- Joined
- Feb 6, 2006
- Messages
- 11,505
- Reaction score
- 5,157
- Location
- Cape Town, deep in the lentils
- Bike
- KTM 990 Adventure
Fokkit but it’s a really beautiful world we live in.
I went exploring today, weather was iffy, but the riding was superb.
I shortcut through Elim (quant place)
Stuisbaai is an unusual place, intersting vibe, bit like Pretoria by the sea. Lots of Afrikaans culture here. Even the bushes use bryll crème and a comb.
The goal was to see what there is to see as far off the beaten track as possible.... Not much, you can see the Southernmost point but beyond that, nope, nothing but gates and chains. Nature Conservation has cut everything off, they are buying everything out and keeping it for themselves.
Never mind, around the mountain and dodging loads of tortoises I ended up at a farmer type who assured me that there was a track right next to the coast all the way to the next small village, just to please keep all the gates that I came across closed.
“Who owns that land?”
“Farmers, they only get testy if you leave their gates open. You could have popped into the next farm to ask Oom Stephan but he’s away and so he won’t mind”
“Sure?”
“Yep, track all the way, some heavy sand and lots of rocks, you might have a tough time”
Cool!
Well no need to ask twice.
Finding the track was a bit of a problem. It took a few goes to get onto it. Rode through a herd of springbok.
Finally I was onto it.
It stayed close to the beach and was absolutely stunning. Really difficult sand, the wind had blown big heavy drifts into the track making it very difficult to ride as it was very twisty so getting up some momentum was impossible.
Suddenly the track just stopped? Spot the bike? This is where the track dead ended.
I scouted about but apparently the track seemed to turn onto the beach. So far there had been portions of the track on the beach but they were stone tracks that clearly get used a bit. This looked like it was sand and beach proper. Convinced that the track must dive back into the fynbos I pushed on. I rode up half dried up river and got well stuck looking for the track. Still no sign of it.
Nope, can’t seem to see the track so up onto a dune. There was no tracks to be seen either going away from or coming to the dune parallel to the beach?
Even in this place some people will leave this;
The farmer must have been having me on. It was way too far to turn back now with the village, less than 4 k’s away. I tried Google earth on my Iphone, still couldn’t see any track?
Coming off the dune onto the beach, nearly went over this drop off. Momentum is not always your friend.
I was not more than a 100 meters down the beach and who should get out of his bakkie, but an armed Nature conservation official.
Oops!
He was not looking amused and a gun was not a good sign.
I apologised telling my tale of woe and being misled by the farmer about a track. He said that the track ended just before the dune and there was nothing from there on. I showed him my tracks on the GPS, evidence that I had made a good few efforts bundu bashing trying to find one saying that I knew of the R2000.00 fine and was trying to avoid it.
Long story short, he let me off with a stern few words.
The last 4 k’s were bliss.
I understand why riding on the beach is not good for some flora and forna, but hell, it’s the dogs danglies!
I was really tired and had had enough fun for the day, so climbed out and headed home.
On the way I met a couple, James and Henriette who had come down from Jhb via Durban, her first time on a bike, they had been married 3 months. Nice people.
Another great day of holidaying, sorry to all of you who are working. This one was for you.
I went exploring today, weather was iffy, but the riding was superb.
I shortcut through Elim (quant place)
Stuisbaai is an unusual place, intersting vibe, bit like Pretoria by the sea. Lots of Afrikaans culture here. Even the bushes use bryll crème and a comb.
The goal was to see what there is to see as far off the beaten track as possible.... Not much, you can see the Southernmost point but beyond that, nope, nothing but gates and chains. Nature Conservation has cut everything off, they are buying everything out and keeping it for themselves.
Never mind, around the mountain and dodging loads of tortoises I ended up at a farmer type who assured me that there was a track right next to the coast all the way to the next small village, just to please keep all the gates that I came across closed.
“Who owns that land?”
“Farmers, they only get testy if you leave their gates open. You could have popped into the next farm to ask Oom Stephan but he’s away and so he won’t mind”
“Sure?”
“Yep, track all the way, some heavy sand and lots of rocks, you might have a tough time”
Cool!
Well no need to ask twice.
Finding the track was a bit of a problem. It took a few goes to get onto it. Rode through a herd of springbok.
Finally I was onto it.
It stayed close to the beach and was absolutely stunning. Really difficult sand, the wind had blown big heavy drifts into the track making it very difficult to ride as it was very twisty so getting up some momentum was impossible.
Suddenly the track just stopped? Spot the bike? This is where the track dead ended.
I scouted about but apparently the track seemed to turn onto the beach. So far there had been portions of the track on the beach but they were stone tracks that clearly get used a bit. This looked like it was sand and beach proper. Convinced that the track must dive back into the fynbos I pushed on. I rode up half dried up river and got well stuck looking for the track. Still no sign of it.
Nope, can’t seem to see the track so up onto a dune. There was no tracks to be seen either going away from or coming to the dune parallel to the beach?
Even in this place some people will leave this;
The farmer must have been having me on. It was way too far to turn back now with the village, less than 4 k’s away. I tried Google earth on my Iphone, still couldn’t see any track?
Coming off the dune onto the beach, nearly went over this drop off. Momentum is not always your friend.
I was not more than a 100 meters down the beach and who should get out of his bakkie, but an armed Nature conservation official.
Oops!
He was not looking amused and a gun was not a good sign.
I apologised telling my tale of woe and being misled by the farmer about a track. He said that the track ended just before the dune and there was nothing from there on. I showed him my tracks on the GPS, evidence that I had made a good few efforts bundu bashing trying to find one saying that I knew of the R2000.00 fine and was trying to avoid it.
Long story short, he let me off with a stern few words.
The last 4 k’s were bliss.
I understand why riding on the beach is not good for some flora and forna, but hell, it’s the dogs danglies!
I was really tired and had had enough fun for the day, so climbed out and headed home.
On the way I met a couple, James and Henriette who had come down from Jhb via Durban, her first time on a bike, they had been married 3 months. Nice people.
Another great day of holidaying, sorry to all of you who are working. This one was for you.
