Trip #2 & #3 - Betty's Bay & Clanwilliam region South Africa
TRIP REPORT – BETTY'S BAY – WESTERN CAPE - SOUTH WEST COAST REGION – 18 19 20 21 MARCH 2022
Once packed Ralph set off for Betty's Bay with Jeremy, Andrea and Matthew to celebrate Jeremy's 60th Birthday over the long weekend. Apart from unattended broken traffic light in Somerset West delaying progress, the journey was travelled in lovely conditions with the Cape Peninsula and Gordon's Bay and Clarence Drive showing off scenic splendour. The plan was for Casey, Sasha and Luke to join on Sunday ready for birthday celebrations on Human Rights Day.
At Rooiels the wind made itself apparent but tempered a little on the approach to Betty's. Arriving at the house they quickly unpacked and found their way to the beach for a leg stretch. Later they headed off to Kleinmond to get some groceries and take in the harbour sites and look for fresh fish. With no fresh fish on offer the return journey took in the estuary and lower river of the Palmiet. Galjoen of a good plate size was being taken using pumped pink shrimp by some of the locals. Jeremy was delighted that this area had fish as previous attempts with plastic and chatterbait lures had been unsuccessful.
The children joined them on Sunday and a enjoyed leisurely day of short walks, frizbee and darts followed by a delightful dinner at Gnochi where the Michelin qualified chef pleased them all with his finely prepared fare.
The 21st saw Jeremy opening his many and varied delightful gifts at the house before they all set off to the local Harold Porter Botanical Gardens to walk the River Path. The evening saw a fish braai with a continued brisk north-westerly keeping the family out of the cold ocean, but the usual walk to our own river estuary was undertaken for some frizbee and rubber ball water-skipping. They packed after lunch and proceeded home to prepare for the Cederberg / Clanwilliam leg of Matthews stay.
CEDERBERG / CLANWILLIAM AT JAMAKA ORGANIC FARM CAMP SITE - NORTHERN WESTERN CAPE REGION - 24 25 26 27 MARCH 2022:
Day 1 - Thursday 25th March:
With everything packed Ralph was brimming with supplies and necessities for the next leg. This was to be a lads only due to work commitments for Andrea and Sasha, and, all fishing gear accounted for, Jeremy, Matthew and Casey pulled away with Ralph at 1145, with the first stop to be a short drop-off in Malmesbury and then on to Riebeeck Kasteel to see Nanna and Poppas old farm house. The newly surfaced dual highway of the N7 was a smooth ride and after delivering the memory stick in town, Ralph pushed on to the Riebeeck Valley which heralded green and tree grown. The little town was quiet but they spotted the father and one son from the middle village who had grown older, but no less hardy through covid and the harsh life they lived. The old man was barefoot, pushing a wheel-barrow outside the Riebeeck Hotel. The Farm House had been jazzed up from its historic charm to display a bohemian cultural metamorphosis, fitting in perfectly with so may other properties in the tiny town of that valley.
Leaving the Valley via Riebeeck West R317, Ralph was held up by extensive roadworks until rejoining the R27. A quick lunch stop at Piketberg Spur and they were on their way, over the Pakhuis Pass and down into the Ceres Valley before bypassing the Nieuwoudt Pass to provision at Clanwilliam, refuel, and, then approach Jamaka Campsite from the North to be greeted by "Mal Jannie" (complete with wild curly hair and his 'ultra kort PT broekie', during which Casey provided a running commentary on the river and his various practical study sites along the River.
The view down on to the mirror-glass surface of the Clanwilliam Dam was stunning and the trip at this point was only marred by the massive disparity between the 'haves and the have not's' passing over the top of Clanwilliam Dam with the township on the left and the well-heeled holiday homes on the right. Ralph picked his way through litter and small children playing 'chicken' with his two tons.
Arriving at Cottage 1 the welcome shade of newly flourishing trees provided ample shade and the lads unpacked and filled the freezer with perishables. Then a quick drive down to the river to view the tented camp area, foofie slide and newly developed sites was undertaken. A paintball battleground had been established along with a kart track back at Reception. Jamaka was growing...
