12th December
2011
Left home - after lunch 1pm
km
13h00 – Citrusdal to Op die Berg 89
14h30 – Ceres Sutherland
Tarred rd (Droehoek rd) 100 (189) 90 min
15h00 -Touws River 30
16h00 - Laingsberg 80
Rouxpos - 118 (307) 60
17h00 Seweweekspoort 35 (342)
17h25 – end of
Seweweekspoort 21 (363) 25
19h00 – Kykoe Langkloof 177 (540) 95
Seweweekspoort
The last time we went
through this pass was in 1982. We remember a long drive that took
forever so at 5pm we were prepared for the long haul. It is quite a magnificent
pass with the fold mountains making us humans feel really small. It took us all
of 25 minutes to reach the R62 at Zoar. And we were thinking it was gonna take
the whole afternoon and evening... Maybe the road has vastly improved in 30yrs.
Kykoe
Moving eastwards we got to
the Langkloof by 7pm. Hardly any campsites on this road. Not even a B&B. By
7.30 it was getting dark and we came to a sign - Kykoe . This little track
looked promising. There was a farm house so we asked if we could stay the
night. They pointed down the track and told us of a derelict house where we
could pitch the Savoy.
It was a perfect spot and we had some supper and slept
13th December
2011
Next morning we were told
that the farmhouse was used by artist Thomas Baines to paint Spitskop.
After chatting for some
minutes we discovered that the old toppie was related to Alan. He was a Van Wyk
from Kanolvlei (Mr Roux) – Alan’s great grandma Lenie Van Wyk also came from
there. Talk about a small world. We left them with some of Stagmanskop’s plums
and smiles all round.
Nanaga
This great little padstal
has moved to the other side of N2 and is not small anymore. It has lost its
charm altogether. It also requires one to pay to go to the loo. We will be
using the other padstalletjies in future.
The Lookout, Port Alfred
Got to the Kowie about 12
noon and met Justin’s folks, Louise and Alan Corrans. Had tea and scones. Their
B&B is beautiful and has a spectacular view of Kowie river mouth and lagoon
(now the Marina).
Gave them some preserves and they gave us some biscuits for Xmas.
On to East London
and a late lunch at the Spur (Hamburgers). Then went shopping for Marsh strand. Mostly
food and booze.
Arrived at Marsh Strand about 5pm. Craig was here to meet us. So nice to
be here again
14th – 16th
December
Weather not fantastic, sea
cold, walked to Pullen Bay. Jill arrived on 16th
17th December
Frances and Justin arrived.
They spent their first night with Justin’s folks in Kowie. It was nice that
they were here.
19th December
Peter turned up in a
reasonably good mood, but decided to go back to watch the Cricket in peace.
23rd December
Walking from Cintsa to Gonubie
Alan and I decided to walk
from Cintsa West to Bulura and back. It was a cloudy day with low tide so off
we went. When we reached Bulura it was only 10am. We gave Frances a tinkle. She was in EL with Justin and Craig. So we decided to walk to Gonubie thus completing another distance on our coastal map.
We passed some nice places:
Glen Muir, Yellow Sands caravan park
By now the tide had turned. At Kwelera mouth the river was a bit higher which meant
wading across. Alan took all his clothes off – skande – and I just took off my
shorts. He however did not get wet other than his calves. I got my ‘mary’ wet as
I’m a lot shorter. The walk from there to Gonubie was crap. A lot of loose
rocky bits - not good for walking - and no nice beaches. At Gonubie the tide was streaming in strongly
and the river was quite wide. We were concerned about our electronic stuff
otherwise we would have swam across quite happily.
There were Frances, Justin and
Craig on the other side. We also saw someone with a dingy on the beach. Justin
had the presence of mind to ask if he could borrow it to fetch us. What a relief after that lousy walk. A pub lunch at Gonubie rounded off the adventure.
Christmas Day
The weather so far has not
been that great. We’ve been to the beach but not stayed for long. The first
good day was about the 27th December when we stayed on the beach all
day. We've seen at least 26 oyster catchers on the rocks. Just wonderful.
31st December
Cintsa
We drove to Cintsa West and
walked to Cintsa East and back. Jill came too. I traveled in the back of
Savoy with
Nug dog. It was the best day we’ve had so far and there were lots of people on
the beach at Cintsa East. The beach there is really long and
everyone was out – just fantastic.
