Day 4: Chefchaouen to Moulay Idriss

The sky is a brilliant blue as we awake but, with the town sheltered by high mountains to the east, the sun takes a while to appear and the morning is still chilly. We take a few photos with Vinoth and Marie and then head back to see the lanes in the sunshine. What a difference. Shops are open and tourists of all sorts; from backpackers to Japanese tour groups, appear where yesterday, in the rain, there had been none.

At midday, it is time for fond farewells as Hamid from Moulay Idriss arrives to transport us through the Rif Mountains and into the green, fertile valley beyond. We stop for a feast of grilled kofta and then, just before Moulay, for views of the town and the Roman remains at Volubilis from the shade of a carob tree, the beans of which are used to make a sort of chocolate.

In Moulay, our bags are loaded onto a donkey for the steep climb up more narrow lanes to Dar Zerhoune, a beautifully decorated guest house with a large terrace. After the traditional mint tea welcome, we set off for the viewpoint over the town, which looks easy on the map provided but proves more difficult in practice. Moulay has the same narrow lanes as Chefchaouen, many of them brightly painted. It's not a bad place to get lost.

After climbing and descending with no real idea of our whereabouts, and greeted with a friendly 'Bonjour' and 'Ca va?' by every passing school child, we finally make it just before sundown. After enjoying the spectacle, we wander down into the main square, figuring, correctly, that we can't get lost if we keep heading downwards. Delicious mandarines are half a Euro a kilo and we return to the guesthouse for an even more delicious and enormous dinner on the terrace.

Sleep comes easily in rooms which are warm and dry - with electric blankets for extra cosiness.