Alice Morrison Interview

This weekend TV presenter, writer and adventurer Alice Morrison will be joining us to talk about her fascinating travels in Morocco and her book My 1001 Nights. We caught up with her in advance for a quick Q&A about her life and adventures.

Q) What is it that has so captivated you about Morocco, its people and culture?

A) I am greedy – I feel in love with a whole country rather than just a person. I love the Moroccans’ unstinting generosity. People with nothing will give you everything.

Q) Can you give us examples of one or two of your adventures there?

A) Every day is an adventure but there are two big things that stand out for me. I actually came to Morocco to run the Marathon des Sables, the toughest race on earth, six marathons across the desert in six days and it gave me such a love of the country that I stayed. The second and biggest has to be the Draa Expedition which I undertook this year. I became the first woman to walk the length of the Draa River in Morocco, 1500km with my five camels and three Amazigh guides.  

Q) You do some very adventurous travelling - how do you ensure your safety?

A) I always go with a local person into new environments that I don’t know and I never walk in the mountains when there is heavy rain because the Atlas Mountains are prone to landslides and earth movements.

Q) Has travel affected your view of your own country? 

A) Travel has definitely affected my view of my own country. I often see Scotland through the lens of other places and compare it – mountains to mountains, people to people, stories to stories. I am so proud of my own country and I have lost count of the number of Arabic speakers I have taught to sing Flower of Scotland in Arabic.

Book here for Alice Morrison: My 1001 Nights, Sunday 29th September at 4.30pm.