What's inside?
* Training & Tours Updates
* Western Cape mopping up.
* Kouga-Baviaans Tour Overview
* Swartberg Classic Tour - Day 6
* Cederberg Part 2
* Garden Route (Portland Manor)
* Seven Sisters Tour (Gawie se Water)
* Pass of the Week
Sunshine, Rain and Snow
While the Western Cape is mopping up and most of the damaged roads have been reopened, the bad weather moved further east, hammering the Baviaanskloof, Garden Route and Eastern Cape with deluges of rain. In South Africa, we never complain about too much rain. Much to the relief of the residents in and around Port Elizabeth ( I still can't spell Gqeberha without looking it up), their water shortage appears to be over. At the time of writing this newsletter there are snowfalls forecast for this weekend in Lesotho and the Drakensberg, whilst KZN and the Wild Coast have received plenty of rain, turning gravel roads into mud baths.
Our Wild Coast V7 Tour which starts on October the 31st in Matatiele indicates a temperature range of 4/11C for the start of the tour. And it's supposed to be a balmy summer tour!
TRAINING & TOURS
Our tours programme gets a bit hectic at this time of year. We have just completed the Kouga-Baviaans Tour and are prepping for the Wild Coast Tour which starts in 5 days' time, followed by the Ben 10 Eco Challenge on the 4th December. We are going to take a decent break early in 2024 to recharge our batteries, before settling down to plan the 2024 calendar.
We will more than likely run a sand training day during March at Atlantis Dunes.
KOUGA-BAVIAANS TOUR OVERVIEW
This year's tour was a memorable one in every way. We had a really nice group of people who bonded well and with Barrie Barnardt (of Barrie die Bek fame) on the guest list, there was instant and ongoing humour over the radios. We had a mixed bag of weather to contend with in the form of some light rain on three of the five days. For this tour we had reversed the route to our normal south-north programme. It worked really well and we will more than likely be alternating the direction each year to add some spice. We also booked in at the Karroo Theatrical Hotel on the first day with the Steytlerville Follies cabaret show as entertainment.
Perhaps the standout item defining this tour were the high water levels, like we have never experienced before. We did at least 7 major deep water crossings and dozens of shorter ones. The Baviaanskloof was alive with colourful flowers, lots of animals including sightings of Cape Buffalo, kudu, grysbok, wildebeest, bosbok, sable, monkeys and of course baboons.
Ian Teepe got his Fortuner stuck in this donga. Wessel Vosloo towed him out backwards with an Amarok
Two vehicles were unable to complete the full tour due to mechanical issues and we performed two recoveries. One was an easy tow-out; the other a technical winch recovery - but we will tell you all about those in the weeks coming when we dig into the day by day stories of this super tour. In true MPSA spirit, all the guests were present for the final night celebrations at Kareedouw, where guests helped each other with transport. Beating the French that night added the cherry on top.
SWARTBERG CLASSIC TOUR - DAY 6
Gideon Peens, the owner of the Toyota Fortuner that refused to go out of low range, decided to skip the last day of the tour, as he (a) needed to get his vehicle sorted out and (b) he had to be back at work on the Monday. He handed in his radio and left very early on that Saturday for the Toyota dealer in Oudtshoorn. At the dealership the problem was traced to a faulty actuator. The part would have to be flown in from Pretoria. The Peens' took an Uber to George and took a flight home to Jhb. Karin Peens flew back a week later once the vehicle was repaired and drove it back to Jhb. And so our convoy was reduced by one. It's always a bit of a damper when someone's tour ends prematurely due to a mechanical problem. It's not the first time it's happened and it won't be the last.
Karin & Gideon Peens on their flight back to Jhb from George missing the final day of the tour
The rest of the group got going after another delicious farm breakfast and took the gravel road westwards back to the Kruisrivier Gallery. There we turned left to drive Coetzeespoort and the beautifully photogenic Red Stone Hills. The clear winter skies and vivid colours had the camera shutters clicking away as we steadily drove south to the Gamkaberg Nature Reserve.
Crossing the Olifantsrivier is normally a non-event with not a drop of water to be seen, but this time we were presented with a wide river to cross. On closer inspection we noted that the surface was solid concrete and the depth not more than 300mm, which meant an easy and safe crossing for all the vehicles. Beukes in his V6 Ford Raptor is a speed freak of note and despite my request to drive water crossings sensibly, Beukes just couldn't help himself and put his foot down sending sheets of water cascading into the sky. In the greater scheme of things, it's all good, clean fun and Beukes is a real sport and great guy to have on tour.
