South Africa - Road Tripping - Eastern Cape

 

                                                  ROAD TRIPPING IN SOUTH AFRICA

Cape Town - Mossel Bay - Steytlerville - Addo - Hogsback - Storms River - Cape Town

The call of the road is never far from my mind - unfortunately, taking time off work is not so easy and has to be planned well in advance. So no spur of the moment trips occur, sadly! 

This trip started off along the N1 and N2. 

Mossel Bay 

Tidal Pool at Mossel Bay Point

Mossel Bay is always a draw card even though we have been there so many times. With the most amazing beaches and wonderful sea swimming, it really cannot be missed.  There is nothing to beat sitting on the deck of the old Pavilion (Jackals on the Beach) watching the waves at Santos beach and sipping an ice cold Craft beer. This beautiful old pavilion is one of only 2 remaining from Colonial times in the world - the other is in Brighton, UK.

The St Blaize Hiking Trail starts at the Cape St Blaize Lighthouse and ends at Dana Bay. 

A must for keen walkers at around 13.5 km or 6 hours. Do stay on the path. 

Bartolomeu Dias landed in Mossel Bay in 1488 - apart from water, it seemed there were only mussels to be found. Visit the Museum Complex for more information and to view the replica of the caravel used by Dias on his voyage of discovery. 

From Mossel Bay we took the N2 towards George and then on and over the Outeniqua Pass. That was scary as the mist came down and was so thick that we had to drive with our hazards on. So the normally glorious views were shrouded in thick fog. Wonders will never cease as, low and behold, once we reached the top of the pass and started our descent, the vistas opened to incredible blue skies! With brilliant sunshine!

We turned right on the R62 towards Uniondale and Joubertina but did not stop in either of these tiny towns as we braved the R329 to Steytlerville. Such a weird road but it was great fun - a single lane of concrete with gravel on each side so one has to slow down to move onto the gravel if there is an oncoming car. Surprisingly enough, there were actually cars on this road and not "going nowhere slowly" either. This is the very last single lane concrete road in South Africa so we were thrilled to have found it without having any prior knowledge that this road even existed!

"Steytlerville is a settlement in Sarah Baartman District Municipality in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Town on the Groot River, 164km north-west of Port Elizabeth and 90km east of Willowmore. It was founded in 1876 on the farm Noorspoort and attained municipal status in 1891. Wikipedia"

We had no intention of stopping here but the colourful family crests lining the main street piqued our interest so we exited the car to intense Karroo heat. Apparently, this tradition started in 2005 and those without any family crests were encouraged to tell their stories and so crests were made showing sheep shears, soccer balls, grapes or shopping baskets. It is a fascinating display and well worth stopping for.

The Edwardian Dutch Reformed Church was started in 1906, and consecrated in 1907 - the cost was a whopping 16,000.00 GBP. The Pipe Organ has 1046 pipes and the church holds 1200 people! 

The Veranda Cafe looked welcoming and this was born out by the very enthusiastic owner who welcomed us with cold drinks and then proceeded to show us their private collection of immaculate cars. They also have a license to rehabilitate injured wild life. One often wonders what drives folk to re-locate from a city to a small town in the middle of nowhere but this happens! After listening to some of the stories about the many rescued animals, their passion for wildlife certainly shines through. After a tasty sandwich, we headed off thru the verdant Sundays River Valley to our stop for the night in Addo Village. Hellishly hot all day once we exited that horrid mist on the Outeniqua Mountains. 

Veranda Cafe Museum Steytlerville

Addo Elephant Park remains one of my favourite parks in South Africa.  It is the 3rd largest of the 20 National Parks in South Africa and a must if you are an elephant lover. From big to small, there they are. 

We had 3 close encounters - - one enormous ellie walked right by my window - I looked the other way! Then at Hapoor Dam, another walked right past the driver's side - I still could not look! Later we encountered a small herd with 2 babies so we decided to give them their space in the road and we turned around. It is always best to give elephants their space - they are normally very peaceful in Addo but one never knows! As it was a cool day, there was no swimming at Hapoor - the ellies just came down for a quick drink and then left again. On a hot day, swimming happens here and it is delightful to watch. 

