Today was the start of our travel back home. When we woke this morning at 6am, the valley was covered in cloud/mist which was hard to capture as a photo but a few people gave it a try. Photo below was courtesy of B.

We were packed up before 8am and on the road to just north of Colesberg where we had our last overnight before heading home. A quick refueling and tyre pumping at the Glen Reenen camp and we were then on our way. The first 100 kms of road varied from barely passable to appalling in places. The potholes littered the road and in some places you had to wonder if there was actually a road there at all. The speed limit varied from 80 km/h to 100 km/h but there was no way you could drive those speeds because you would have shredded your tyres. H suggested I invest in a tyre manufacturer as people must be going through more tyres now with the state of the roads. It made me realise again how much better quality the roads are in the Western Cape. I few of the road signs saying ‘Potholes’ had ‘ANC’ sprayed over them. It really does make me wonder why the government doesn’t invest in infrastructure (like roads) so much more. It would create jobs and give us better roads which actually benefits everyone.

Fortunately we go onto the N7 (which is a national road and therefore maintained better) and then onto the N1 and both of those roads are in good condition and well maintained. We did two stops on route to our overnight venue – one for toilet and coffee and then another one driven by the need to get rid of the coffee which had worked its way through the system. After the 2nd stop (which was just outside Bloemfontein), we wound our way through Bloemfontein and onto the N1 heading south to Cape Town. Just before we got to Colesberg we turned off to our lodge – Tzamenkomst River Lodge which is on the banks of the Orange River.

B & S had stayed here in 2021 and enjoyed it so that is why we are back. The lodge has been added to since then and they have more rooms, a new dining/bar area and a gym and place to have sundowners. We arrived at about 3pm and did a bird walk and S saw her 300th lifer so champagne was ordered to celebrate.

The sunset over the Orange River was quite amazing. The colours changed almost by the minute. Sunsets with a little cloud, water and in a remote place always seem to be the best.

We had our final dinner together provided by the lodge – the vast majority of us had lamb shank and J had chicken curry. Desert was chocolate sponge with ice cream. Over dinner we did our usual go round about the highlights and lowlights of the trip. I am getting older now so forgive me if I don’t remember everyone’s but here they are:

Highlights:

1. Ganora Farm – bird walks, running and 4×4 trip up the mountain
2. Underberg – crisp air, views, running, bird walks, bridge crossing
3. Golden Gate – views
4. Company – getting to know some of the group better than we did before

Lowlights:

1. Potholes on roads
2. Coffee Bay – harassment of locals, the road to get there and being underwhelmed when we got there
3. Afriski & Lesotho – sadness of how run down Afriski was, winding & monotonous roads

Until tomorrow

P, H, S (she got to 300 lifers today!), B, A (he provided the red wine for dinner), R, J & O (she had ice in her champagne)

It was very cold when we woke up this morning – 3 degrees. Fortunately the sun shines straight into the hut (as we face east) and so it didn’t feel as cold as that. We did some early morning birding from the hut and I managed to add 2 lifers and a number of trippers (now at 108 for the trip). We went out at 8am for a drive to the vulture feeding station. There are 2 loops in the Golden Gate National Park and we are staying on one (Oribi loop) and that is the same one that the Vulture feeding station is on. We had mixed success last time seeing vultures and so we headed there at 8am because that was when we had success last time. Unfortunately no success this time so we headed back for breakfast.

Around 11:30am we decided to go out and drive the other loop after stopping at the main camp for fuel and charcoal. That loop yielded another lifer for me (Wailing Cisticola) which has taken me up to 538 lifers in total. S is now on 299 lifers so we are hoping to get her to the 300 mark very soon.

We mainly just relaxed this afternoon. A, O, S & B went for a walk up the ridge and then J, H and R did a similar one later. The sun went at 5pm from the cottage and it is feeling pretty chilly inside already (outside temp was 13 degrees C). I started the indoor fire at around 3pm to keep the chill out but it seems only partially successful. It is currently 7 degrees C and predicted to drop to 3 overnight.

