Welcome to the Wildcoast - Port St.Johns to Hole-in-the-Wall.

[wildside]

ANCHORAGE HOTEL  (Tel: 047 534 0061)  is the next stop heading south down the coast. Instead of heading back to the intersection you can apparently ride from the Mdumbi cottages ( just south of the backpackers) along the coast to the Anchorage Hotel which, unfortunately, I have only just discovered whilst examining my “slingsby’s Wildcoast Map”. This probably cuts off about 5 km. Something to check out next time.

The Anchorage Hotel offers lovely accommodation and one is welcomed by a various array of poultry. ‘George’, the friendly goose has fallen in love with his reflection and often dozes off while admiring himself on one of the glass doors.  Somewhere in the background is the distinct sound of a turkey gobbling – mmmm xmas is just around the corner – makes you think, doesn’t it?

 

[wildside]

There is a lovely view of the beach from the verandah and if you walk out and look south down Long Beach you will see Mthatha River Mouth and Harrisons Cottage in the distance. If you have the time it’s a great walk that takes you to a lovely lagoon and a nice place to spend a relaxing day.

Heading back towards Coffee Bay on the familiar roads made for faster riding and the threatening sky line also encouraged us to get a move on as we still hoped to make a few more stops before catching the rugby at a local spot.

Another Transkei roadblock !

 

[wildside]

The left turn to MTHATHA RIVER MOUTH and MAPHUZI is at the top of the concrete road that takes you down into Coffee Bay. There is a fair amount of activity on this short stretch of road that heads towards  the Telkom tower so it’s advisable to be cautious. Continuing on this good gravel road takes you down to a bridge crossing and up out of the valley again. At the top of the plateau is a lovely little school on your right. What caught my attention was the brightly coloured rondavel that was clearly their reading room. The last section is a steep ride down to the River with more amazing views of Mthatha Mouth and a close up of Harrisons Cottage.

Over the last 17 years we have been fortunate enough to spend many days at this lagoon with our kids and friends, fishing, boating, paddling and snorkelling. It makes for a very enjoyable day out. If you want to cross to the other side there is a little boat (dingy) that will ferry you across for a small fee. Friends have used it to take their motorbikes across.  Apparently the cost heading to Anchorage Hotel is a fraction of the return fare when you are full of beer and not keen on the long way round. So..... you have been warned!

The little boat used for ferrying people is the one on the left.  :

 

[wildside]

Now if you head back on this road there is a small track to your left just before the Telkom tower. It appears to be disused and the condition of this road  is the worst I’ve seen it in many years, rutted tracks heading all over, however, they all lead down to the MAPHUZI River Mouth. I wasn’t going to chance the steep road going down but Offside headed off down to the bottom while I took photos from the top.  Maphuzi Point is still a popular fishing spot in peak season and the lagoon provides a lovely place for swimming and picnics and was also once a launching sight. We have been threatening, for many years now, to visit the Maphuzi Caves that are just north of this area. One day we’ll get round to it.

Fuel is available in COFFEE BAY. Just before the entrance to very popular Ocean View Hotel ( Tel: 047 575 2005 ) there are two petrol pumps marking the spot. You can’t really call it a petrol station, now can you.  We had to pay an extra R10 per bike just to unlock the pump. Now that is ‘Afritude’.......!!

More to follow on Coffee Bay shortly.

 

[wildside]

Hi Long Bob, we would really like to ride the section that you've done. If you have any detailed maps or more info on it please let us know.

Thanks

 

[Padrone]

Great RR thanx  :thumleft:

 

[wildside]

The following photos will give you some idea of the popular spots in Coffee Bay. It was very quiet this weekend but in holiday season it’s abuzz with foreigners mingling with the locals and the sound of drums beating in the background.  The Christmas Music Festival attracts hundreds of people from all walks of life and Coffee Bay becomes a real hive of festive activity with tents scattered around and squeezed into any available space. Very much a hippy vibe attracting many young travellers who share an interest in the ‘local flora’.

 

[wildside]

As one rides out of Coffee Bay there is a compulsory stop for us at the top of the hill to check out  yet another amazing view of the ever beautiful Indian Ocean and to remind us how fortunate we are to have this wonderful wildcoast on our doorstep.

WHITE CLAY LODGE ( Tel: 047 575 0008 ) further along is a very popular pub and restaurant and it boasts a prime spot on the coast. The owners, Karen and Roy, offer their guests an assortment of delicious seafood dishes. Camping is available as well as self catering and B&B units. A word of warning that holiday season tends to overcrowd the place and tests the facilities.

The road takes you inland for another 8 km. There are some more steep ups and downs and twists and turns to contend with along with the Transkei Big Five (dogs, donkeys, cows, pigs, sheep). As you reach the crest of another steep rise you will see in front of you my favourite view of the HOLE-IN-THE-WALL village. At the bottom of this hill overlooking the sea, is our cottage ‘Wildside’ – our favourite spot.

Heading up to the viewpoint takes you around the back of the Hole-in-the-wall resort and past the cottages on the south side. This lagoon at the end of the Mpako River, which also empties out through the hole-in-the-wall, is a wonderful spot to spend a lazy day. This is the place where parts of the movie Blue Crush 2 were filmed. The Xhosa people call this cliff formation ‘Esikhaleni’ which translates into ‘The place of thunder’ or ‘The place of Sound’. During certain seasons and high tide conditions the waves clap and smash against the cliff in such a fashion that the sounds can be heard throughout the valley.

