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Taking a sheep to the weekly souk, Zawyat Ahancal

From Azilal through Aït Mhammed the old route for the Bou Guemez valley is followed for 25km, a good road today and not the horror described in Route 15. At a junction, below the snowy sail of Azurki, a good piste heads north-east to flank this mountain, crosses the Tizi n’ Tselli-n-Imanain (2763m) and descends to Assemsouk (2400m), which really is a souk in the middle of nowhere that comes alive on Tuesdays. The piste climbs again to the Tizi n’ Ilissi (2606m) and snakes down the crest north of the Ilissi valley, on whose other side is arrayed, in Peyron’s words, ‘one of the most awe-inspiring mountainscapes in Morocco’ – Aroudane.

Oujdad, above Agoudim

Charles, Ali and I headed for Aroudane from one of my favourite camping spots. We had reached it by following the mule track up the Ilissi valley after a pleasant stay in one of the dramatic old tower houses in Agoudim. Valley and tizi gave endless superb views. Not far down on the west side of the tizi we took a path left over a crest to reach a cheery stream with a bluff (Waousramt) above, and camped on flowery greens (c2830m). The stream, the Tagragra, ran down and joined a larger branch descending from the Tizi Yllaz under Azurki to reach Assemsouk. We knew it as the ‘Azurki view’ campsite. Coming in by road, it could be reached easily enough from Assemsouk.