We did a braai once again for our last evening that we are self-catering. We start our journey home tomorrow and seemingly we all still have a lot of food left that we are taking home. We lasted a little longer tonight. It is currently 9:20pm and I should actually post the blog tonight before I go to sleep.

Until tomorrow …

P, H (she found the one lifer today), B (he spotted it again after it went missing after H had originally found it), S, A (he braaied tonight), R, O & J

As the crow flies it is only 38 kms from Afriski to Golden Gate National Park (our next stop). However, there is a the small matter of the Drakensberg/Maluti mountain range directly between these two places. We needed to do about an hours drive in Lesotho to the border crossing (at Butha Buthe) called Caledon. The road was windy windy (as in not straight) and with quite a few potholes. It was slow going (or felt that way) as we descended from 3100m to around 1900m.

We had left at just before 9:30am and we were at the border by around 10:30am. The Lesotho border was relatively quick and easy including not even having to get out your car. Then we arrived at the SA border and total chaos. You had to get out of your car to get your passport stamped. People had just abandoned their cars so that they could get into the queue. The non-drivers got into the queue as well while the drivers found a spot to park and then joined the queue. From a quick look it was obviously this was going to take some time. There were about 200 people ahead of us and the line seemed to be moving slowly. It took us 45 minutes to finally get to the front and get our passports stamped and then head over the border. It seems most of Lesotho were trying to cross the border yesterday as well. There were definitely more people than there were cars but when were through the SA border, we saw the multiple taxis lined up to transport the people to wherever they were going.

By this time it was lunch time. We headed into Clarens and went to the Clarens Brewery (we had been previously). When at a brewery one must have an on top beer and our table ended up with quite a diversity – B had a red ale, A a lager, S a blonde and I had a stout. Everyone seemed to enjoy whatever they bought. We also had some lunch at the brewery. Unfortunately, J is now banned from going back to Clarens as she didn’t pay any attention to the toilet signs and used the wrong one. When she exited the stall she found a male using the urinal. She went on to tell us she knows exactly what the guy looks like (we really didn’t want to know). She retreated back into the stall and no doubt the guy was keen to finish up very quickly and get out of there.

We walked around the town and the ladies did some browsing and but seemingly only O bought something. The men thought we had everyone back and then we would lose another one to the shop. A suggested that it seems they shop in series – one comes back and then another goes. Fortunately it was only about a 20 minute drive to the Golden Gate NP.

We had to check in at Glen Reenen camp reception (which we did at around 3pm) and then it is another 15 minute drive up to the Highlands Mountain Retreat. We have two cottages each sleeping 4 people and they overlook the Drakensberg mountains. The view is spectacular. It was fairly cool and the wind was blowing which made it feel colder. By the time the sunset (at 6pm) it was already only 10 degrees C.

We got a fire going inside the cabin and R got Weber loaded with charcoal and got the braai going for dinner. By 8:15pm everyone was yawning and ready for bed. It seems we can barely get past 8:30pm these days. We put it down to the early mornings and fresh air. It is also the reason why I never posted the blog last night. I managed to do the first 2 paragraphs and just couldn’t keep my eyes open.

Until later today …

P, H, S, B, R (for braaiing last night), A, O (I haven’t forgotten about the red wine yet) & J (for the toilet gaffe)

We were waken a number of times last night as a thunderstorm unleashed itself on the area. The lightening lit up the night sky and the thunder rattled the windows. It rained heavily and at one point it hailed and I could actually see the hail ricocheting off the windows and hoped it wasn’t hard enough or big enough to damage our cars. The lightening was so close that at one point I wasn’t even able to count to 1 before the thunder clapped and rattled the windows.

