The view from Lady Slipper

We all know Lady Slipper.  When you head west out of Port Elizabeth (or vice versa) on the N2 you drive right past it.  But have you ever been on top of the mountain.  The easiest way up is by following the road up to the towers from the back of the mountain and this is the view awaiting you from just below the Telkom tower at the top.

A mountain pool dip

A couple of weeks ago I got to finally go on the Waterfall Hike at InniKloof outside Hankey.  Something we've been wanting to do for quite a while now.  It was a day of beautiful views, huffing and puffing over a mountain, nearly loosing a child in the wilderness and finally taking a swim in a refreshing mountain pool under the waterfall in stunning surroundings.  You can read more about our adventure in the post Up(s) and down(s) and into the water at the InniKloof Waterfall hike on Firefly the Travel Guy.

The real Falcon Rock

We stopped by Falcon Rock Country Restaurant for the first time on Saturday and discovered a really nice and affordable spot. Just after we got there I headed off along the trails to go and find a Geocacher and along the way discovered the actual Falcon Rock.  If it wasn't for all the gum trees growing around it the rock would have been quite a prominent feature.  Afterwards I went to have a look at the establishment's website and found a bit of history linked to it.  Falcon Rock is located on the old wagon route west of Port Elizabeth and used as an overnight and watering stop for travelers. The distinctive Lady' Slipper rock formation against the mountain side acted as a beacon for these travelers. This rock was called Falcon Rock because of its perchy lookout spot.

The view from the top of the Compass Berg

Seeing that I normally (try to) do a Geocaching related post on a Saturday, I really wanted to share this with you today even though it isn't in Port Elizabeth.  A couple of Geocachers got together in Nieu-Bethesda for a caching event tonight and one of the Port Elizabeth cachers up there for the event decided to go and climb the Compass Berg today to find a cache located right at the top.

The Compass Berg is located north of Nieu-Bethesda and close to the boundary with the Northern Cape.  At 2 502 meters above sea level, the Compass Berg is the second highest mountain in the Eastern Cape and it takes about 4 hours to walk to the top from the closest parking area.  Check out these pictures from the top shared on the Geocaching Whats App group this afternoon by Hilton "white night" after he got to the top. WOW!

The Cockscomb on the horizon

Last weekend we took part in the Gamtoos Adventure Drive around the towns of Loerie and Hankey west of Port Elizabeth.  At one of the stops on one of the back roads between the towns I snapped this photo of the Cockscomb Mountains beyond the rolling hills of this part of the valley.  With a little HDR added, how can I not share this picture with you?

Lady Slipper

Ever wondered what it looks like from the top of Lady?  This is the view from just below the big Telkom tower looking west.  It was slightly cloudy and very windy when I was up there but on a clear day you would be able to see Jeffreys Bay in the distance. 

Telkom tower on Lady Slipper

I've seen the Telkom tower on top of Lady Slipper from the N2 and always wondered how to get there.  The other day I got to go up the access road at the back of Lady Slipper on a Geocaching expedition and saw the tower up close for the first time.  Much more impressive than the tower is the view all around.  Will post a picture of the view in the next day or so.

Lady Slipper hut

Sometimes you discover things at places that make you wonder why its there.  I had one of those moments on top of Lady Slipper recently.  Close to the Telkom tower, standing all on its own, is this little hut.  Just one square room with windows on all sides.  It has stunning views all around but its anything but a holiday home.  Wonder what it was build for? Or who?

On top of Lady Slipper

Last weekend I decided to scale Lady Slipper west of Port Elizabeth for the first time...  No, I didn't do it up the front having to do rock climbing and the such.  I went up the back on the road leading to the Telkom tower at the top.  Lady Slipper has about 17 geocaches situated along the road and at the top so it was long overdue to make a trip up to the top.  I will have to go again though as I ran out of time and didn't get to find all of them.  This is the view looking east towards Port Elizabeth as I was approaching the tower at the top.  Unfortunately the wind was howling and the view not perfect, but I'm hoping to have a more perfect day next time I ascent. 

Gamtoos Series 3 - Dusk in the Gamtoos Valley

Dusk in the Gamtoos Valley with the Cockscomb Mountains in the background photographed from the stoep at Nikalandershoek Guest Cottage just outside Patensie.

 

PURE BLISS

Horse riding in the Zuurberg mountains

Addo Elephant National Park offers horse riding in two locations within the Greater Addo park.  The first is down by the Main Rest Camp where the ride takes place either within the game viewing area or outside the fence if there are predators close by while the second is up on the Zuurberg Mountains.  The drive up the Zuurberg Pass is an experience on it's own with beautiful views and a visible change in vegetation as you get higher.  Once you arrive at the SANParks office you sign in and receive a safety briefing.  On the ride the horses follow the guide along a path over rolling hills with stunning vistas all around.  At one stage we got to a spot where you could see just about all the way to Port Elizabeth.  Even though you will see less game than down in the game viewing area we still spotted a number of antelope species, but the views make up for it.  Have I mentioned the beautiful views?  

Sand River Getaway

A couple of week ago we spent a night along with a couple of friends at the Sand River Getaway in the Elands River Valley just to the west of Port Elizabeth.  So close to the city yet it felt like we were in a totally different area.  The Sand River Getaway has a couple of tented rooms on platforms and a big communal area which include a kitchen, lounge, dining area and ablution facilities.  Standing on the outside deck this is the view towards the mountains in the distance.  Wish the weather was hot enough at the time to enjoy the view from the swimming pool. 

 

DISCLOSURE: We visited Sand River Getaway as guests of our friends who paid for the stay.  I received no remuniration to write this post.

Cockscomb mountain

One of the most prominent mountains you will find fairly close to Port Elizabeth is the Cockscomb Mountain found in the Baviaanskloof Wilderness area about a hundred kilometers or so to the west of the city.  The Cockscomb is the highest peak (1768m above sea level) in the Groot Winterhoek mountain range and got its name from all its little peaks that look like a rooster's comb.  The original KhoiSan people of the area called the mountain Naniqua, meaning “mountain in the mist”.  The Cockscomb is visible just about all around from the Kouga coastline and the Gamtoos Valley to the Addo area and the southern part of the Karoo.  Although the mountain isn't visible from the city itself, I had a great view of it driving along the Rocklands road between Uitenhage and the N2.

outlying areas #2

Yesterday we started on a journey to the nearby farming village of Patensie, via the Winterhoek mountains. Along the way (at S33 43 36, E 25 05 59, if you want to look it up on GoogleEarth) we came across one of the dams that supply PE with water. The Bridge we stood on to take this photo is called the William Snyman Bridge, Sand River. I have done a more detailed post about the first part of the journey here, with a map showing the route we took, and also showing Port Elizabeth in relation to St Francis, so you can get a better idea of how it all fits together. The flowers in the foreground are typical Eastern Cape Fynbos, part of the Cape Floral Kingdom, the smallest but richest of the world's six floral kingdoms.

outlying areas # 1

We went for a wonderful drive yesterday, along the Eland's River Valley, round to the little farming village of Patensie. It is one of those "where do I start situations because we went BALLISTIC taking pictures, the scenery changed around every bend, and each view was worth several shots... ho hum. Anyway, in coming days we will post a few here, but if you like what you see and are interested in seeing more, we will have lots on our personal blogs in the near future. Thanks to Max's new toy, a GPS (courtesy of one of the companies he consults for, a gift while he was sick) we will even be able to give co-ordinates, so you can see where all the views are on Google earth.

But for today, let's whet your appetite with a view of the Cockcomb mountains, with the typical fynbos vegetation that covers that area.