We swopped the fairies and funk-filled forests of Hogsback for the wide-sky plains of the Great Karoo, heading via Frontier Country to Graaff-Reinet and beyond to the utterly laid-back little village of Nieu Bethesda.
It is a scenic drive past Adelaide, Bedford and Somerset-East, with the Sneeuberg and Tandjiesberg ranges sawblading up from the savanna plains en route. A stop at Karoosjiek in#GraafReinet is a must, and as usual the town itself was as spic and span as one could imagine … if only some of the other municipalities in the Eastern Cape could take a leaf out of their book.
Our final three nights were shared between the beautiful#Broederstroom Farm – a new #MTB destination being developed on the off-the-beaten-track Erasmuskloof Gravel Road – and the gorgeous Glen Harry Game Reserve, further up the same dirt strip.
Aloes, verraux eagles, roughshod mountain biking trails, rugged kloofs, volcanic cliff stack, trail run routes, night jar chirping and the howl of black-backed jackal … it all comes as part of the package here, and I explored to my heart’s content on the Giant Bicycles South Africa #Anthem.
Add a game drive and stunning evening around the fire at#GlenHarry to the mix, and soon you will start slip-sliding away into day dreams of owning a far-away farm somewhere upon these hauntingly beautiful #Karoo flatlands.
And then there is #NieuBethesda, the dorp where hippy meets eco-bunny meets mindspace meets arthouse meets chillax. The Two Goats Deli and Brewery has #Sneeuberg Honey Ale on tap, and a world-class coffee in #Insomnia, made from beans roasted on the premises.
Plus, the #OwlHouse pays homage to the amazing Helen Martins, arguably one of South Africa’s most-misunderstood artists. The kids disappeared into the dusty streets, occasionally flashing by while chasing the sticks they were floating down the irrigation leivore. A donkey cart tour trundled past … I need to come back here, for a month.
Most of the images were taken with the new PENTAX SOUTH AFRICA #K3II that I was testing for Teltron SA, and I’m blown away by this rugged weather-proof camera. How come the Ricoh Imaging Group can manage to make cameras this highly specced at a cost of up to 50% less than the competition? Thank you, Brett Skolmen – much appreciated.
Next test will be their #FullFrame #K1 … I cannot wait.
Click here to view the pics