The power went off at around 5am and I lay in bed wondering whether it was loadshedding or whether it was knocked out by the storm. Fortunately it came back on just after 7am and we were able to make coffee and have breakfast (flapjacks for everyone). After breakfast B, S, H & I went for a walk up the hill (read mountain) and we did some birding as it had stopped raining. The others went to raid the original house for a grater, magazines etc and then down to reception to use their WiFi. Late morning all of them went for another walk down to the restaurant area and some had some drinks down there. I was busy doing the blog and didn’t particularly feel it necessary to brave the 10 degree C weather will a significant wind chill for a 2nd time today.

While they were down at the restaurant the power went off (around 12:30pm) and we just assumed it was loadshedding as B said it was off down there too. By 5:30pm when it hasn’t come back on again at the chalet we thought we better see what was going on especially since we could see the lights on at the restaurant. A few of them drove down to reception to discover they had closed up already but the security guard at the gate managed to get maintenance and around 6pm our power was back on. It would have been a very cold and dark night otherwise (and it is still pretty cold in our bedroom despite the heater running for the last 2.5 hours now).

The rain returned for the whole afternoon and it is still raining now as I type this blog (almost 9pm). We had decided to make some pasta for lunch which turned out to be a good call because there was no way we could braai today. It is currently 5 degrees C outside and will head down to 0 degrees tonight according to my weather app. It was a stay indoors type of afternoon and evening.

Sleep seemingly was difficult for many of us last night with the storm, headaches, noise etc and so besides A & R (who I can hear talking downstairs), everyone else is either in bed or at least in their bedrooms already.

We are all ready to move on tomorrow as we have had enough of limited electricity, heating, facilities, cellphone signal etc.

Until tomorrow ….

P, H, S (told me a closer place to see the Grey Tit which was lifer number 535 today for me), A (he drove down to find out what was going on with electricity along with a few others in the rain), B (his demotion because he has taken on H’s sickness of being a blog grammar critic), J, R (making lots of excuses why he hasn’t sent drone pics) & O (there is that red wine and ice thing still stuck in my memory)

Yesterday was the day we did the Sani Pass for the 2nd time. We last did it in 2019 (just before Covid struck) and at the time we had purposed to do it again. Where we were staying was just over an hour to the foot of the Sani Pass. We agreed to leave early (6:30am) so that we got the best driving conditions and the morning light. There were patches of mist in the lower lying areas as we headed our way to the Sani Pass and I hoped we would be above it quickly (which we were).

The road from about 3 kms past the Premier Resort Sani Pass (we stayed there last time) used to be dirt road and they were working on tarring it in 2019. It is now a tar road all the way to the SA border post which obviously makes it a very easy drive. We got to the border post at around 7:45am and once we did the passport formalities (which went very quickly) we started on the pass proper. It was much rockier and looser in the lower section than when we did it last in 2019 but none of us had any trouble at all (we have the Beast – Toyota Landcruiser; B has a Toyota Fortuner and A has a Landrover).

We stopped at the same place we did previously about half way up and then we stopped again for coffee and biscuits just before the switchbacks. The switchbacks were not as difficult to drive than the previous time. The road might be slightly less rocky or we might just be more experienced in doing the drive. We did also stop relatively early on to ID two Bearded Vultures (they are a special for the pass). The bird life was very quite unfortunately and we hardly saw anything else until we got right to the top. The dramatic views remain though.

At the top we stopped just short of the Lesotho border to do some birding and managed to add quite a few of the specials. We then did Lesotho passport control and then headed for a drink at the highest pub in Africa at 2874 meters. It is a bit of a tradition to have a beer at the top and B, A and I did precisely that (we did all get some toasted sandwiches too). We had gone up the pass in near perfect weather but it was starting to cloud over by the time we got to the top and it was a cool 14 degrees C.

We left the pub and headed further into Lesotho at around 11:30 am. We are staying at Afriski Mountain Resort which was about a 2 hour drive. The driving is very slow and windy (as it a very twisty road not as in the way the wind blows – English is a stupid language!). The highest point we got to was 3250m above sea level. To give you an idea, Jungfraujoch (in Switzerland) which is known as the top of Europe is at 3450m. We all battled with wanting to fall asleep on the 2-hour drive to the resort. H nodded off a few times and talking to the others, they experienced the same effect. It seems the altitude really was affecting us all. Fortunately none of the drivers fell asleep and we made it safely to Afriski.