A favourite spot of ours is Spekboom Hide. Again, given the cool day, there was only one elephant playing with his trunk and blowing bubbles! In my attempt to get my camera closer I inadvertently touch the wire - OUCH! It was my first ever electrical shock and hopefully my last as well,. Totally dumb and a lesson learnt - the fence is electrified!!! 

Hogsback Mountains

Our next drive was to Hogsback in the Amatola Mountains of the Eastern Cape. If heading onto the N2 from Addo, rather drive thru the park and exit at the Southern Gate as the road from the north to the N2 is not very pleasant. 

We then followed the N2 to Grahamstown. Whilst we did not stop in the city this time, we have previously visited and it is worth a day trip.

"Grahamstown, Afrikaans Grahamstad, city, Eastern Cape province, South Africa. The city lies on the wooded slopes of the Suur Mountains near the source of the Kowie River. It was founded (1812) by Colonel John Graham as a frontier garrison post near Xhosa territory, and British settlers arrived in 1820. The city contains many memorials to the Cape Frontier Wars, which were fought in the vicinity. Grahamstown is noted for its religious architecture, especially the Anglican Cathedral of St. Michael and St. George, which has a 150-foot (46-metre) spire and includes part of the original church (1824–30); St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church (1836); and the first Baptist and Methodist chapels in South Africa. Grahamstown is also the site of Rhodes University (1904), the 1820 Settlers Memorial Museum (1965)" Courtesy Britannica.com

We turned up the R67 towards Fort Beaufort - climbing all the way. The road was excellent, the landscape is empty, very lush and green. With very few passing places, getting stuck behind a truck is no fun but it was quiet and peaceful for most of the drive. There is a new road being built from Fort Beaufort to Alice and beyond which will make for much easier access between towns in this area.

The University of Fort Hare in Alice has beautiful buildings and offers agricultural degrees amongst others. Ex South African President, Nelson Mandela (1918 - 2013) studying there. After negotiating all the road works we climbed further and further uphill until we reached the tiny village of Hogsback. And it really is tiny! Homes are hidden behind lush, green gardens, this makes them feel so mysterious and fairylike! There are a few restaurants and a Grocery Store on the Main road and not much else. The appeal of the area remains based in nature - the 3 flat-topped Hogsback Mountains, the huge forests, hiking trails and waterfalls.

Being so high up in the mountains, the mist can come right down and shroud everything in ghostly whiteness. This also lowers the temperature drastically - on our first day, we lit the fire in our apartment (Cliffside) at "The Edge"  and curled up with our books! 

The Arbotetum is great for a short walk to the 39 Steps Waterfall . Very peaceful and with beautiful trees. 

A short drive out of town took us to the chapel of St Patricks on the Hill 

The road to Cathcart was further along this gravel road but we decided against driving in the heat . The road to Seymour is basically impassable and a huge sign states that towing and rescue charges apply! After the mist 

The Labyrinth at "The Edge" is a "must do" 

This eleven-circuit labyrinth, which was completed in 2002 and is inspired and modelled after a similar design to the Labyrinth in the Charters Cathedral in France. It is one of the world’s longest labyrinths with a circumference of 91 m, and total length to complete 1.4 km

The gardens at The Edge Resort are lovely and the hiking paths are easy and flat for most of the way. We even found some ripe blackberries!

Another interesting find was the Mirrors Gallery and Crystal Corner. Currently by Ken Harvey, the photographic display was stunning showing many birds of the Hogsback area as well as the mountain's and forests. Mrs Harvey gave us some seeds so we may have a little piece of Hogsback in our own garden soon. As this property is currently on sale (2022) the gallery may not be there in future.  

Perhaps just not long enough to explore more of the hiking paths around Hogsback but time constraints always remains an issue.

A 5 hour drivc on quiet roads thru a very green Eastern Cape brought us to our overnight stop in Storms River Village. The wind was insane around the Port Elizabeth area - this city is fondly called "the windy city" and it certainly does live up to this reputation at times.

Sadly another Road Trip in South Africa ends with us winding our way back to Cape Town on the N2.

An amazing country, stunning scenery, so much to see and do!

