Day 9 km 2,050 - 2,442 Marrakesh - Tiz N Test pass - Tiznit

Today we will cross the Atlas mountains and an early start is planned for 08:30. We therefore have a bit of a "four weddings and a funeral" moment as we both over sleep and only wake up at 07:58. But with bread and rolls hastily stuffed in our pockets grabbed from the breakfast buffet, we meet up with the others and are off.

The roads are very different as we head out of Marrakesh with the mountains looming in the distance and it's clear that the suspension is going to have a testing time ahead. Soon the road starts to climb through twisting passes and narrow gorges before opening out into wider valley plains, and then back to steep narrow sections, always with the snow-capped peaks in the distance.

We are heading for the Tiz N Test pass and as the passenger on this leg I have plenty of time to notice the almost vertical drops that are only inches to my right. The walkie talkies again come in handy to warn those behind when cars and lorries come barrelling around blind corners head-on in the middle of the road at breakneck speed.

The views are breathtaking as we climb even higher and at some points you can see the road ahead snaking backwards and forwards across the mountain sides ahead of you and at the same time looking down you see the road hundreds of metres below where you passed only moments ago.

Finally and with a sigh of relief we reach Tiz N Test at 2,100 meters altitude and stop for the worlds slowest cooked and most expensive omlettes (Jenks is not impressed). Steve has not been having a fun time of it as he suffers terribly from vertigo and is looking forward to just getting the whole experience over and done with. But of course, what goes up, must come down, so actually we're only half way there.

The road down the other side is arguably worse than the way up. The way up gave you the odd moment of relief as it flattened out in the valley bottoms, but on this side it's a constant switchback ride all the way down to the bottom, twisting and turning on a ledge cut into the mountainside. At times it is only wide enough for one vehicle and in some places the edges have collapsed causing vertical chasms to cut into the roadside, marked only by a little pile of stones.

It is with some considerable relief that we abruptly reach the bottom, litterally one minute twisty steep road, the next wide-open plain and dead straight, but it is still several hours to Tiznit and the light will start fading soon.