The Beauty of the Southern Drakenberg

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The campsite was a hive of activity this morning with the last of the riders wanting to get an early start.






(Photo by Gryph)

In the fresh morning air we set out. Gryph and I took it easy this morning, drinking in the scenery. Around every corner you are amazed at the sights and scenes. It's really worth your while to take your time around here.

The view over the Kraai river on the road between Wartrail & New England:



The Kraai River is a tributary of the Orange River. It originates to the south of Lesotho and flows westward, where it joins the Orange near Aliwal North. The bridge in the photo is a railway bridge and the remains of the old Railway station Tierkrans can be seen in the left of the photo.



This area not only boasts great scenery and beauty of nature, but also a rich history. Only a few kilometers down this road we cross the Kraai River over the Loch Bridge - a national monument.

Construction of Loch Bridge commenced in the middle of November 1891 and the last arch was keyed in on 5 December 1892, but the bridge was only completed in March 1893. A labour shortage resulted in the approach roads only being completed in September 1893. There were 24 stone masons, three carpenters, and about 150 natives employed on the works, and some 300 more were kept on the work of the approaches on either side.



The bridge consists of five elliptical arches of 40 feet each, the length of masonry is 264 feet and the full length of the bridge is 640 feet. The roadway is 16 feet clear, and is 43 feet above the bed of the riverbed. The highest known flood reached 21 feet below the roadway. Wing walls were added to the bridge after the floods of January 1898 damaged the abutments.

The bridge was named after the Governor of the Cape Colony, Sir Henry Brougham Loch. It is a national monument and truly a masterpiece.

We ride to Barkley East for fuel from where we'll head out towards Elliott until we reach Bastervoetpad. Barkley East itself has some interesting buildings.

The Old Mill Inn was originally built in 1895 as a flour mill for the district of Barkley East. The building has since been remodeled into an inn while retaining the old Victorian atmosphere.



This might be a good option when I bring Mrs.TR here.

We hit the R58 to Elliott (tar, but still very scenic) until we see this:



Bastervoetpad takes you from the R58 (linking Barkley East & Elliot) to Ugie. It's a mountainous gravel road that can be very challenging depending on which time of the year you travel over it. It's also known as the L.A.P.A. Munnik Pass.



In 1862 Adam Kok and his Griqua people were resettled in the Kokstad area. En route a splinter group of Griqua made their way over the Drakensberg and down the Bastervoetpad. They settled in the vicinity of Ugie. In 1863 William Murray established his mission station on the banks of the Inux and from 1874 onwards the area gradually became settled by white pioneering traders and farmers.

William Murray, a medical missionary and schoolmaster, founded the small village of Ugie with its peaceful ambiance and beautiful surroundings in 1863.

We passed by this road on our January trip and I vowed then to come back. This is it.



Scenery en route:



We were enjoying today's ride. No rush, stopping when we want to, enjoying our surroundings.

Gryph rode past a spot where something caught and ate a porcupine.



We took care not to ride over those "spikes". The last thing we wanted today as a flat tyre...

More scenery, beginning to ascend the pass:



In ride perspective:



Halfway up the pass this is what I found:



Gryph had a flat rear wheel.



The incline here is much steeper than it seems on the photos, so I had to stop my bike on level ground and walk up to Gryph to help.

This pic he took gives a better perspective:


(Photo By Gryph)

Back on level ground the wheel was taken off and fixed. We both carry all the tools to be able to fix a flat even if we were on our own, the only difference being that Gryph has a compressor and I carry gas bombs to inflate my tyre. Only problem was that Gryph's power socket broke so we couldn't use the compressor.



With the spare tube fitted we used two gas bombs (I had four) to inflate the tyre and we were set.


(Photo by Gryph)

Now it was decision time. Do we continue over this pass without a compressor, or do we get supplies first? It was afternoon already and it gets very cold here at night. We wouldn't want to get stuck overnight on this mountain.

The sense of adventure wanted us to continue, but in the end we decided on the safe option.



Thinking back I find it weird that we made this decision. I have been looking forward to riding this pass for a very long time and normally we'd continue. As it turns out we made the right decision in the end...

Starting the ride back down:



And not even 100m down the road...



Another flat, rear again. The spare tube Gryph had was suspect right from the start as I had a similar spare tube before and it failed 2km after the first flat. Gryph too has had bad luck with a similar tube on our Loxton trip when it failed right after he fitted it. The likelihood of a 2nd flat is one of the reasons we turned back. I hope he's learned his lesson with these tubes by now!

