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Western Sahara April 2017

Hi Mark,

Thanks for your tips, how essential do you think it is to book the Algeciras to Tangier Med ferry in advance?

I had some trouble with your .gpx file - well more accurately I had trouble with my Tomtom 600 which I eventually solved by converting the file to an OV2 format which it liked! It apparently only likes .gpx files if they have a "route" in them; waypoints have to be OV2 format to make it happy.

Btw I have booked at the Tanger Med Hotel (€35 B&B) which is just off the A4 outside Tangier and so is on the way, I think/hope!

Cheers
John
 
Hi Mark,

Thanks for your tips, how essential do you think it is to book the Algeciras to Tangier Med ferry in advance?

I had some trouble with your .gpx file - well more accurately I had trouble with my Tomtom 600 which I eventually solved by converting the file to an OV2 format which it liked! It apparently only likes .gpx files if they have a "route" in them; waypoints have to be OV2 format to make it happy.

Btw I have booked at the Tanger Med Hotel (€35 B&B) which is just off the A4 outside Tangier and so is on the way, I think/hope!

Cheers
John

Hi John

Did you create the OV2 file manually or do you have some software that pulled the waypoints out of Mark's gpx file?

Byron
 
OOps I'm set up with garmin so tend to do everything in .gpx. I do have a nice little utility called GPSBabel which will convert most things into most other formats. It can be downloaded from here

https://www.gpsbabel.org/index.html

On the subject I also use a great little programme called GPicSync, this lets you use a tracklog from a GPS to code photos with the locations and then creates a googe earth .kmz file showing the route you took with picture thimbnails in the location you took them. I use this to geocode all my pictures.

John no need to book the ferry in advance, I email to get a price in advance so I know what to expect normally saying date I want to sail and then go to the office pay for the tickets in cash and then get the next available crossing. Ferries are regular throughout the day so you don't need to pin your self down to one time
 
OOps I'm set up with garmin so tend to do everything in .gpx. I do have a nice little utility called GPSBabel which will convert most things into most other formats. It can be downloaded from here

https://www.gpsbabel.org/index.html

On the subject I also use a great little programme called GPicSync, this lets you use a tracklog from a GPS to code photos with the locations and then creates a googe earth .kmz file showing the route you took with picture thimbnails in the location you took them. I use this to geocode all my pictures.

John no need to book the ferry in advance, I email to get a price in advance so I know what to expect normally saying date I want to sail and then go to the office pay for the tickets in cash and then get the next available crossing. Ferries are regular throughout the day so you don't need to pin your self down to one time

Interesting. I used https://www.gps-data-team.com to extract the waypoints from your gpx and create an OV2 file for loading into my TomTom. Though generally I keep most of my POI's as pins in PE. I will take a look at gpsbabel. That GPicSync sounds rather smart :openmouth:
 
OV2 done with gpsbabel just now, can't test the file I don't have a Tomtom :D

GPIcSync is great, but a key lesson I learnt is to make sure that the clocks on your GPS and Camera match with the same time. Last year I had a few minutes discrepancy which was a bit of a headache to work with. Download from here

https://github.com/metadirective/GPicSync
 

Attachments

  • Waypoints Tomtom.zip
    516 bytes · Views: 66
@ByronJ @GeorgeG Western Sahara route plans as they currently stand.

Trying to find a route east from Tarfaya towards Assa at the moment
 

Attachments

  • 2017 Western Sahara.zip
    347 KB · Views: 130
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@JOHN OF LONDON attached is a .gpx file with the tracks of the proposed route from Azrou to Boudnib and a .kmz file which can be viewed in google earth. Not sure if you can convert the gpx for the Tomtom youself and I don't know the file format!

I think this route will take 3-4 days, bit uncertain as its all new to me in this area. From Azrou to Guercif may require a wildcamp in the mountains depending on progress, if we make it to Guercif theres a couple of hotels that look ok and maybe a camp site. Personally I'm not expecting much here. Then it'll be a wildcamp on the Rekkam Plateau somewhere before I nice campsite in Boudnib with a bar. At the moment I'm hoping it warms up a bit, its only 2 degrees over night!

@ByronJ @GeorgeG , attached is a .kmz for the western Sahara
 

Attachments

  • Rekkam.zip
    298.4 KB · Views: 72
  • Western Sahara.zip
    617.9 KB · Views: 89
I am sure it will warm up a bit more by the end of next month.

This was the inside of our roof tent on the 1st of january.

201701010742210040.jpg
 
Well they do say Morocco is a cold country with a hot sun :)
 
Myself and kingtom will be out that way on the same dates planning on getting ferry tickets from Carlos for crossing on the 1st of April keep an eye out for us may even see you in the Lidl car park everyone seems to stay in
 
Why not join up with us? How long are you guys out for and whats your planned route?
 
Well I'm sure we will see you and to be honest we're not to sure as have never been my dad Andy in here has been and has given us some sort of a route that he has done with good places to visit and camp what about yourself
 
Well I leave the UK on the 21st March and meet John in Azrou on the 1st of April. The plan is then to head up through the Middle Atlas to Guercif before turning south across the Rekkam Plateau to Boudnib. This could take us 4 days at the most I think depending on conditions. From Boudnib we turn west either up into the High Atlas or down towards Merzouga. We'll determine the route more exactly when we're there and depending on the weather.

I aim to arrive in Essaouira on the 10th April and spend a few days there while George and Byron arrive. Then we head south to Tafroute before dropping back down to the Plage Blanch to watch the rally on Easter Monday. Then its south south and more south across the western Sahara to Dakhla. Spend a few days in Dakhla then head north back into Morocco through the Anti Atlas to Erg Cheggaga then north through the Jebel Sahro to Marrakech.

Your both welcome to join up for some of the trip, it's always more fun in a group. When do you leave the UK and how longs your trip?
 
That's sounds like a good trip we leave the U.K. On the 28th march and head down to Malaga airport for the 31st to collect toms girlfriend and there boy then plan on getting the ferry across to morocco on the 1st but we have to be back at Malaga for the 18th April so they can fly back and we will have 9 days in Spain so joining up with you guys for abit would be really helpful for us plus like you say it's always better when there is more of you will you be doing much off road through the desert
 
Sounds like your on the same ferry as John Of London :). If you could get to Azrou on the 1st it would work very well with current plans.

As I say after Boudnib route is to be determined depending on what happens/weather but from there you can be at the top of the Atlas or in the dunes of Erg Chebbi in a easy day depending on what you want to see/do. I have masses of track logs from previous trips I can share if people need a hand with routes.
 
Yeah I think we will be and if we can get there we will ok cool and yeah that would be really handy if that's ok
 
No problem Sam, be good to have you both along for a bit :),

Even if you miss us in Azrou there's opportunity to catch up. Our first section is 350km, which could be a day or 2 depending on the route conditions or if its tarmac now before we get to Guercif. Guercif could be a handy 2nd rendezvous point if necessary. Our proposed route is in one of the attachments above
 
Yeah it would be good once I find out more of the routes we will be taking I will pop a message on here but we will defiantly catch you at some point and thanks il take a look at it
 
Get the truck back tomorrow with a shiny new diff, well internals anyway, bracing myself for the bill though. Then I need to give the truck a good check over before leaving in 3 weeks :D

Found this site recently which has some interesting routes, http://www.djebel4x4.com/site/ Its given my a lot of ideas about routes for various parts of the trips. If anyone sees a route they fancy on here let me know and I'll try and fit it into the plans :D
 
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