Agadir long day · La médina d'Essaouira

Scenic road chapters

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Agadir

   Agadir is a very new city in a very old country, and the reason is the earthquake. At a few minutes before midnight on 29 February 1960, a quake destroyed most of the old town and killed thousands of people, and the city was rebuilt from scratch in a modern style, with wide avenues, low buildings and a long promenade along the bay. The one piece that survived is the hilltop kasbah, Agadir Oufella, whose ruined walls overlook the town from about two hundred metres up, bearing an inscription in Arabic that reads God, Country, King. The view from it, across the bay and the port, is the best in town.

   Read the complete Agadir write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Agadir is where the day begins. Next is L'Archipel d'Essaouira.

2. 2. L'Archipel d'Essaouira

   Off the coast of Essaouira, a few hundred metres from the beach, lies a small archipelago of rocky islets, the Iles Purpuraires, and they have been known for more than two thousand years. The name comes from the purple dye made from sea snails that the Phoenicians and later the Romans extracted here, and it was prized across the ancient world. The king Juba II of Mauretania is said to have run a dye works on the main island, Mogador, in the first century BC. Today the islands are a protected nature reserve, and the birds are the main residents.

   Read the complete L'Archipel d'Essaouira write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   L'Archipel d'Essaouira comes up 56 km in. Next is Medina of Essaouira.

3. 3. Medina of Essaouira

   Essaouira was built to a plan, which is rare for a Moroccan town, and the plan was drawn up by a European. In 1764, Sultan Mohammed III decided to create a new port on the Atlantic coast, to trade with Europe and to draw commerce away from the rebellious port of Agadir, and he hired a French architect, Theodore Cornut, who laid out the walls, the straight streets and the great sea bastions. The town was called Mogador, and it quickly became one of the major ports of the country, with merchants from Britain, France, Spain and the Jewish community in the mellah.

   Read the complete Medina of Essaouira write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   At least 123 km in you reach Medina of Essaouira. Next is La médina d'Essaouira.

4. 4. La médina d'Essaouira

   Planning note

   La médina d'Essaouira, about halfway. Next is back through Medina of Essaouira.

5. 5. back through Medina of Essaouira

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Medina of Essaouira write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Medina of Essaouira sits at 222 km, about halfway. Next is back through L'Archipel d'Essaouira.

6. 6. back through L'Archipel d'Essaouira

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete L'Archipel d'Essaouira write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through L'Archipel d'Essaouira comes up 278 km in. Next is Agadir.

7. 7. Agadir

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Agadir write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Agadir closes the day.