The great scenery around us was no comfort for a dejected Gryph who unpacked his pannier again, but if you're going to break down, it might as well be beautiful around you.





An frustrated Gryph:



I lent Gryph my spare tube (a thick enduro type tube) and after the wheel was fixed we inflated it with the last two gas bombs. We realized that after this fix we'd have no spare tubes left and no way to inflate a tyre, so we phoned GlenInk in Elliott who started riding out to meet us.

He arrived just as we finished up the fix.


(Photo by Gryph)

Tired and frustrated we headed back towards Elliott. Tonight we wanted a steak, an early night and a warm bed to sleep in, but about 10km down the road I noticed Gryph's wheel was deflating again. It seemed like a slow puncture this time so Gryph quickly inserted a can of tyre fix.



Let's get out of here. We'll fix this mess in civilization.

Barkley Pass:



We wanted some luxury to lift our moods and GlenInk knew exactly where to take us - Intaba Lodge.





Wow! This is exactly what the doctor ordered!

Some pics by Gryph:
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We also found this magnificent Morgan parked out in front:



My room - a welcome change after the small icy tent!



Tonight we can get a well deserved rest. Four nights of partying can really take it out of you.

As soon as the restaurant opened we ordered. We've had nothing to eat since breakfast that morning. Rib combo tonight. Just look at this plate of food! The steak is still under that!



Having dined like kings we retired to the pub for a last one, and another, and another... Next thing we knew it was closing time! So much for an early night.



Tomorrow we start heading home.

So I missed out on Bastervoetpad again, but I will be back. I have been in this area twice now and both times I purposefully avoided Naudes Nek Pass, saving it for my trip to Sani Pass. Bastervoetpad will now be done on that trip, on the way back. There's lots or riding to be done in this area still!






Sources: Loch Bridge

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Day 4

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We overslept a little this morning and I only wake up at 6am. I suddenly realize never phoned home last night

*Phone rings*

TR: "Morning hun!"

Mrs: "Hello. And in what exotic place did you and Asterix wake up this morning?"

TR: "Well, actually, we woke up on the floor of a bar..."

Mrs: "What??"

TR: Uhm...




Today we tackle the Drakenberg. The Drakensberg ("the Dragon Mountains") is the highest mountain range in Southern Africa, rising to 3,482 metres in height. In Zulu, it is referred to as uKhahlamba ("barrier of spears"), and in Sesotho as Maluti (also spelled Maloti).



Soon we encounter our first pass of the day - Barkly Pass. It takes you over the Southern Drakensberg and starts 10km from Elliot.



The scenery here is nothing short of spectacular! Natural rock sculptures such as Camel Rock, Vulture’s Roost and the Castle, can be observed from quite a few vantage points to the west of the summit.



Once a tricky gravel road, Barkly Pass is now tarred but it did not matter to me. This was one of the most scenic passes we've ridden to date. I love mountains and it does not come much better than this!





We continue towards Barkley East and ride past the Bastervoetpad. I'm bummed we missed this but we really were way behind schedule. I'll be sure to include this road in my trip to Lesotho later.



Barkley East, like Barkley West, is named after Sir Henry Barkly, governor of Cape Colony, 1870-1877. Of course you cant have two towns with the same name, hence the "East" and "West". Barkley West is close to Kimberly and my wife and I stayed there on our Love & War trip.

From Barkley East we hit the gravel towards Lundean's Nek.



A quick rest stop. This day is heating up already.



As we head into the mountains the scenery becomes more and more spectacular. There is no way to capture what you see on film.



The bridge in the distance crosses the Kraai river.



And here it is:



This is a beautiful spot! We spent some time here soaking it all in



We have been on the road now for 4 days and everything is "gelling" extremely well. We have found a rhythm as a group and we get along very well joking around and having a very good time indeed. It could easily have been different. We did not know each other well before the trip started and our sons did not know each other at all. Smidty Jnr is a young man in his last years of high school and he comes from the City. Asterix is in his last years of Primary school and is a country boy. And yet everything just works. We're on this trip together. Through the heat and through the bad patches of road. Through the good and bad. Together. This is how friendships are born. It's also where you see character. I was mightily impressed with both these young men. They carried themselves well and handled whatever got thrown their way.

And the scenery keeps getting better as we head towards Lundeans Nek Pass.