Day 2 - Friday 25th March:
Following a good breakfast and leisurely start saw the lads travelling down river to the first Niewoudt Farm of Sakkie, and after entering the cow pastures Ralph parked up whilst the river and Casey''s Site One and the Waterfall were explored. Casey remarked on the turbid water quality but the Site 1 pool, revealed the presence of the necessary indigenous local fish species. A short hike up past the remote cabin and on to the cliffs and Waterfall area was followed by a short steep hike up to the secret rock art paintings left by San inhabitants thousands of years ago. Mavicus Dronus was then deployed to do further photographic analysis of the river north and south of our point as the foliage growth made further walking river exploration impossible. A quick trip back into Clanwilliam was necessitated by the freezer that had damaged all of the soft fruit and veg overnight. A plan was then made to run Ralph's fridge to save further freezing food damage. A sunset braai rounded of the eve before they turned in for an early night.
Day 3 - Saturday 26th March:
Following an early start, the lads settled their permits and started the river hike in a southerly, upward direction to the source. The foliage and cover had grown extensively since the fires of 2018 and a new bridge and various upgrades to the forest campsite were being undertaken. They stopped at the various Sites to check for fish and the clear river above the Algeria Campsite building works provided the GoPro with some excellent footage. Casey was delighted to find the upward migratory species further up than expected.
Following 2,5 hours of hike and returning to Algeria Forest Campsite, Ralph swung his nose southwards on the bricked road and headed for Mitchells Pass, Mount Ceder and Tolhuis. The brick road quickly gave way to gravel most of which was good with few corrugations. The road became narrower following the fork and the Tolhuis pass single route held splendid views of an oasis beyond its steep drop-offs.
Casey showed them around and lunch was ordered from a kitchen with the most diverse group of South Africans under one roof that one could wish to meet. The car park presented with all manner and makes of Toyota vehicles, from single cab to Fortuner, to FJ and double cabs. Ralph felt very much at home with his Japanese cousins.
On the return journey another short hike was undertaken to view the kopjes and 'Lot Se Vrou" - a stone formation in a desolate stony and rock-bound desert area.
Day 4 – 27TH March – Homeward bound via Nieuwoudt Pass, N7, Darling, R27, Veldrif, Blauwberg.
Ralph pulled away after greeting the host at 0915, heading west over the Nieuwoudt Pass and dropping down the valley over the very low Olifants River and onto the N7. They had decided on a different route home to avoid seeing more different sights and to avoid repetition. A steady pace of 115 kph passed quickly before turning off at Malmesbury to divert to Darling for an early lunch at Evita Se Perron.
At a quiet lunch in the garden (the patrons packed into a matinee performance in the Theatre), the lads made the decision to head back directly via Grotto Bay and Tableview. The plan to fish in the 60 kilometer distant Voelvlei was scrapped due to the uncomfortable midday heat and the fact that fish tend to lay low at mid day. With lunch washed down with Berry Fruit Smoothie and feeling refreshed, Ralph pressed on to Grotto Bay, Table View and Blaauwberg so that Matthew could see how extensively the town and suburbs had grown over the past years.
Going through Tableview and Blaauwberg, Matthew remarked at how vastly the whole area had grown, from the beach front to back against the hills and beyond. Mini suburbs sprouting in between the now large suburb centres.
Arriving back in the early afternoon, Ralph was surprisingly clean apart from light surface dust compared to previous trips, and following the unpacking and removing the four unused fishing rods, they got down to downloading and sorting photos, GoPro Footage and drone videos.
Summary Aspects:
Total Distance: 1246 KM. 7.48 L/100km.
Mass: – 485kg of 675kg max GVM allowed.
Accommodation: Betty's Bay 3 Days, two nights. Jamaka Cottage #1. 4 days, 3 nights.
Itinerary: Jeremy’s Birthday, Matthews visit from UK, Visit to Harold Porter, hiking, star gazing, site-seeing of remote Cederberg region, experiencing historical culture and places, remoteness, Casey showing Matthew his practical study sites for his Doctorate and general vacation relaxation.
Weather: Hottest at 31 degrees full sun, coldest 14 degree. Rainfall nil. Wind, persistent NW in Betty's Bay, in Jamaka warm Southerly breeze every evening. Signal Comms and GPS: Intermittent to no coverage on most of the outback roads away from Jamaka. Navigation mainly via mobile phone using offline maps pre-loaded and further memory navigated by Casey who knew the various routes in the Cederberg intimately.
Forgotten items: Scissors. Accommodation missing scissors. Note to self to keep up adaily diary to help remember the details of each day in a trip...
Route Maps
