Roads Less Traveled

During December 2019 I will be traveling  down to Cape Town once more. Many have traveled this route before, leaving Gauteng and following the ever winding N1 through the Free State all the way into the Western Cape. A road I have travelled many times before. The majestic plains of the Free State and Karoo is very dear to my heart.

 

On this trip however, we will be avoiding the N1 the entire trip down and back, trying to use as many backroads and seeing as many little towns along the way.

The roads less traveled...

A journey of an estimated 4 200km through five of South Africa's beautiful provinces.

The trip will start from Gauteng then through parts of the North West before entering the Northern Cape where we will be staying our first night at Mokala National Park. A place I visited on my Wild Coast to West Coast Walkabout Trip, but a place I vowed to return to and I am grateful to have another opportunity to visit the magical red sand of the Kalahari.

From Mokala is where things get exciting for me as we continue through a large part of the Northern Cape to places I have never been to. Really looking forward to seeing what the backroads of the Northern Cape has to offer.

We will end up and stay a at my old friend Anton on Diemersfontein Estate in Wellington (or Hellington as it is known this time of the year). Plans from here are to visit the West Coast for a seafood feast with the Bothmas and the Meyers, spend some time in and around Cape Town, and off course, dedicate a day to the fine winelands of the Western Cape.

On the return leg of the trip, we will be following the scenic R62 route through the Western Cape all the way to Graaff-Reinet in the Eastern Cape. From there back into the Free State passing the Maluti Mountains of Lesotho to Clarens before returning home.



Day 1
Rain. Glorious rain. I will never grow tired of waking up to the sound of rain falling softly. After a wonderful Christmas time with the family, it is time to hit the road. The rain followed us all the way to Bothaville, and I am not sure if it was the GPS or the switch in driver, but we ended up on a farm gravel track with plenty standing water. Needless to say the bakkie was clean no more. Good to get that out of the way early in the trip.



The road conditions varied from excellent to something that can only be described as an ouma’s lappieskombers. Nevertheless we made good progress and stopped for a roadside picnic at this patch of red sand close to Boshoff. The northern cape delivering on promises. 

After some last minute shopping in Kimberley, we made a spur of the moment decision to go visit the big hole. Something I have always wanted to do but never made the time to do it. Incredible to think they operated at more than one kilometer underground. 

What was even more surprising was the old town replica to walk through and see the old buildings and get an idea of what life might have been like living here 150 years ago.





The services must have been short, very hot in here...

If the church was hot, this was almost worse. At least they served beers. Wonder how they kept them cold. I guess when it is 35 degrees, any beer will do. 

What an experience to see the world famous big hole, but why stop there? As we left Kimberley I saw the sign for Magersfontein. Notorious battlefield during the Anglo Boer War. I simply had to see it, and luckily it wasn’t too far off our route. 

Epic trip down memory lane, all the way back to 1899 and an incredible view from this hill where the Boers made their last stand, under the leadership of general De La Rey, against the British forces and finally managed to repel the enemy attacks after days of retreating. 

Mokala is magical once more. The eastern side of the park clearly enjoying more rain in recent time. The game was in even more abundance than what I remember, saw everything apart from lions and rhinos in just an afternoon drive. 

Slightly better than camping? I’d say... 

What a way to finish the first day...

Day 2
A chilly morning greeted us as we slowly started the day. No time to waste though as we have a long day ahead of us, over 800km to go. 

As we left the park and drove along the park boundary, we again saw an abundance of game. Mokala just saying goodbye. 

We also saw a lot of windmills and it quickly became the mission of the day to take a beautiful photo of one. 

A friend recommended this Padstall south of Hopetown for their excellent homemade Springbok pies. Thanks for the recommendation Meyer, it was delicious. If you are in the area, make sure to check out Kambro Padstall, and enjoy a homemade pie.



This was my best effort of a windmill in the Karoo... 

After a stop for Diesel in Britstown, we followed the N12 south before turning off to Loxton on a gravel track. It will be the last tar we see, apart from the roads in town, for more than 350 kilometers. 

What is most interesting about Loxton is that the well known writer, Deon Meyer visited it some time back and absolutely loved the place. So much so that he bought a place of his own where so many of his novels were written, including the latest acclaimed Trackers series on Mnet. 