Looking back from the photo above:



You would ride looking around amazed, just to come around the next corner and seeing something even more spectacular.

Look at this!



The scale of this is HUGE. The rocks in that gorge are bigger than houses! Look at the trees on the far side for some indication of the true scale.

You are dwarfed as you ride through a landscape seemingly made for giants. Strong words these and an unfair comparison, but in my opinion the Cederberg doesn't come close to this.



And finally:



This is what the trip was all about. It's all downhill from here



Lundean's Nek connects this part of the Eastern Cape to the Lesotho border at Telebridge. The summit of the pass provides fantastic panoramic views of the Maloti Mountains. You literally feel on top of the world.

An in-ride perspective of the ride down:





We descend into the valleys of the Drakenberg towards the Tele River.



Pack animals are a regular sight around here. I am unsure whether this was a Basotho Pony.



Some more in-ride footage:



As the road progresses towards Telebridge the river to your right forms a natural border with Lesotho. By the time we reach Upper-Tele this welcome sign promises some cold refreshment in the midday heat so of course we stop!



We inquire about some cooldrinks but our questions are answered in a language we do not understand. No-one here understands any English let alone Afrikaans.



Communicating through hands signs and motions we oder something cold to drink. Success! We are presented with 2 ice cold Black Label Quarts.

Well, when in Rome...



As we continue you see houses and huts all over. Look at this:



Seems idyllic, but it is clear that it is not a rich population living here. We find it amusing that this community lives both sides of the river. So half the town lives in South Africa and half lives in Lesotho.

That river there is an international border:



Some footage of the population and huts:



Interesting church along the way:



Some more scenery along the Tele River:



Riding the Tele river road out:





And finally Telebridge. This marks our turning point. From here we head West and eventually home. Lesotho is tantalizingly close, but Lesotho will have to wait for another day.



We hit tar towards Lady Grey and the twins roar with pleasure as they indulge in the opportunity to clear their throats.

I was leading and we rode into a tightish corner at about 130km/h. We had a tight but perfect line, enjoying the wind in our faces. I see a young kid next to the road who seems to want to wave as so many others have done. Then I realize he has a piece of metal pipe in his hand and he's lining us up for the throw. Our line runs right past him and there is no way he can miss... He swings and all I can think at that stage is "Oh no...".

But he doesn't throw it He only motions and I take a few seconds to recollect what just happened (or didn't). I get a shiver down my spine as I think about it now.

I take it a bit slower from here. I am unsure how to feel about this incident. I don't want a single incident to spoil what has been the greatest day so far, but the possible consequences had he thrown is to ghastly to contemplate. I count my blessings and try to put it out of my mind.

The next Pass:



The view from the top. How can anything compare to what we have seen earlier today? Luckily this pass comes with a few drops of rain to cool things down.



As we ride to Lady Gray the fatigue sets in. We had a late night last night. We have no bookings or plans as far as accommodation is concerned and the Lady Grey caravan park leaves much to be desired. We consider getting supplies and riding up Joubert's pass to stealth camp somewhere. But not before we had lunch at the Hotel.

In front of the Hotel I notice this: Is that a Bushlander I see?



The owner comes over to chat with us. They're on their way to the Western Cape where they're going on a ride. His wife rides the Bushlander and he rides the XT.



We talk about the Bushlander and I mention that I once rode one from George to Hogsback. "Hey - you're that guy with the website!" Small world.

While in the hotel the the wind picks up something terrible and the storm clouds gather... Camping, especially stealth camping, might not be a viable option anymore. And so we end up here:



Bwaaahahahaha! We certainly had a variety of sleeping arrangements on this trip



We unpack and have a look around in the town. Lady Grey is a small town with a lot of interesting history. The town was founded in 1856. The first Church, completed in 1860, was built on a hillock in the middle of Lady Grey.



It is interesting to note that all houses were built to face the Church. A Scottish Minister, the Reverend David Ross, settled in Lady Grey in 1863. He became quite anglicized and eventually preached in Afrikaans during the morning service and English in the evenings. At the outbreak of the Anglo Boer War he was quite outspoken regarding his disagreement to the motives of the British Empire and was eventually incarcerated for this. On his release he never preached in English again. He died in 1915.



The storm holds off and we have a nice braai for dinner. We laugh and joke all the while knowing that this trip is nearing it's end. It took us 4 days to get here and we only have two days to get back. Tomorrow will have to be a big day and so we turn in early.

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