Afriski has had some ownership issues and so we were concerned about what state the accommodation would be in but we were pleasantly surprised by the how nice the chalet was and well appointed. We have been drawing names to see who gets what rooms always and this time H and I got the best room (we actually drew last so it was the others that chose poorly). We offloaded everything and then someone checked the hot water and we realised there was none. B went back to reception to complain and the maintenance guy came quickly and opened the distribution board and it was smoking. B & I had opened it earlier and smelt a funny smell but there wasn’t smoke at that point. The guy immediately turned off all the electricity and B went back to reception to insist we get another chalet because we could see it wouldn’t be fixed quickly. Fortunately they did have another one and so we headed to that one.

Everyone wanted to re-draw rooms (jokingly) but we decided to let people chose by their original numbers that we drew which meant H and I could select the en-suite. This chalet had 5 bedrooms with 3 bathrooms which meant we could use the one with bunk beds for our storage. It is however not as nice as the original one especially in terms of living area (the original one for instance had a dishwasher). We checked the hot water and no hot water again! And no gas working for the fireplace or the stove. So back to reception B & I went and complained again and the lady called maintenance. He said the geyser wasn’t turned on underneath the house and that the gas was empty (which we had already figured out). He did fix both but we never got hot water until this morning (loadshedding started at 5pm and might have affected the heating up of the water).

We did a braai last night but it was pretty chilly outside – 8 degrees at 7pm – and the temperature dropped to 3 degrees overnight. We were all pretty tired and headed to our bedrooms at just after 8:30pm. The drive up the Sani Pass, to Afriski and the packing and unpacking, change of chalets etc had seemingly tired everyone out. It is also why I never posted yesterday.

Until later today (assuming I have the energy to post!)

P, H, B (for all the backwards and forwards to get our accommodation sorted), S, A (for braaiing last night in the freezing cold with substandard facilities), R, J & O (that ice in the red wine thing is just sticking in my memory)

We woke this morning at before 6am just as it was starting to become light. It was a crisp, fresh morning with hints of mist at the foot of the Maluti Mountain range. B & O went for a run at about 6:30am and H, S, R, J and myself went for a birding walk at 7am. It wasn’t as productive as we would have hoped but we did add a few lifers for S and a few trippers for the rest of us. I am now up to 84 for the trip.

We had breakfast after the walk and once the runners had showered we headed into Underberg to see the sights (about 30 kms away). The guide book in our house had the SuperSpar (that’s a supermarket for our international readers) as one of the top 3 attractions in the area! Number 1 is the Sani Pass which is what we are doing tomorrow and really the reason we are here. We found a nice place to have coffee – Lemon Tree – (which claimed it made the best cappuccino in the Berg) and the coffee morphed into scones and waffles. H also managed to find a present for the most important family member in the coffee shop.

The ladies managed to find some other shops which they bought things at including a leather shoe shop where seemingly everyone bought something. B & I found the local butcher and B bought a local fresh water trout and I bought some steaks (for the braai later down the trip). We also topped up at the local bottle store (beers in particular were running low) and visited the SuperSpar because we had to check out one of the Top 3 attractions! We then took a drive toward the Sani Pass to remind ourselves of the route. We went part of the way and then turned back and headed back to Valley Lakes where everyone relaxed for the balance of the afternoon. R, S & H went for a run late afternoon and B, S (when she got back from her run), A and myself did a bird walk. Not very productive but we did add at least one for the trip.

Dinner this evening was again a braai but we ate B’s trout as a pre-dinner appetizer and it was really good. Might even have persuaded H to like fresh water trout (which after 30 years of marriage is a major win because I love it). We all had steak of some form on the braai tonight.

