WEST Hatch amateur rally driver James Golding tucked into a camel burger in a "wild town with rules of its own" before embarking on the latest leg of his trip of a lifetime.

Chainsaw woodcarver James, 40, and co-driver Philip Bourne breezed into Dhaklar in southern Morocco at the weekend, 2,850 miles into the Plymouth-Dakar Rally for cars costing a maximum of £100.

"The car's still running like a dream, though the electric windows seem to have a mind of their own," said James in an e-mail to the Somerset County Gazette.

"The last 600 miles or so have been on goodish roads through the stony desert.

"The Rough Guide warns travellers not to go to Dhaklar unless attempting the border crossing into Mauritania -- they say it's a wild town with rules of its own.

"We had camel burgers for supper which were quite nice actually."

The pair were somewhat apprehensive about Mauritania's border guards and whether they would actually let them in.

"We've had a fairly easy time of it so far and even managed one day off on the beach surfing," said James.

"The rest of the time we've been spending long days driving and staying in some indescribably bad fleapit hotels.

"The further south we get the harder the police get, but it's been an extraordinary trip and I'd recommend it to anyone, though I may say differently in a week's time."