There is also beautiful photos taken by Deon, signed and available to buy at this lovely coffee shop. I will however recommend the apple and caramel toffee cake! And I don’t even like apples...

The last town we passed before Ceres and our destination was Sutherland. It was surreal to be this close to the SAAO but not have the time to go and do a tour. Will definitely do it one day, always been on the bucket list. 

As we neared the Ceres, the Cedar berge rose in the distance and the terrain flattened completely into what can only described as a lunar like environment. Drought stricken for months, it must have been tough on man and animal living here. 

Unbelievable privilege to tour the Northern Cape, past areas known as the Groot Karoo, Moordenaarskaroo and the Koue Bokkeveld. But it is just as special to see the landscape change once more with lush green mountains replacing pale brown ones. 

One of the highlights of the trip down is to do Bains Kloof Pass, and it didn’t disappoint. So many tight and twisty narrow turns with rocks on the edge of the road. Scenery so beautiful it is hard to blink in fear of missing something. Best to keep eyes on the road though as the driver...

A very welcome sight after more than 13 hours driving. Good to be back. 

Day 3
Needless to say we were jumping out of bed at the crack of dawn after two long days, but Cape Town spoiled us with another beautiful day as we made our way to Melkbosstrand and from there north all along the N7 to Yzerfontein. It has always been a bucket list item for me to have buffet seafood at one of those on-the-beach restaurants. 

Absolute pleasure to share this experience with two of my best friends. 

The Strandkombuis also didn’t disappoint. Food of the highest quality and incredibly fresh. Started off with a light fish soup with pot bread, which was so good it was hard to contain oneself for the feast to come... Enormous prawns, mussels so fresh you can taste the ocean, succulent crumbed calamari, soft and juicy yellowtail, delicious smoked snoek and salads to balance everything off. 

Hard to find a better place to close off a day with great friends on the west coast with drinks as the sun starts to set with. Thank you Anton, Johan and your families for an incredible day. Special memories. 

Day 4
Monumental day awaits us as we drink our coffee and say goodbye to Anton and Anel. Today we will tour the entire Cape Peninsula. As you can see, the theme for this trip is roads less traveled, but also to see as much of the coast line as we can. 

We made our way to signal hill inside the Table Mountain National Park where we found many tourists having the same idea. It is after all a magnificent day in Cape Town. The views over Table bay and the harbor, the waterfront, Table Mountain and Lions Head is simply breathtaking. Incredible place to spend as much time as you can and just drink in what is front of you. Needless to say that the cover photo of the trip was taken here...

From signal hill we will proceed over the back of the mountain down to Camps Bay and drive all along the coast and see what is on offer. We eventually met up with friends at the Houtbay harbor for another seafood feast. Preceded by reputation, we had plenty of time to watch the seals and entertainment in the harbor before our guests arrived. It was fascinating to see the skippers parking the big sightseeing ships. 

Houtbay is beautiful, just a shame that the new rural developments that popped up over night has better views of the bay than the R10m holiday homes. 

It was already after 15:30 when we left the restaurant and proceeded along the Cape Peninsula. What came next was undoubtedly the biggest surprise of the trip. 

Chapman’s Peak!

Scenery second to none. All we did was say look here, look there, watch this, take a photo of that, wow...

If you haven’t done Chapman’s Peak before, put it on your list of things to do. Absolutely worth it.

With great highs comes great lows. It was almost 17:00 as we approached the turn-off to the park entrance, but the qeue was already so long that it would take more than 30 minutes just to get in. We had no other choice but to abandon our hopes to see the lighthouse at the southern point of the Cape of Good Hope. The lighthouse in Kommetjie had to do. 

As we left Cape Point the moods quickly changed again as we passed the idillic towns of Simons Town , Fish hoek and Kalk bay. Reality started to kick in as we neared Muizenberg. Then Mitchell’s Plain. Then Khayelitsha. A certain movie sprung to mind, and we were happy to head back inland and join the Bothmas once more for delicious sushi at Geckos. 

Day 5

Another stunning day, and as they say: when in Rome... so what do you do when in the Western Cape? Wine, off course. 