A few minutes later an ominous high pitched squeal emanated from one of the wheels of the Raptor, which would result in a wheel removal to get rid of the noise which was getting worse, when we were halfway up the pass.
Sorting out the brake squeal in the Raptor on Lawson's Pass
We arrived at the Cape Nature control office ahead of schedule and signed in and collected our permit to drive the Lawson's Pass 4x4 route. The staff there were exceptionally helpful and friendly. If you like the tented camping option, they have wonderful sites with private natural pools and some amazing hiking trails. The reserve is immaculate, but it gets very hot there in the summer. Spring and autumn would be a good time to visit.
Next episode: Lawson's Pass and a stubborn Nissan X-Trail .
CEDERBERG - PART 2
The day dawned still and sunny. The breakfast at Mount Cedar is a proper affair. Big farm-fresh smiles greeted us as we were ushered onto the veranda to enjoy breakfast with a fabulous view over the olive groves and mountains, with the Grootrivier burbling quietly in the distance.
Water levels might be a problem on this day, so the plan was to exercise due caution and be sensible. We first drove up the Grootrivierhoogte Pass.
Grootrivierhoogte forms part of the exceptionally beautiful route through the Southern Cederberg, connecting farms like Kromrivier, Matjiesrivier, Nuwerus and Mount Ceder, with the plateau of the Koue Bokkeveld. The road is made up of two major passes - the other being the Blinkberg Pass. Both offer stunning mountain scenery in crisp mountain air. The passes are seriously steep in some places - as steep as 1:5 !!!
Photo: Looking east at the foot of the Grootrovierhoogte Pass with Mount Cedar in the distance / Trygve Roberts/MPSA
Grootrivierhoogte is one of the steepest along this route and light front wheel cars will struggle on the final section near the summit in wet conditions, but for the vast majority of the year, this pass is doable in any vehicle. Take time to stop at the summit and allow the mesmerising mountain views to captivate your soul. From the summit one can look to the south and see part of the Blinkberg Pass, whilst the northern view includes Nuwerus, and Cederberg Oasis.
I was a bit worried about the crossing of the Brandkraalsrivier, which has a reputation for being dangerous. It's a short crossing of about 20 metres, but it gets deep and has a powerful current. People have lost their lives at this crossing in the past. One of the nice things about these back roads in the Cederberg is that they have depth markers at most of the tricky spots. This one showed 400mm depth which I am more than comfortable with. We crossed through without any issues passing Cederberg Oasis en-route to Kromrivier.
The main road crosses a particularly nasty spot where the confluence of the Matjiesrivier and Kromrivier form a wide crossing. Depending on water levels the low island between the two rivers can be invisible under the water. If I can't see the island, I know it's not worth risking a crossing. The alternative is to take the top route to Kromrivier farm and cross the river there where it's much narrower and safer.
We decided to go down the hill and see for ourselves what the double crossing looked like. A number of 4x4's (some with caravans and trailers) were parked there, debating whether to cross or not. I could see the island was high and dry and as I know the crossing well, I decided it was well within my driving skills and my vehicle's capacity. I took it nice and slow in 1st gear low range and did the first, easier crossing without any problems.
The crossing of the Matjiesrivier in the MPSA Land Cruiser / Photo: Mandy Richert
The second (shorter and deeper) section is where one has to be really careful. I have turned around there on more than one occasion judging the current to be too swift. It looked doable. I first asked my daughter if she was OK to do the crossing. The question was met with a "Hell, yeah Dad!"
So we crossed safely, getting a free car wash in the process. A few kilometres further we turned right at Matjiesrivier farm taking the back road to Eselbank.
Next Episode: Eselbank, Rooibos Tea, Waterfalls and Wupperthal.
Garden Route Tour - Portland Manor
The drive off the 7 Passes Road to Portland Heights is exceptionally scenic, bounded by forests, ferns, fields and inky blue dams. Arriving at Portland Manor for the first time was feel good experience. The stately English Manor is located amongst tall trees, lush lawns, fountains and neatly laid out gardens. There are a number of buildings offering stately and spacious accommodation for all our guests.
Reception was manned by a friendly young lady who soon had us all settled in. The manager, Desmond, took us for a walking tour around the grounds, telling tales of ghosts and other mysterious happenings, all of which fitted in perfectly with the vibe of the place. It was a lovely, quiet sunset as the long shadows overtook the farm and dusk gently covered the hills in soft light. Happy hour was a lively affair as the MPSA group "took over" the restaurant.
