alternative route went all round the houses and wasn’t worth doing. As for the fishermen’s strike, it was a bit before my time on the Morocco run though I knew many drivers who were caught up in it. Robert
Now you got whole article posted. Hope you will enjoy 
Danne
Danne, thanks again. We were told that the journalist was going to do the roud trip, but when we landed at Tangiers, it was a quick few words, he jumped into a cab and headed off to the airport to catch a plane home. I think he had had enough. Possibly of me…
Have a good day.
JohnAnthonyBuckley:
Danne, thanks again. We were told that the journalist was going to do the roud trip, but when we landed at Tangiers, it was a quick few words, he jumped into a cab and headed off to the airport to catch a plane home. I think he had had enough. Possibly of me…Have a good day.
No problems mate! Its a good read i liked alot,sorry to hear that the Renault wasnt any good. But the Scania was and is a real dreammachine to me.
Danne
Some vey interesting stuff on " great continental railway journeys " . Beeb 2 on Friday… With " Mincing " Michael Portillo.
Emotive scenes and interesting history of North Africa.
I never went there in a truck but spent three weeks hiking the High Atlas range. Part of it with a donkey 
in the mid 2000’s, followed by a week in Marrakech and a coastal place I can’t remember…
Loved the food … Hard to get a drink in some places I recall.
What’s your foodie memories lads?
All the best.
Balders.
Baldrick1953:
Some vey interesting stuff on " great continental railway journeys " . Beeb 2 on Friday… With " Mincing " Michael Portillo.Emotive scenes and interesting history of North Africa.
I never went there in a truck but spent three weeks hiking the High Atlas range. Part of it with a donkey
Loved the food … Hard to get a drink in some places I recall.
What’s your foodie memories lads?
All the best.
Balders.
Food was usually wonderful - as food is, wherever you go round the Med basin - and over the years your stomach got good at it! I remember the place that we used to call the ‘Kenitra truck stop’ on the old national road out of Kenitra to Fez (it’s all motorways now). You ordered your meat from the butcher then went to the grocer next door to order your veg and then went to the counter to order the ensemble, usually in the shape of a tagine. All this was washed down with copious quantities of mint tea (and whatever amounts of Spanish vino collapse you managed to smuggle in!). Men with sticks guarded your lorry in the night (along with the wild dogs if you deigned to feed them). That old road ran down via Sidi Kacem, if my memory doesn’t fail me. I doubt those days’ll come back, alas! Robert
There was a place not to far outside Rabat, on the right as you headed south, that was on a bit of a hill, so always a bit dodgy when it rained. And your truck was prone to mirror damage! Good for the usual lamb / goat / chicken stew affairs. The fly blown kebab treats hanging in the open window were , I felt, best avoided. Balders, I know you asked about North African cuisine, but not too far north of it, in Algerciras, there was a little restaurant where the huge steaks and pork chops were to die for, washed down with the local red/white stuff. Robert may well have been a occasional customer too. Walk out across the road from the port exit ( I think you crossed some railway tracks?) and carried on up a narrow street and this place was on the right, or you turned right and it was on the right. The proprietor was a big man, worked like a slave, and whenever some music that he liked was played on the ‘always on’ radio, he used to turn the volume right up, join in at the top of his voice, and get every customer to sing along as well. Opera, pop, whatever. A great place to while away a few hours, especially if you arrived late on a Saturday night for the midday Sunday crossing to Tangiers the next day.
robert1952:
Aye, that’s Keith! A good lad, too: used to get the job done, no fuss. Robert
[/ Thats an old photo now robert was its first run to maroc. ah the good old days
Hello all, seen this thread and remembered my dad brought me and my girlfriend(now wife!) back some of them English/Arabic name plates.
He used to do North Africa in the late 1990’s early 2000’s think he stopped around 2005 ish. (started doing Romania more often then NA)
His name was Stephen and he was a owner driver from North East England with a P reg white 95 space cab. Think he said he was pulling for Tibbett and Britten and it might of had somthing to do with Marks and Spencers… I didn’t realize how mad it could be was down there until I spoke to him over the weekend about it…
He’s going to try and find all the pics he took and scan them, hopefully I be able to upload a few!
hi mechanic isee u in canada im here myself driving was on morrocco late nineties/early 2000 usually down to cassablanca there were some gr8 guys on that job probably x paths with your dad if you got any pics of his truck put them on maybe recognise the truck
So I finally had my dad hunt out some photos from the good old days…
He also sold me some duff info about the truck he was driving back then… I was a MAN Roadhaus not a 95 Spacecab DAF… and he was working for Prima!
I’m not 100% sure where all of these photo’s were taken but I have been told it was all Morocco… or on the way to Morocco… 