We had lunch at a pub at
Cintsa West – fish and chips. Fuel tank very low but we don't fill up...
Next day Alan decides to go
to Kei Mouth to fill up. Diesel really expensive R11.31/l. Very scenic drive to
Kei Mouth.
1st January 2012
New Year’s Day – Happy, lets
hope it is. Frances is now 31.
The weather started to
improve a bit.
4th January
The Haven and Breezy Point
We took the Savoy to the Haven. Left
Marsh strand at 10h04. We wanted to walk
the distance between Mbashe river and Breezy Point. We got there mid afternoon
and asked if we could camp on Mbashe. No camping this side they said – we have
to go to Dweza. Easier said than done as you have to go far inland to get
across Mbashe. Stay at the Haven hotel…sorry we’re full. They
said to phone Patrick (the chief at the Park) he said we could stay in the park
yard. (There was a nice place at Mbanyane river mouth where we could have camped wild.) Mbanyane is about half way between Mbashe river (The Haven) and Breezy Point. So we walked from Mbanyane to Mbashe that afternoon. Left
at 4pm and got back at 6pm. Two lovely long beaches.
Mbashe Lighthouse - 1926
Alan had a go at catching a
fish as a fisherman there said he’d caught a cob the day before. This is a
protected reserve so NO fishing allowed. There is always a yahoo on the beaches
tho’. One guy was so brazen as to drive in his SUV along the beach – IN the reserve! And there were oyster catchers with a nest on the beach. So
disappointing.
5th January
Next day was raining. The
rain is just light drizzle but soaking and makes all the roads slippery. We did
the walk to Breezy Point which took all of ¾ hour. Breezy Point is a lovely
spot and the cottages are all on a rise just above the beach. A top spot for
surfers – it has a classic point break. At one of the cottages we were invited
for a cup of coffee which was really nice. The people were from Kokstad. When
we got back to the Savoy
we decided we wouldn’t go to Dwesa as the rain was non-stop. Patrick was really
kind and gave us the night for free.
We still took the road going
back to Dwesa as it is the pass down to Mbashe river. It would have been
spectacular if the day was sunny. But it was wet and slippery with the mist
right down. Alan had a wonderful time using ALL the gears of the Savoy. He even helped
some blokes get out of a trench with the max trax and a rope. They were most thankful. It is a very
steep pass and we shall have to do it again sometime. What we did see was a
very deep valley with huts dotted all over the mountains and the river way down
there. Very scenic.
We came back to Marsh Strand
via Willowvale and stopped at the Komga turnoff for some diesel. This was way
cheaper than at Kei Mouth R10.37/l - a rand cheaper.
10h04 Marsh Strand
- Kei cuttings Shell = 60km
10h52 Kei cutting - N2 turnoff Elliotdale 117 (177)
12h47 N2 - Elliotdale (detour past) = 20 (197)
Haven - Dwesa turnoff = 40km
Junction store - Willowvale = 60km
The Eastern Cape Parks board
need to get their act together at Dwesa and Cwebe. There is no camping at Cwebe
(Haven side of the park). One has to go all the way round to get to the camp at
Dwesa and it is a long detour, especially when you want to walk from Mbashe
eastwards – 87km on a very rough
road. We did it in the wet and if we hadn’t had 4x4 it would have been nigh
impassable. As a 4x4 route it was great.
The whole trip distance =
534 km.
6th January
The best day ever. Spent
nearly all day at the beach. Had lunch at Haga Haga hotel, sole and chips. Alan had
calamari steak as did Craig. Robert had bangers and mash…what!
The sea was divine and we
swam three times! Even Jill had a swim. The ethnic tent did its thing as usual
and the dogs had fun chasing waves (Nuggett) and crabs (Jock and Brando).
7th January
Another lovely day in sunny
SA. The
weather was great and we went swimming in the sea again. Swimming in the sea
is quite relaxing and cathartic. The sea has not been so rough this time and the water was really
clear. We swam quite a lot this summer.
9th January
Boo Hoo…sob sob-sob – Packed
up and left Marsh Strand at 09h20. Had that home sick feeling. Traveled the R72 and popped down
to Kayser’s Beach to see what it was
like – nothing like Haga – lots of houses and very little beach, mostly rocks.