I found a lovely old Land Cruiser bakkie under a lean-to. It looked in good condition and appeared to be in working order. Such amazingly tough vehicles. I wonder what that's worth today?!
A classic Land Cruiser / Photo: Trygve Roberts/MPSA
We had everyone up and ready early the next day for the longest day of the tour - an also the day with the most variety. A loop through the Knysna Forests, taking in the Gouna Pass, Kom se Pad, Diepwalle, Buffelsnek, Spitskop, De Vlugt and a double traverse of Prince Alfred's Pass.
We will discuss that one in the next episode.
SEVEN SISTERS TOUR (DAY 2)
It rained hard all night and was still raining the next morning as we enjoyed breakfast looking over the vineyards at Val du Charron. The inevitable question arose: To go or not to go up the pass to Gawie se Water?
After some brain storming with Kuba (our sweep and local contact) we decided we should go for it. As we started climbing up Bain's Kloof Pass, the rain seemed to be easing, but it was very cold outside the vehicles. We stopped briefly at the main view site, but low clouds and a strong north-wester made things unpleasant.
Soon we were on the two spoor track, heading for Gawie se Water. It was a slow, bumpy drive, but at least the clouds were lifting, enough to offer some good views down the Wellington Valley with its patchwork of neatly laid out vineyards and orchards.
First stop was at the memorial of the Witrivier Disaster. With our guests huddled in their jackets and beanies, the mood was perfect for relating the tragic story of the group of students from the training college in Wellington who went hiking in the mountains in 1886. In rapidly deteriorating weather conditions, the group decided to abandon the hike, and head back down the mountain.
The two spoor track leading to Gawie se Water / Photo: MPSA Tour Group
By the time they reached the Witrivier (so called for its rapids), the crossing had become dangerous. The group were getting very cold from the freezing wind and torrential rain and had no access to dry clothing or food. Driven by fear and with the knowledge that they might die from exposure, they rigged a line across the river in the fading light. The first hiker to attempt the crossing holding onto the rope was overpowered by the force of the water and swept downstream onto a precarious rocky island surrounded by the floodwaters.
Her cries for help were heard by two of her male companions who jumped into the river to save her. They both drowned as they swept past her. She later fell into unconsciousness and also drowned.
Gawie se Water
The last port of call was a visit to the canal known as Gawie se Water. Enterprising farmers in the Wellington Valley were concerned that they lacked water in the hot summer months. The Witrivier which flows northwards and forms a confluence with the Breederivier is a perennial river. The farmers figured if they could divert it to flow into the west into their valley, their farms would benefit. In 1860 they came up with a plan to dig a canal from the Witrivier some 1000m in length and up to 4m deep through the bedrock, which would allow water to flow into the west.
Andrew Bain, who was on site constructing the famous pass named after him, offered to build the canal for 3000 Pounds Sterling. The farmers felt it was too much money and decided to do it themselves. The irony is that it ended up costing them almost three times what Bain had quoted them.
The 160 year old hand dug canal known as Gawie se Water
There's an interesting angle to this story. Some claim it is the only river in the world which flows into two oceans. The Witrivier flows into the Breede which flows into the Indian Ocean. The diverted water flows into the Berg River and ultimately into the Atlantic Ocean.
The weather was becoming worse as we slowly took the two spoor back to Bains Kloof Pass and back to Val du Charron and a nice warm room, where we enjoyed a tasty finger lunch and a wine tasting session.
It is quite possible that this might have been the last group to tour through the service tunnel. SANRAL have indicated that no tours of any type, whether educational or not, will be allowed in the service tunnel, due to the fact that the tunnel is going to be prepared for upgrading as well as access roads on both sides, which have to be constructed.
This will not mean the end of the Seven Sisters Tour. We will be running it again in 2024, but the tunnel feature will be replaced with an equally enticing attraction. The tour will likely also be stretched over three days. Watch this space.
PASS OF THE WEEK
This little known poort lies just north-east of Calitzdorp and provides a superb, but slower gravel alternative to the R62. It connects Calitzdorp with the farming communities that lie to the north of the R62 and south of the Swartberg Mountains. The poort offers beautiful and dramatic scenery of the unusual red sandstone mountains.
* * C O E T Z E E S P O O R T * *
Trygve Roberts / Editor
In the immortal words of Bongi Mbonambi: "Hou die blink kant bo"
We are holding back on our emotions for the RWC final on Saturday - Go Bokke!!!!!!