The WiFi hasn’t improved and so I am hoping this is able to be sent out! Hopefully tomorrow will be better but I wouldn’t hold your breath.

Until tomorrow …

P, H, B (for the trout – was close whether he should be moved to 2nd spot it was so good), S, R (finally sent the drone pics), A, J & O (automatic demotion to last place as she had ice in her red wine tonight)

None of us were looking forward to the road out of Coffee Bay but fortunately the owner of the place we were staying at gave us an alternative route which (while longer) cut off the worst 30 kms of potholes. We headed out at about 8:30am knowing the drive was around 5.5 hours (if we didn’t stop). The road was definitely better even though it was dirt road for most of the way. We could generally drive at 60 km/h except for one or two spots. Fortunately the weather was beautiful getting up into the mid 20s.

We then took the N2 to Kokstad. It was only just under 300 kms but the road is quite slow as you pass through a number of towns. The first major place is Mthatha (used to be called Umtata) which is more like a city than a town. The traffic was very heavy – it seems almost everyone with a car was out on the roads. It took us about 30 minutes to get through – fortunately there was no loadshedding as I would hate to know how what all the traffic light chaos would look like when that occurs. It was bad enough with taxis just behaving as if a red traffic light was a suggestion to stop.

We passed through a place called Tsolo. There it was chaotic – don’t think that is even a fitting description. The traffic was at a standstill, people wandering over the road pushing trolleys and wheelbarrows. One person almost pushed his trolley into A’s car (I witnessed it in the rear view mirror). One guy had a trolley with a number plate on it – clearly thought that made it a car and he could be on the road. The queues at the bank ATMs were 20-30 people regardless of bank. We inched forward and eventually cleared the town. You wondered what was causing the traffic jam as there are no traffic lights or stop signs even. I think it was just the significant number of people ambling in and across the road.

At some point, some of the group started to stretch their bladders but we struggled to find a petrol station with reasonable facilities. We eventually found an Engen 1-stop just outside Mount Frere and it too was teaming with people. We refueled the vehicles and everyone used the toilet. H had to drive from that point as I had to do a work meeting. We stopped at Kokstad to get groceries from the Woolworths for the next few days. I stayed in the car doing my meeting. I was amazed that for a fairly sizeable and organised town, the roads in Kokstad were a disaster. The tar roads in the town have become dirt roads and clearly no maintenance has been done for some time.

H continued to drive after Kokstad as I was still in my meeting but eventually the signal disconnected and I could not get back into the meeting. The tar road from Kokstad heading to Underberg was very poor in places with deep potholes. The type that if you hit them you could easily shred a tyre. We all concluded that road was far worse than the one to Coffee Bay because it looks like a good road, you’re traveling at 100 km/h and then suddenly there is a deep pothole. It definitely was more dangerous.

We made it to the place we are staying – The Lodge at Valley Lakes – just after 3pm. It is one house with 4 bedrooms and overlooks (unsurprisingly) the lake. After unloading we did a bird walk before the sunset. There is a suspension (pedestrian) bridge over the river which takes you into the fields on the other side and so we all braved the bridge (with varying confidence). Some water birds added to the trip list as well (we have been lacking so far). My trip list is at 80 birds now.

Dinner last night was a braai and we all headed to bed at before 9pm as we thought there was going to be loadshedding from 9pm. Turned out that no loadshedding happened at all and hasn’t again this morning either. However, if you’re wondering why I never posted a blog it is because the WiFi is terrible (and at some points unusable) and there is no cellphone signal either. Will try to add a few photos but a good chance that I won’t be able to do that given the weakness of the signal.

Until later today …

P, H (for driving yesterday while I had a meeting), B (he did the braaiing yesterday), S, O, A, R (never sent the photos until yesterday evening for Coffee Bay which is too late because I had already posted the blog), J (she said she likes being last so I’ve left her there)

If you didn’t know, Coffee Bay takes it name from a ship that run aground nearby and it was carrying coffee. It seems the area is known for ships running aground because not far from here (5kms only) the Oceanos sank in 1991 (if you were alive then you will remember it). All the passengers and crew survived,

Some of the group went on an early morning run while the rest of us didn’t. I did go out later for a bird walk and managed to add a few birds to the trip list (which for me is now at 68 birds at the end of today).