What was really off-putting were all the plaques that had been stuck on rocks
in memory of loved ones. The beach is not a cemetery for god’s sake. (There are
also some benches along the green front at Marsh Strand. I realise that people
are grieving but that’s what a grave yard is for after all). Kayser’s Beach was
a bit dull. We had tea and moved on. We walked 1 km of the beach there.
Canon Rocks and Boknes
We had lunch at Kowie’s Guido’s.
Pizza and Pasta. It took them forever to serve us. They were not expecting the
crowd they got as it was the last day of hols. It was still enjoyable and we
watched a few fishing boats negotiate the Kowie mouth to get out to sea.
We stopped at the new
Superspar (for provisions) which is a few km out of Kowie. On top of the hill
going towards Kenton. It is part of a new mall there – all very grand but not
really very much in it.
Drove on to Boknes and Canon
Rocks. Canon Rocks has a lovely, neat caravan park in Alice street. It’s big so we would not
want to be there at the height of season but it has many trees (we had a lot of
fun bird watching – saw some paradise fly-catcher and a Knysna lourie) and the
sites are all grassy. The ablution block is fine – a bit small when the place
is full I would imagine. It is well looked after and clean. My only criticism
is the doors which just cover you. You can look over the top when showering and
the bottom has been cut off too. However the park is a stone’s throw from the beach
so off we went to have a swim.
Another nice thing about
Canon rocks caravan park is they allow dogs out of season. Yay.
10th January
The walk to Diaz Cross
At the Boknes beach there’s
a sign that says Diaz Cross 3 700m. We thought of doing it from Canon
Rocks but that would have been 7km one way and we did not have the time. So we
walked from Boknes. What a lovely walk – flat beach (low tide – always walk at
low tide!!) It took ¾ hour to get there. The cross is perched on a rocky out-crop
called Kwaaihoek. It is a replica of the original which has been pieced
together and place at Wits Univeristy. It was really hot so on the way back we
skinny-dipped – fantastic – not a soul in sight. We must take diving gear next
time as there are lovey rock pools at Kwaaihoek.
We took the road less
travelled from Boknes – and found ourselves at a boom which lifted for us as we
approached! How nice! This took us to Woody
Cape, which is now part of the Addo Park.
It is truly beautiful scenery – dairy country and everything so green. They
have had a lot of rain and its just wonderful.
There are three lovely
camp-sites at Ocean View. The beach is huge – like at Diaz Cross. We still have
to walk this section. Woody
Cape was ok – you need
permits as its Sanparks.
We saw some lovey storks.
Ocean View Sites: 046 654 0003/4 Lyn or Dave (Alexandria)
Woody Cape Section
Addo Park:
046 653 0601
Back to the N2 at Nanaga
Jeffrey’s Bay
Got to J-Bay at tea-time and
stayed at Kabeljous
Caravan Park
(R150 for the site with own ablutions). It was ok and near the beach. So off to
walk to the lagoon (Kabeljous
River). A lovely beach
but tide was in so it was soft…bleugh. Saw 20 oysters catchers on the lagoon.
Had some steak to braai and so to bed…
11th January
Next morning we woke up
bright and early to get going for the last leg home! And what do we find – a
flat tyre!! OH NO. It was a real mission getting the blasted thing off. But we did
eventually and found a Supa-Quick in Humansdorp (we needed a new tyre – or so
we thought). So that was super quick and we were off on the R62 home – the
Langkloof.
We drove again through
Seweweekspoort. This time we stopped for lunch. Very hot. Back to Laingsburg
> Touws river > R46 > Op de Berg > Citrusdal.
Home at 18:45. Always nice
to be home.
Distances from Marsh Strand
– Home via Seweweekspoort
Km
Marsh Strand
- Kaizer’s Beach = 115 1hr
25 min
Kaizer’s Beach - Boknes = 157
Boknes - Canon Rocks 14
Canon rocks - Woody Cape = 19
Boknes - Jeffrey’s Bay = 232
Jeffrey’s Bay - Kareedouw = 65
Kareedouw - Joubertina = 44
Joubertina - Oudtshoorn = 193
Oudtshoorn - Laingsburg = 170
via Seweweekspoort
Laingsburg - Touws
River = 81
Touws River - turn-off R46 = 9
R46 - Sutherland
turnoff = 31
- Droehoek
turnoff = 10
Droehoek turn - R303 = 29
R303 - The
Baths = 107
1276
km
