DREAM RIDE – MOROCCO
Every marriage has its ups and downs, but as Louise Hodgkinson and her husband Paul discovered on Morocco’s Plage Blanche, life’s better when you’re together
Your bike’s stuck in sinking sand on a beach and the tide’s coming in. Luckily you’re not alone – you’ve got your partner by your side and the pair of you manage to escape to safety, and live to tell the tale. The power of an experience shared with your nearest and dearest is something Louise Hodgkinson and husband Paul understand only too well. The offroad riders and instructors deliver couples training at Sweetlamb Adventure Academy, and continue on adventures of a lifetime as unit, something which only serves to strength their bond.
“It’s support,” says Louise. “You’re out there and you’ve always got your sidekick... because sometimes you’ll be doing something really scary.”
White beach beckons…
Supporting each other through thick and thin, and sharing amazing – if scary - experiences, is something the pair enjoyed on their last trip to Morocco. The couple fell in love with the north African country when they first visited in January 2014, and although they’ve since returned four times, the miles of unpaved beauty, perfect climate, and friendly locals keep them coming back for more.
But until this year, there was a part of Morocco that Louise had always wanted to ride but was never able tothe 50km off-road route along the coast between Agadir and Tan-Tan travelling along Plage Blanche. In February, on their third attempt, they succeeded. “It was a proper adventure,” says Louise, “one we can tell the grandchildren.”
“Our first attempt was in May 2014. We did most of the beach but couldn’t find an exit,” she explains. “So, we had to turn back and ended up battling with the incoming tide as it pushed us further and further up the beach until we were riding in soft sand. Our second attempt was last year, and these amazing winds and rain came through so we couldn’t do it. So it was something I was desperate to do.”
Into the dunes
“We left home on December 28,” recalls Louise. “We drove in the van to Portugal where we hired a house and played on the Portuguese TET (Trans-Euro Trail) for four weeks. T
