Journey Blog
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Heading for the GambiaOVERLAND TO THE GAMBIA This blog follows the journey of David Pointon and Ken Nicholas to the Gambia in November 2011. They were accompanied to Morocco by Frank Whitfield who then returned home. This is a private journey but David and Ken are taking some supplies to charities and other organisations in the Gambia. Wednesday, November 30: David and Ken flew home and were collected by Frank from Manchester airport. Tuesday, November 29: Soon after their arrival David and Ken handed over to Malcolm Garner the boxes they had carried out for him. These contained equipment, including sterile syringes, for the hospital in Banjul. Malcolm continues to use the Renault van which David and a Dales Team delivered last year for his work with his Gambian Deaf Children's Support Project (see Mitzi's Journey and Replacement) David and Ken also carried out two boxes of magnifying glasses donated by Optima Low Vision in England. These are being distributed to visually impaired children in the Gambia. In a few weeks we hope to publish a gallery of Ken's photographs about the overland journey and the delivery of supplies. Sunday, November 27: This afternoon Ken and David delivered supplies for Rug Aid to Ebrima, its representative in the Gambia. These supplies included a hand sewing machine and a roll of hessian. See Rug Aid for more information about how the work has progressed since we introduced Heather Ritchie to the Gambia and GOVI in 2007. Friday, November 25: David and Ken safely reached Banjul around 9pm this evening. Getting into the Gambia was reasonably easy but, as usual, the big hold up was trying to get on a ferry to Banjul.
Thursday, November 24: It was about 8pm when they reached Les Paletuviers at Toubakouta in Senegal. Tomorrow they will head for the border with the Gambia, and after that Ken and David will have to join the queue for the ferry to the south side of the River Gambia. (Above: a ferry on the River Gambia) Wednesday, November 23: All four have enjoyed a rest day in St Louis. All four? In Mauritania David and Ken met Waltu and Teemu from Finland who are on their way to help build a school at Pakau on the North Bank in the Gambia. "They are very good company" said David. Waltu and Teemu initially said they would stay in St Louis for a few more days but then decided to travel with Ken and David to Toubakouta tomorrow. They expect to cross into the Gambia on Friday. Below: Ken enjoying the local bread and beer in St Louis. The photo was taken on the 2006 trip which got him started on his African wanderings.
Tuesday, November 22: They achieved their objective of reaching the hotel La Residence in St Louis, Senegal, by the end of another long day on the road. They travelled via the Diawling National Park along the coast of Mauritania. Monday, November 21: - David and Ken got through both border posts quite quickly today and decided to head towards Nouakchott rather than spend a night at Nouadhibou. Quite late in the day they joined a convoy of Germans and together pushed on to Auberge Menata in Nouakchott where they arrived safely around 10pm. Sunday, November 20: They were off to a fish restaurant in Dakhla tonight having had a good journey from Laayoune. It will be another early night as tomorrow they will leave before dawn for the 300k or so to the border between Morocco and Mauritania. Border formalities always take time and after they leave the Moroccan border post they will have to drive 4k through an old mine field. On the Google map it looks as if that is a good road - but in fact there is no road at all, just a rutted track through no-man's land.(Below: Sunrise over the desert outside Dakhla.)
Saturday, November 19: After a long day of driving through the desert in Southern Morocco David and Ken safely reached Laayoune / El AAiun and found a hotel which wasn't quite to the same standard as Friday night's. They didn't even wait for breakfast today but set off for Tan Tan where, at the service station on the northern edge of the town, they stopped for food. After Tan Tan the road is close to the Atlantic Ocean and the scenery (see below) is spectacular for the the sand dunes cascade over steep cliffs into the white-capped breakers below. (It's good fun following their travels on Google Maps. When David sent a text today stating they were having breakfast at the service station at Tan Tan it was possible to look at it while they were still there.)
Thursday, November 17: David and Ken are enjoying a day in Marrakech and are staying at their favourite hotel - the Hotel de Foucauld which is within walking distance of the main square (Djemaa el Fna). They spent two days in Rabat where they successfully obtained their visas for transiting Mauritania. Frank has left them now and has returned to England. If Ken was delighted to find a restaurant in Rabat which served good steaks then in Marrakech David was equally pleased to find an Earth Cafe where he could get a choice of good vegetarian food. As a vegetarian he has often found that the only food he can have are omelettes. On the road both will survive largely on local bread, soft cheese (usually Laughing Cow) and water. Sunday November 13 - They went to the Hotel Splendide in Rabat, where the overland team of 2006 stayed. They soon found a good restaurant where they could enjoy pizzas al fresco.
Saturday, November 12: David, Ken and Frank made a fascinating detour in Northern Morocco as they visited the Roman ruins of Volubilis near Meknes. David wrote that the view from the steps of the forum across an extensive vicus and what remained of other public buildings was incredible. And later he sent this text: "Sitting quiety in an olive grove established by the Romans. Peaceful and very spiritual. It even smells nice. Birds and small stream make (for a) multisensual experience." (see above. below - his photo of Volubilis)
November 7 - 11: They spent two nights on board the ferry to Bilbao. Frank was very pleased that the sea was very calm and was even able to enjoy a good supper. After disembarking at 7.30am on Tuesday they drove 650k to Merida, spent the night there and then reached Gibraltar around 2pm on Wednesday.
The following day they were very impressed by the new border control facilities on the ferry and the new port in Morocco. So it was not difficult to reach Chechaouen that evening and on Friday they had a rest day.
 At Scotch Corner on the morning of Sunday, November 6: (from left) Frank Whitfield, David Pointon and Ken Nicholas.
The journey began on November 6 when David and Ken drove off on Sunday morning through an arch of russet and gold leaves at the east end of Carperby into a Dales landscape sparkling in the autumn sunshine. It couldn’t have been more different to the way they left Wensleydale in January last year. (See A Snowy Start )
They collected Frank at Scotch Corner and headed south on the A1 and then the M1 for the ferry from Portsmouth to Bilbao. The three have been good friends since the overland journey in 2006. David and Ken have done the journey to the Gambia four more times since 2006. Ken has also toured Morocco on a motorbike.
“I am not working - it’s a holiday,” said David.
David and Ken were very pleased to find the TI Mercedes left-hand drive van advertised on eBay as available in England. They had expected to have to go to Germany or Austria to find such a vehicle. They had to do some fettling themselves but all the welding that was required was done by Wayne of Wayne’s Auto near Kiplin Hall. “He’s done a brilliant job,” commented David.
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