Our first destination is Avondale. A wine estate recommended by my brother when we visited Winex late in 2019. Beautiful estate and not as commercial and well known as others. We were the only people when we arrived and were greeted with a smile and a glass of Armilla blanc de blanc. All wines at Avondale are 100% organic, and exceptional in every way as we tasted them while our host shared more insights about the wine and the history. 

Our hosts for the day... Always a pleasure having fun with Anton and Anel. 

Does that face say: I am in love with this wine? 

I looked like a golfer who won the lucky draw at the monthly mug golf day as we left. 

When in Rome... They say...

Spirits are now flying high as we leave Avondale, the music over the Rockford speakers in the Land Cruiser blaring Samsara as we head to Babylon Toren. This is a well known tourist attraction recommended by many, our aim is to enjoy a light lunch before indulging in more fine wines. 

However...

Being such a big tourist attraction with glorious weather, there were an incredible amount of foreign tourists around. They arrive in busses! Everything was so crowded and the restaurant had an hour waiting time for a table. Not something we needed, it will just break our stride. Another plan had to be made. Biltong, droewors, croissants and some cookies along with water and fresh fruit juice made for fine dining in the Land Cruiser on our way to Doolhof wine estate.

Doolhof was the biggest find for us at Winex. Very informative and the pictures we were shown of the vineyards on the mountain slopes made it nr one on our to do list. 

A wine estate on a road less traveled again made for peace and quiet as we arrived. Temperatures were now far on the other side of thirty degrees but the aircon (after some adjustments by Anton) brought some soothing as we enjoyed more wines along with a late lunch. 

Doolhof wines are also on another level and another box had to be filled. What is also very unique is their Malbec gin served with tonic which we all enjoyed as we arrived. Absolutely worth a visit, make sure to do so when you are in this neck of the woods. 

Day 6
The final day of 2019 is upon us and it is another glorious day. What better way to end the year at the V&A waterfront with family. 

First up, the Zeits MOCAA. Have a look at this modern work of art...

Only a genius can look at age old grain silos and turn it into a 6 story museum with a hotel on top. The silos must have been cut by laser or something to create this open are in the middle with lifts running in some of the old tubes. The art itself was something new for me but very insightful. Most noticeably the works of South African artist William Kentridge. Covering more than 2 floors, some of the art has been brought in from museums all over the world. Making this the single biggest exhibition of his art in the world. 

But enough of that. Time for lunch and burgers it will be at Gibson’s. They have over 200 different milkshakes to choose from, yet a plain and simple Vanilla milkshake found its way to our table. Interesting...

Gibson’s burgers are insane and I absolutely recommend visiting them one day. But time to walk it off, time to visit the Aquarium. I have been to the Aquarium before a long time ago but we felt like kids again walking through and gazing at the splendid marine life all around us.









The predator tank is just so cool. Look at him glaring at me. 

As if the day cannot get any better (or busier) we decided to visit the botanical gardens of Kirstenbosch. Another spur of the moment decision but we had to see the Boomslang treetop walk way. To get there however meant walking. A lot of walking, through some of the most beautiful array of natural plants and trees. 

Another privilege to share this with two of my cousins, and our tour guides for today. Thank you Madri and Trunelle for making this possible. Great memories were made. 

The scenery on top of the walk way is breathtaking. But we had to start heading home. 

More family awaits. More good times to come. Had the pleasure of having a beer and celebrating oom Charl’s birthday with him like we did on Wild Coast to West Coast Walkabout. 

Can’t think of a better way to close out the year with family and the person most important to me. 

Happy new year...

Day 7


A new day

A new dawn

A new year

Our initial plans were to stay with friends at Villiersdorp, but we will again be heading back to Wellington and stay there the next couple of days. Obviously we cannot take the road straight back passed Stellenbosch. We wanted to see more of the scenic coastal roads. So after only getting out of bed at 10:00, we made our way down to Strand and started a journey all along the coast to Kleinmond where we eventually headed back inland and back to Wellington.





Highlight of the day undoubtedly this magnificent view on top of the Franschhoek pass overlooking the Franschhoek valley below...



By doing this section today, we completed approximately 220 km of coast line in the greater Cape Town area. From areas on the West Coast, through Cape Town, around the Cape Peninsula and the entire False Bay.