 

[wildside]

Xhosa mythology tells of a very romantic tale of the sea people, semi deities who look like humans but have flipperlike hands and feet. A beautiful Xhosa girl was seen by one of the sea people in the lagoon that was cut off from the sea by this cliff and he fell in love with her. Her father forbade this friendship and in dealing with the wrath of her father, the sea people enlisted the help of a huge fish who battered its way through the cliff creating a huge hole. The sea people spilled through this hole and swept the young Xhosa maiden away. Apparently at certain times of the year the music and singing of the sea people can still be heard.

It’s nearly time for rugby and the closest T.V. is at the Hole-in-the-Wall Hotel ( Tel: 047 575 0009). A nice pub at the swimming pool area caters for the hot and thirsty and there is also another indoor pub and games room where we watched a bit of rugby. Out front there is a lovely swimming beach and you can also join in on one of the soccer games that the locals often enjoy on this flat beach.  There is a variety of accommodation available ranging from backpackers to timeshare.

 

[wildside]

We didn’t make the end of the game as sundowners and crayfish were calling (travelling light sometimes forces you to eat the local fare). So we relaxed on the ‘stoep’ and soaked up the awesome view.

The rest of the afternoon was very relaxing and I kept looking up to skies to see if there was any indication of rain.  We were doing the home run in one stretch and would be trying to move a bit faster and I wouldn’t be comfortable doing it if the roads were wet.  Instead there was an amazing sunset that ended another enjoyable day.

Bright skies and sunshine greeted us early the next morning and at 6.30 am we reluctantly set off for the long road home,  moving a bit faster while keeping a wary eye out for the ‘big five’.

[I

All was going well until something hit me on the side of my helmet and for a frightening moment I couldn’t see a thing as this sand clod had exploded in my face. Unfortunately my visor was up and didn’t offer me any protection. I had to stop immediately as I couldn’t see where I was going. Kingsley, unaware of what happened continued on ahead. After much rubbing and wiping I managed to get most of the sand out my eyes. By now I was so angry that I started screaming all sorts of profanities (like only a woman can), in both English and Zulu, at no one in particular as the little s**ts had disappeared into the bush. I’m sure they heard me and probably didn’t understand a word I was saying but I certainly felt a lot better afterwards. Kingsley eventually came back to find me and we both followed a path into the bush only to discover several locals washing clothes at a river. Not being able to identify him we decided there was nothing that we could really do. Both these stone throwing  incidences occurred at the same place and I never saw him at all. My eyes were red and irritated and I was so shook up and angry that I couldn’t enjoy the rest of the ride to Port St. Johns which took us 3 hrs 30 min from Hole-in-the-Wall .This unfortunate experience was a first for us and hopefully an isolated incident
So please be cautious on this stretch of road.

After a cup of coffee and an unappetising breakfast at the North.East.West.South Restaurant I started to relax again.

It was a long ride back to Howick with a few STOP/GO’s to break the monotony. Between Kokstad and Underberg we were buffeted by some extremely strong winds which seemed to be coming from several directions. This certainly kept us alert as it took all our concentration to negotiate these winds. By late afternoon the clouds were hanging low and the rain threatening to put a dampener on things.

It was a relief to finally arrive home at about 4.30 pm, tired, stiff and numb!!  But hell, it was worth it.  ;D


Thanks to all who have shown an interest in this RR. Sorry if it was a bit drawn out but I enjoyed diarising and reliving this nice experience.
Take care when riding out there!

 

[MadDog]

Awesome RR, thanks for sharing it with us  :thumleft:

 

[White Rhino]

Really great account of the beautiful area. Pity about the stone / sand incident - it leaves a little blemish on what is otherwise a great destination.

Thanks for sharing. Love the pics - esp. the sunset and the crayfish ones :biggrin:

 

[JACOVV]

:blob8: :blob7: :blob3: :blob5: :blob3: :blob5: :blob6: :blob7: :blob8: :blob9: :blob7: :blob6: :blob5: :blob3:

On my bucketlist.  Thanks for sharing.

I enjoyed it and read everything  :mwink:

 

[CAR6850]

You must organize a guided trip :biggrin:

 

[transalpman]

excellent trip looks beutifull

 

[D man]

The ride report of your Caprivi trip was inspirational and in June 11, africanSky and I replicated it more or less.

It seems this RR will do the same.

Excellent RR and photo's.

 

[Spore]

Thanks & congratulations for also including very usefull titbits in your RR! I've never been there but your beautiful pics really convinced me that this is a must do area! NR is a highly sentimental registration no. - me and the missus got married there 30 years ago! Great RR! :thumleft:

 

[goingnowherequickly]

What a great trip!
Thanks for posting a great report... :thumleft:
I want to go back there tomorrow...

 

[Outhere]

This is my type of ride report lots of pictures with little bit of writing in between thanks for all the effort will pop in some time to check up if you guys do any work or just plan fantastic rides like this one welldone.

 

[PeterO]

Wonderful ride report, thanks!

We also had one or two stone throwing incidents, which don't seem to be done maliciously.  We gave a few kids a ride while we were waiting for some of our group to catch up and as soon as we moved, their friends picked up stones to throw at them!  It seems there's a compulsion to aim at moving targets!

On a few other occasions when the kids picked up stones to throw at us we aggressively rode at them and they ran away, and twice when they actually did throw stones, we spoke to the headman in the village and the kids were given a hiding and were made to come and apologise.

You just have to be on the lookout all the time for the big five and childrens' body language!