Tag Archives: Africa
December 2021 Cape Trip day 1 part 2: Murch Point
The line between a really good day and a really bad day can be remarkably thin. As I descended off Compassberg, knowing it wasn’t even 11AM yet, and knowing the drive to get back to this region again tomorrow would be long- and would mean I miss out on what I want to do around […]
December 2021 Cape Trip day 1 part 1: Compassberg
In December 2020 I had planned to do a road trip to climb Compassberg and Murch Point – but when lockdown restrictions were increased to exclude inter-provincial travel, I had to put the plans on hold. For December 2021, I had hoped to make a similar trip, with looping around to Cockscombe, Groot Winterberg and […]
Cape Trip day 12: Simonsberg
When I booked my Cape trip, I had considered flying home on the Monday. When I saw the price of tickets for that day, I opted to stay an additional day and have a go at one of the easiest peaks on the 1km prominence list – Simonsberg. I first noticed Simonsberg as I came […]
Cape Trip day 7: Sneeukop (Skurweberge)
The Skurweberg is a small mountain range north of Ceres and south of the Koue-Bokkeveld – or, more specifically, in the middle of nowhere. At 2070m, Sneeukop is the highest summit in the range. With the Leeurivier (Lions River) separating the Skurweberge from the Koue-Bokkeveld at an altitude below 1000m, the range is effectively separate […]
Cape Trip days 5 and 6: Tulbagh and Saronsberg
When I decided to attempt to climb all 24 mountains with at least 1000m topographic prominence in South Africa, the main objective was to come up with a way of ensuring I get to visit some obscure mountains that are rarely climbed. Some won’t be particularly interesting, but some will be real gems – this […]
Cape Trip day 4: Tafelberg (Cederberg)
Sunday had been the reserve day for Sneeuberg, but with the summit completed on Saturday, my first bonus peak of the trip would be Tafelberg. At 1969m, it is generally listed as the second highest summit of the Cederberg – a statistic that my data is in consensus with. And with approximately 950m topographic prominence, […]
Cape Trip Day 3: Sneeuberg (Cederberg)
Driving into Clanwilliam, I first saw the legendary Krakadouw Peak that looms over the town. A writeup on the Cederberg had stated that it was one of the most worthwhile hikes in the region – and seeing it, I can believe that. I stopped in the town to buy a few items of food before […]
Cape Trip day 1: Sebrakop
The story of how an obscure mountain in the Piketberge named Sebrakop came to be a major hiking goal for me is a bit of a strange one. My tendency to over-analyse mountains is notable – but, in my defense, there are hundreds of thousands of mountains on the planet, and I likely won’t stand […]
The Crack and the Mudslide
My first trip to the Drakensberg was a hike up to Tiger Falls when I was 6 years old. I remember it being so steep and difficult, I remember a super scary bridge over the river that looked like a slide and had no protection on the side, I remember a sketchy traverse above a […]
Namahadi Pass Loop
The Free State Drakensberg remains one of the least hiked regions of the range. I have always found this odd – the area is spectacular and reasonably accessible. Rising above the rather large town of Phuthaditjhaba, it is home to some properly hard passes. So on a Friday afternoon, Ross and I found ourselves at […]
Ghaznavid Hiking 
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