Until next time,

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bradclinphotography

                For Accommodation Cape Town, South Africa

                                  www.bradclin.com

South Africa - Sundays River and back to Cape Town

Sundays River, South Africa

The Sunday River has the most beautiful sand dunes lining the banks. However, if you do not have a boat, getting to the river means going through the Pearson Park Resort. The current cost is R60.00 even if you are only there for an hour. The drive down goes past the camping sites on a dirt road which is quite bone-shattering. At the end of the road there is a sandy "parking spot" The walk to the river mouth does not take long and the views are spectacular. This is a haven for fisherman, birds and people who enjoy nature.

There are boat rides on the river but the chap only takes a minimum of 4 so he was not willing to take us out. This was very disappointing as the dunes must be totally incredible from the water. There are sand-boarding excursions from Pearson Park - one only hopes that these are well controlled so as not to disturb the eco-system of the dunes.

It was the strangest sight to see two moving fishing rods way beyond the dunes - we realised that there was a path below the dune and the fisherman were walking down to he sea! At first, we thought we were indeed seeing ghostly happenings.

The clouds suddenly came over and the sky darkened which spoilt the light that I was hoping for on the sand. The boats were out and fishing or just enjoying their spin down to collect bait. We felt like hi-jacking one but not being Somali's, we are not quite versed in the art of hi-jacking boats. Sadly!!

Our evening meal at the Elephants Footprints Lodge, was the best in a few days - culinary art is not the greatest in these small places. The Dutch guests were looking forward to their  excursion to Addo the following day whilst we were not looking forward to the homeward journey.

An early start to the day meant that we reached Knysna in time for breakfast. The restaurant at the Heads was our choice - stunning views and a good plate f food. We watched, fascinated, as the yachts went out through the Heads - the sea was calm but it is still a tricky maneuver. The Knysna Lagoon is so  beautiful and the views from the top of Coney Glen Drive are superb.

Traffic was well behaved so we made good time although the many speed limits between Plett and George make for slow going.

The Point at Mossel Bay was a welcome short lunch break and we watched he children dive and play in the tidal pool at high tide. with waves crashing over the rocks, it's quite scary and we were worried that they would get bashed against the rocks as the waves were so high. Luckily not.

The last stay of this trip is on a farm called "A Farm Story" On the road to Still Bay, it is a dairy farm that also has a cheese factory. The Kasselshoop Cheese factory was started in 2002 and sells it's cheese to Western Cape, Gauteng and Eastern Cape. The guest house is in a restored cottage which was known as "Oom Tom se Huis" It is beautifully dencorated with old family history, dresses, old wash basins, photos etc and is a look into the past whilst still enjoying modern comforts. And a long history this farm has as it has seen 5 generations of farmers to date.

I love the quote "If stories come to you, care for them. And learn to give them away where they are needed" The family history goes back to 1700 when a German wagon builder from the town of Kassel, travelled to South Africa and so the story began........

This is also the site of the southernmost skirmish between the Boers and the British on 12/9/1901. One hundred years later, 12 September 200, a monument was set up on the exact spot where this battle took place and can be visited whilst on this farm.

For now, we look forward to a home-cooked meal and a good night's rest with only the cows, the stars and the moon for company!

After a good breakfast, we set off for Still Bay about 20 kms away. This town has an East and West side divided by a beautiful Goukou River. The beaches are simply fantastic for long walks at low tide and swimming appears to be safe. Fishing seems very important to the locals as the harbour had many trailers parked - some even towed by tractors!!! There are lovely houses on the beach - west side - it looks so relaxing, the inhabitants sipping their lunch time drinks, with braai fires going. The kids are able to play quite happily on the sand right in front of their holiday homes. On the East side, there are some really old "beach" houses - most probably built many, many years years ago and still well loved. Many larger mansions stand proud and tall - for the rich families who have to show off that they have made it in the world. Give me the beach living any time.  We watched a rather distraught parent shouting at her kids on a canoe to come back - they were far out and oblivious to their mother's stress. They did capsize but it was low tide and we saw the standing in the sea so it was shallow quite far out. The mom was not amused as she was wading out and calling to her childen all the time!! I think the canoe will be locked away in future!!

Back on the farm for a short siesta and then a walk amongst the cows and outbuildings then sundowners whilst listening to the numerous birds. There are resident owls in the trees at night but we have not yet spotted them. Feeding a calf a bottle of milk is such fun - they certainly can gulp it down in a few seconds.

© Judelle Drake

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For Accommodation Cape Town, South Africa

www.bradclin.com