Stuck in deep sand, stuck in snow, bogged down in glutinous mud, crossing boulder-strewn dry riverbeds.
A motorcycle trip that started with a vague intention of crossing the High Atlas Mountains and setting off into the desert beyond, turned into an epic journey with five unexpected highlights - venturing three times into the western Sahara, each a little deeper, a little more remote, learning to cope with riding through deep sand on heavily-laden bikes; then joining six mad Frenchmen and their guide riding sidecar cross outfits high up into the mountains and, later, getting bogged down in snow when traversing a narrow mountain pass, Lawrence Bransby and his son, Gareth, had a Boy's Own adventure of a lifetime.
"There are no Fat People in Morocco" is the account of their trip, richly illustrated with photographs. Informative, amusing and reflective, it will provide fascinating reading for the armchair traveller as well as those motorcycle adventurers planning their next trip!
This is the third journey Lawrence and his son have done together: fifteen years ago they climbed on two old XT500s and crossed Africa together (Gareth was only 17 at the time). Last year they travelled to Russia, heading north to Archangel and Murmansk; on the way they joined members of the Black Bears, a Russian motorcycle club also on their way north of Archangel - a most interesting experience! (The account of this trip is also published on Kindle.)
Other than the trans-Africa, Russia and Morocco journeys with his son, Lawrence has travelled alone on his motorcycle to Albania and a further twice to Russia.
Lawrence Bransby now lives in Manchester after retiring from a lifetime of teaching. In his spare time, indulges his passion for long-distance motorcycle travel and kayaking.
A motorcycle trip that started with a vague intention of crossing the High Atlas Mountains and setting off into the desert beyond, turned into an epic journey with five unexpected highlights - venturing three times into the western Sahara, each a little deeper, a little more remote, learning to cope with riding through deep sand on heavily-laden bikes; then joining six mad Frenchmen and their guide riding sidecar cross outfits high up into the mountains and, later, getting bogged down in snow when traversing a narrow mountain pass, Lawrence Bransby and his son, Gareth, had a Boy's Own adventure of a lifetime.
"There are no Fat People in Morocco" is the account of their trip, richly illustrated with photographs. Informative, amusing and reflective, it will provide fascinating reading for the armchair traveller as well as those motorcycle adventurers planning their next trip!
This is the third journey Lawrence and his son have done together: fifteen years ago they climbed on two old XT500s and crossed Africa together (Gareth was only 17 at the time). Last year they travelled to Russia, heading north to Archangel and Murmansk; on the way they joined members of the Black Bears, a Russian motorcycle club also on their way north of Archangel - a most interesting experience! (The account of this trip is also published on Kindle.)
Other than the trans-Africa, Russia and Morocco journeys with his son, Lawrence has travelled alone on his motorcycle to Albania and a further twice to Russia.
Lawrence Bransby now lives in Manchester after retiring from a lifetime of teaching. In his spare time, indulges his passion for long-distance motorcycle travel and kayaking.