After breakfast we headed to Hole in the Wall which is a natural arch made by the waves. It is about 9 kms from where we are staying. We had been warned that the locals will offer to guide us to the natural phenomenon and would expect up to R200 payment for being our ‘guide’. If you don’t oblige then they damage your cars. It was recommended that we rather park at the hotel and walk from there (which is what we did). As it turned out, we had someone try to guide us anyway and we rejected his guiding and headed up the road and ended up where we would have if we had driven ourselves to the view. It is a real problem in the area as whenever you set foot out of where we are staying someone is trying to sell you something. Bead work, guiding, crayfish, walking stick, firewood – these were all offered to us at some point today.

If you can put aside the locals badgering you, the views are beautiful. R sent his drone out a few times and eventually plucked up enough courage to send it out past the ‘Hole in the Wall’ and take photos from the other side. The resultant photos were amazing!

We walked back to the hotel and had a drink (to ‘repay’ them for their free parking and protection of our cars) and then headed back to our accommodation for lunch. After lunch, some people rested and some caught up on some work. At 4pm some of us went on a birding walk but the birds were basically absent and we only managed to add one bird to our trip list and that was on a tree right in front of where we are staying.

We did a braai tonight for dinner (chicken skewers and potato bake). We finished at just after 9pm (now almost 10pm) and I am now ready for bed. Doesn’t seem like a full day (if you look at it from the length of the blog) but it certainly felt like one.

Until tomorrow

P, H, O (she is now firmly entrenched in this spot as the compliments keep flowing), A (did the braaiing tonight), R (for his drone footage), B (let us eat his chicken kebabs today), S & J (she took a few digs today!)

Today was a big travel day. Ganora Farm to Coffee Bay was 7.5 hours on Waze and that is not allowing for stops. 560 kms – which you would usually think would take 5-6 hours allowing for you traveling between 100-120 km/h. Read on to see why it takes 7.5 hours without stops.

Before breakfast, J managed to get to feed the lambs (see pic above). Little does she know that all she is doing is fattening up the little one for future guests to eat lamb pie for dinner. We had breakfast at 7:30am and already had our cars packed and ready to go as soon as we finished breakfast as we knew it was going to be a long day on the road. The first 25 km were on dirt road to get back on to the tar roads.

Our first stop was Cradock as I was dangerously close to running out of fuel. The Beast (aka my Toyota Landcruiser) is a bit of a diesel guzzler and the 4×4 route yesterday didn’t help as we were doing most of it in 1st or 2nd gear on the way up. A was in the lead and passed the first two petrol stations and I was wondering if he wanted to test the limits of my range until I found out he was looking for a BP so he could earn his Discovery points. Turns out the BP had become some other strange brand and so we then had to find another petrol station. By the time we found that I was down to a range of 45 kms.

The next stop was going to be Queenstown to buy groceries for the next few days as we knew where we would be staying had no shop whatsoever. When we arrived in Queenstown it was loadshedding and all the traffic lights were out and it seemed the whole population of Queenstown were either driving or walking in the roads. The place was teeming with people. You would have thought it was a Saturday morning. After negotiating around drivers, taxis and people we found the mall and went to P n P to so some shopping. Options were pretty limited. As an illustration, the poultry counter was half filled with chicken feet. After negotiating our way out of Queenstown we headed Butterworth and back onto the N2 (which is a main national road).

