غداء في قصبة باب أوريكا

The road climbs out of the Ourika Valley and stops below a pisé kasbah set on its own ridge. From the terrace the valley falls away in walnut and olive terraces, and the High Atlas closes the view behind it. In April the slopes are green. By September they have gone to ochre.

Lunch is served in the garden or under the arcade depending on the hour: Moroccan salads, a tagine or grilled fish, fruit from the property. Afterwards there is time to walk the rose beds and the olive rows before the drive back down.

The kasbah opens its table to visitors who are not staying, by reservation. It gives you the Atlas without the walk, and it sits in the middle of a mountain day without lengthening it.