wildside
Pack Dog
ANOTHER SMALL PIECE OF PONDOLAND - WILDCOAST. ~ 2019
With the long weekend on the horizon we decided to visit Mtentu on the Transkei coast which is one place we missed out on due to unavailability during our last trip to Pondoland in 2018 (RR 'A Piece of Pondoland - Wildcoast/Transkei')). Luck was on our side now as they had a Safari Tent cancellation which gave us an excuse to steal a day and make an early start from Howick.
As this is a short distance from our home in the Midlands this will be a short Ride Report to share information of yet another beautiful stretch of coastline, 25 km south of Port Edward.
ALL PACKED UP...
....AND READY TO ROLL.
It was a cold start heading towards Richmond with a fair amount of taxi traffic.
We worked our way down into the Umzimkulu valley chasing the empty logging trucks that handled those sharp windy corners with speed and ease. The temperature dropped even more as we approached Ixopo. I managed to convince Kingsley it would warm up as we turned eastwards towards Highflats. This proved to be correct once we turned off in the direction of St.Faiths. It was necessary to stop for a few coffee and bladder breaks along the way
A QUICK COFFEE BREAK.
I’ve always enjoyed this fairly quiet and scenic stretch of road, however, this day we encountered some crazy drivers and defensive riding was definitely required this morning.
With a numb butt and a sigh of relief we popped out at the Umtentwini /Port Shepstone off ramp. Fortunately the N2 was quiet and despite the gusting wind tugging at my peak and tossing my head about we arrived safely at the Port Edward turn off at about midday. We were now so keen to get the Lodge and we promptly filled up with fuel and coffee and set off once again.
On the Mtentu Lodge website guests are advised to download their directions , which includes a photo of every intersection supplying landmarks, rather than rely on a GPS or maps. We took their advice. From the SunCoast Casino we rode about 18km to the Umkolora turnoff. This was now the start of the gravel road.
This 46.7 km gravel road was extremely dry and dusty and had deteriorated somewhat since last year May. After a few kilometers we came across a stationary sedan vehicle and the occupants were moving rocks from the road to enable an easier access. They were also heading to Mtentu. This is when one is relieved to be on a motorbike as we are able to pick a more accessible line.
The concrete stretch of road that takes you down a short, windy pass is always a pleasure to ride.
Using paper directions was a bit of a schlepp and time consuming as we needed to stop at every intersection and check out the instructions. On several occasions I needed to stop and run after these directions when they had blown out of Kingsley’s small tank bag. Chasing after paper on a windy day in stiff, heavy riding boots proved to be a great source of amusement for the locals.
It was a good road up until the second to last turnoff. The Mtentu Lodge sign post indicates Low clearance vehicle to turn right and High clearance vehicles to turn left. There is also a sign indicating that the Mtentu Campsite is to the right. We just assumed they were all part of the same place but fortunately opted for the left turn as we didn’t just want to take the easy way out. This proved to be a good decision as the Mtentu Campsite is not part of the lodge and there is no access road from the campsite to the lodge.
With the long weekend on the horizon we decided to visit Mtentu on the Transkei coast which is one place we missed out on due to unavailability during our last trip to Pondoland in 2018 (RR 'A Piece of Pondoland - Wildcoast/Transkei')). Luck was on our side now as they had a Safari Tent cancellation which gave us an excuse to steal a day and make an early start from Howick.
As this is a short distance from our home in the Midlands this will be a short Ride Report to share information of yet another beautiful stretch of coastline, 25 km south of Port Edward.
ALL PACKED UP...
....AND READY TO ROLL.
It was a cold start heading towards Richmond with a fair amount of taxi traffic.
We worked our way down into the Umzimkulu valley chasing the empty logging trucks that handled those sharp windy corners with speed and ease. The temperature dropped even more as we approached Ixopo. I managed to convince Kingsley it would warm up as we turned eastwards towards Highflats. This proved to be correct once we turned off in the direction of St.Faiths. It was necessary to stop for a few coffee and bladder breaks along the way
A QUICK COFFEE BREAK.
I’ve always enjoyed this fairly quiet and scenic stretch of road, however, this day we encountered some crazy drivers and defensive riding was definitely required this morning.
With a numb butt and a sigh of relief we popped out at the Umtentwini /Port Shepstone off ramp. Fortunately the N2 was quiet and despite the gusting wind tugging at my peak and tossing my head about we arrived safely at the Port Edward turn off at about midday. We were now so keen to get the Lodge and we promptly filled up with fuel and coffee and set off once again.
On the Mtentu Lodge website guests are advised to download their directions , which includes a photo of every intersection supplying landmarks, rather than rely on a GPS or maps. We took their advice. From the SunCoast Casino we rode about 18km to the Umkolora turnoff. This was now the start of the gravel road.
This 46.7 km gravel road was extremely dry and dusty and had deteriorated somewhat since last year May. After a few kilometers we came across a stationary sedan vehicle and the occupants were moving rocks from the road to enable an easier access. They were also heading to Mtentu. This is when one is relieved to be on a motorbike as we are able to pick a more accessible line.
The concrete stretch of road that takes you down a short, windy pass is always a pleasure to ride.
Using paper directions was a bit of a schlepp and time consuming as we needed to stop at every intersection and check out the instructions. On several occasions I needed to stop and run after these directions when they had blown out of Kingsley’s small tank bag. Chasing after paper on a windy day in stiff, heavy riding boots proved to be a great source of amusement for the locals.
It was a good road up until the second to last turnoff. The Mtentu Lodge sign post indicates Low clearance vehicle to turn right and High clearance vehicles to turn left. There is also a sign indicating that the Mtentu Campsite is to the right. We just assumed they were all part of the same place but fortunately opted for the left turn as we didn’t just want to take the easy way out. This proved to be a good decision as the Mtentu Campsite is not part of the lodge and there is no access road from the campsite to the lodge.
.... will be posting the rest shortly.