We refueled in Butterworth and again had to negotiate through masses of people to get out of Butterworth. By the time we turned off the N2, it was showing +- 70kms to Coffee Bay (our destination) but that it would take 1 hour 20 minutes. The navigation software was wrong – it took longer. The reason – the road. It is hard to explain how bad the road was. Besides navigating through goats, sheep, cows and people wandering over the road at random intervals, you had to navigate through potholes. I say ‘navigate through’ and while that sometimes could be ’round the potholes’, in many cases it was simply through. It is hard to describe 40-50kms of road with significant potholes. Sometimes you are only doing 10-20 km/h as you weave your way through the potholes driving from left to right and right to left. Sometimes it is actually better to leave the road entirely and drive on the gravel on the side of the road. Sometimes it is better to drive on the left and sometimes it better to drive on the right into oncoming traffic. Avoidance of the potholes is an impossibility. The photos (taken by H) hardly do it justice how bad the road was and for how long it was so bad.

The good news is that we finally managed to make it to Coffee Bay and it is beautiful. We had been warned that due to recent flooding in the area, the main bridge was washed away but we could take the diversion around and that we could get to our accommodation. We are staying in self catering apartments called Cottages @ 20. We have 3 separate apartments with have having 2 bedrooms. We drew lots (or something very similar) to see who got what rooms and A&O are sharing the 2-bedroom one with R&J and then B&S and ourselves have individual ones.

We had cleverly thought to bring ready made lasagna’s with us for dinner tonight knowing it was going to be a long drive so dinner was relatively hassle free. We had found that loadshedding was at 7pm (pretty inconvenient when it comes to eating dinner) especially since the sun is setting at 5:55pm here now. Turns out though that the apartments seem to continue to have power through loadshedding. We assume solar generated but haven’t entirely figured that out yet but pleased that is the case as it makes our lives much easier.

It is now 10pm so time for bed!

Until tomorrow

P, H, O (just generally being nice to me), A (some responsible driving even though Discovery don’t think so), R, J, S & B (some very dodgy driving which was apparently cheered on by S, R & J so we they are all appropriately demoted)

It rained heavily overnight. The tin roof of our accommodation no doubt made it sound like it was raining harder than it was but it really did sound like it was bucketing down. It woke us up at least twice during the night. The thought crossed my mind about flash flooding, crossing the low lying bridges and rivers on the way in and it seemed to cross a few others minds in the group as well. By early morning it was clear and crisp and so most of us headed off for a short walk along one of the farm roads. The bird life was prolific and it was actually quite hard to keep track of all the birds we were seeing. Managed to add a lifer (which was unexpected) of a black-throated canary.

Breakfast was at 8am and then we decided to use our 4x4s and headed up the mountains behind the farm. There was a route of 13.5 km to the beacon and slightly shorter back as it was more directly down the mountain. It was pretty rocky and steep in places I had had to engage Lo4 in a few places to make it easier to go up. The route was marked as between a 3 and 4 in terms of technical difficulty and I think that was pretty accurate. Toward the summit the road became less distinguishable but we found our way and enjoyed some coffee and rusks and biscuits at the beacon before heading back down. We did add a few birds on the way up and back again and we saw a wildebeest and springbok.

We got back late morning and then headed out to Nieu Betheseda itself for lunch at the mirco brewery in the town. Their beer isn’t available anyway except at their brewery and they had an option of a bitter ale, honey ale, pale ale or cider. They do a cheese and meat platter with homemade bread. The town of Nieu Betheseda was founded in 1875 and I think it hasn’t changed since then. It was really founded so that the farmers had a place to go to Church. It is now a tourist attraction because of the Owl House which is basically a house that became a work of art done by Helen Martins. It is a but freeky and strange – it has over 300 concrete statues and works of art of various things but obviously owls are a major theme.

This afternoon B, R & O went for a 5 km run and S, H and myself went for a birding walk. We added a few more to the trip list (for me that is on 56 now). Dinner this evening was lamb pie and vegetables followed by chocolate brownie or malva pudding. Loadshedding happening again at 9pm so trying to post the blog before the lights go out (it is now 8:30pm).

Until tomorrow …

P, S, H, B (he didn’t get lost today and he bought his table for our coffee), R, J, O & A