Day 8

Another late start, and it has to be said that it has become a common occurrence on this trip. We are by now definitely on Cape Town timezones. The spice route is on the menu today with the Bothmas once more. Another well known tourist attraction with so many different tasting experiences. 

We started off with the beer tasting at CBC. 

Followed by the cured meats and wine pairing which I thoroughly enjoyed. Amazing how well the two can compliment each other. 

 


As we waited for our food to be prepared, we simply had to do the Wilderer gin tasting. Now Anton has already spoilt us with this gin and fitch and leeds bitter lemon mix. My undisputed gin champion at the moment and a bottle had to be added to the collection. 

And off course, rounding off the day with a chocolate tasting. 

The spice route is an extraordinary place where you can have an explosion of taste sensations in a space of only two hours. Make sure you visit them as well one day. 

Sad to think that our time in Cape Town has come to an end, tomorrow we start traveling home. 

Sad...?

Day 9

No ways! We have so much more to see on our return trip on roads less traveled. We said our goodbyes and hit the road. Found this beautiful coffee shop on the GPS to stop for a coffee and lovely sandwich. 

You cannot drive passed Ronnies sex shop without stopping for a photo and a cold drink. 

The landscapes changed again as we traveled through the klein Karoo and reached the badly drought strickened Graaf-Reinet. Would have been nice to visit the Wannenburg’s again at Willowmore, too bad they were not around. 

We stopped for a photo of the famous church but it must be said that we saw so many  beautiful churches along the way. One can almost do a trip just visiting small towns with churches like this. 

Our accommodation for this evening is Blaauwklippen guest farm. What an amazing place. Beautifully restored by the owners after eighty years of uninhabitance. The modern kitchen and bathrooms with vintage windows, doors and decor just works. And we had the place all to ourselves. Felt like I had to go work some sheep. 





Stunning view to end another gorgeous day in Africa. 

Day 10

The peace and tranquility of the Karoo is so special and we both felt like we could spend a week in this stillness. But on we press once more. The Karoo gave way to the stunning grasslands of the Eastern Free State with small koppies every now and again. Burgersdorp delivered some more historical surprises. As we left the town we read that there is another Afrikaans Taal Monument as well as a special fountain. So we turned around to have a closer look. 

Apart from another beautiful church, we found this monument. The one in the middle is the original that was erected in 1893, destroyed and removed by British soldiers in the 1899-1902 Anglo Boer War. Found again in 1939 buried in Kingwilliamstown and restored to its former glory on 10 October 1957 by the citizens of the town. 





We also found this jubilee fountain. There are only four such fountains ever made. This one was purchased for less than £70 to celebrate the diamond jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1897.



This beautiful old building is the magistrate court. Being a Saturday, no one was on trial. But a very friendly security guard was nice enough to allow us in to use the bathroom facilities. 

During the Anglo Boer War, the British soldiers moved into Burgersdorp and built two of these block houses on hills to protect the area and the railroad. Amazing to see this one still in such good condition. Even more surreal to think that only a week ago we were at Magersfontein, more than 300 kilometers North West of here. So much history we share in this country...





We reached Clarens late afternoon and almost for the first time in more than a week had overcast weather. A quick stop for Clarens Craft beers before we arrived at our final destination, Linwood guest farm. 



The weather now heavy and lightning in close proximity saw us scrambling to unpack and get everything inside. Our last night of the trip could not have been at a more special setting. 



The braai wood was quickly substituted for fireplace wood with pasta from the drawer being dinner. Best decision ever as the rains fell and a soft fire inside the chalet keeping us in good company. 



Day 11

Our final day treated us with sunshine once more. Another visit to Clarens for some delicacies and really good coffee before we set off for the final leg of the journey. 

The N3 was busy with traffic but the scenery still spectacular. You can see that good rains has fallen for many kilometers. We have now already done more than 4 000 kilometers as we head home, but it doesn’t feel like it. Nostalgia kicked in and I couldn’t help but think to extend the trip for another two weeks through KZN and the Wild Coast would be just perfect. We would have loved it. 

Another memorable trip through beautiful Africa. As always, I cannot wait for the next adventure. 

May the roads lead you to where the wild things are. And life is just beautiful. 

Until next time...