Great South Motorcycle Adventure Tours - Newsletter
26th December 2009 to 2nd January 2010
After all the celebrations and overeating of Christmas day, we, set
off on our 8 day journey from Gauteng (Johannesburg) on our trusted BMW
motorcycles, leaving a rainy, sleepy town behind to continue on a 780km
journey to Queenstown in the Eastern Cape. Our route took us through
some small towns and large cities such as Bloemfontein in the Free State,
Aliwal North and onto Queenstown which is the town where South African
Jazz was first developed.
On day two, we left early and proceeded to East London, where we
enjoyed a hearty breakfast at the beach front. The town of East London
is known as the Buffalo City and has some unique attractions on offer
i.e. the world’s only Dodo egg and the first coelacanth to be found
along the South African coast. This was caught off the coast in
1938 and both
specimens are kept in the East London museum. Jody Scheckter, our
only South African Formula One Champion hails from here. From here,
our ventures
took us through Port Alfred onto Bathurst and it is here in the 1960’s
that the Buffalo Motorcycle Rally first took place.
Bathurst
is known for its pineapples and has a big fibreglass
constructed pineapple standing 16,7 meters tall, the ground
floor houses a
gift shop and
the 1st
floor
offers static pictorial displays of the pineapple story.
The 2nd floor provides tourist information and leads to an
observation deck from which
the entire farm and the surrounding areas to Port Alfred
and
the Indian Ocean can be viewed. The best and most refreshing
pineapple juice is sold
here.
Our faithfull BMW motorcycles took us to the historic
town of Grahamstown which is renowned for its English Settler history.
The town has attained
the reputation as a cultural hotspot with the world renowned Rhodes
university which was established more than a 100 years ago, that
still maintains the
ethos of years gone by. On the west you will find the Addo Elephant
Park and on the east you will find the Great Fish complex. On a hill
overlooking the town, is the Settlers National monument built in
recognition of the
1820 English speaking settlers.
We proceeded to Colchester where the tidal Sundays River meanders
between the villages and the Alexandria dune fields as it makes its
way into Algoa Bay.
Our next overnight stop was in Port Elizabeth which was named after
Sir Rufane Donkin’s, late wife Elizabeth. The area is now known as
Nelson Mandela Bay, uniting Port Elizabeth, Uitenhage and Dispatch.
The latest attraction to Nelson Mandela Bay is the newly erected
Nelson Mandela
Football Stadium. This Stadium will host some of the 2010 World Cup
Football games. Nelson Mandela Bay is known as the hub of the motor
vehicle industry
of South Africa.
Day three saw our motorcycles heading towards the famous Garden Route
starting off with Jeffreys Bay which is world renowned for surfing
competitions. Jeffreys Bay, known as J’Bay, the home of the best right hand point
break in the world. It is one of the 5 most famous surfing destination
in the world. The shell museum in town, houses an impressive collection
of shells from the local beaches as well as other countries. J’Bay
is part of the whale route. 
From this town you can explore the untamed
Baviaanskloof, which is a dream for most off-road motorcyclists.
Leaving J’Bay we decided to take the old road via Van Stadens Pass
to Humansdorp. At the bottom of the pass you can look up to the New
Van Stadens Bridge where thrill seekers will be bungee jumping. This
is one
of the highest bungee jumping facilities in the world.
The next big town was Plettenberg Bay and from there onto Knysna,the
most popular tourist resort in South Africa. Here you find the Knysna
Heads, Knysna forests and 8,000 species of fynbos, just to mention
a few points
of interest.
On day four, we ventured to Mossel Bay, whose oldest popular attraction
is the Post Office tree. The tradition of posting letters from here
began in 1501. The first Europeans that came to these shores namely
Bartolomeu Diaz and his crew who sailed into the Bay in 1488 and
Vasco de Gama
in
1497 who named the place Aguada de Sao Bras. The first commercial
transaction that took place between the Europeans and South Africans
happened here
when he bartered for cattle with the locals. We left Mossel Bay via
the Robinson Pass onto Oudtshoorn which is famous for the Cango Caves
(one of the 7 wonders of Southern Africa) and the Ostrich Farms.
Here we met
up with two other BMW motorcyclists who joined us for the remainder
of our trip.
Day five saw us leave Oudtshoorn to the most southern tip of Africa,
Cape Agulhas where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet. This coast
is called the Graveyard of ships. Our next overnight stop was in
the hospitable town
of Caledon.
Day six saw our BMW motorcycles heading for Hermanus, with the biggest
Whale watching sights at the coast. Then onto the beautiful Bainskloof
pass to Franschoek nestled in the heart of the Cape Winelands. The
road took us to Sutherland via Matjiesfontein with its world famous
Lord Milner
Hotel.
New Year’s Eve saw us arrive in the small town of Sutherland. Here
you will find the largest telescope in the Southern Hemisphere.
On Day seven we headed back on the long journey to Johannesburg,
this being the longest day in the saddle clocking up 808kms, with
our last overnight stop in Trompsburg.
On our last day we woke up to heavy rain, which accompanied us on
our journey back home.
What a wonderful way to spend eight days with fellow BMW motorcyclists
on wide open roads with beautiful scenery.
Johannesburg to Pietermaritzburg
18 to 20 September 2009.
Early rise to miss the traffic in Johannesburg. Our trip took us past Heidelberg, Perdekop to Standerton and Volksrust. In Volksrust you’ll find the best biltong money can buy. Through the pass to Newcastle. We turned off to Dundee on the N11 Ladysmith road. The road from Perdekop to Pietermaritzburg has the most concentrated collection of battle fields in South Africa. The road from Dundee was probably the most beautiful scenery of the whole trip. Wide valleys and lush green county side.
In Pietermaritzburg you’ll find the largest red sandstone building in the Southern hemisphere, The Pietermaritzburg Town Hall.
The Tatham Gallery in Pietermaritzburg is a culture rich gem, which houses the likes of Degas, Picasso, Matis.
More interesting facts about the battle fields.
The first of the interesting battle fields facts that we past, was Perdekop.
Here the British planted trees in a laager formation to keep their horses safe.
Past Dundee you’ll find the turnoff to Rorke’s drift and Isandlwana.
At Isandlwana , Ulundi and Rorke’s drift the British fought their three epic battles against the Zulus.
At Isandlwana they lost their battle within the hour and the few survivors of the battle had to cross Fugitive’s drift to get to safety at Rorke’s drift.
Here the two survivors warned the garrison of an imminent attack from the Zulu impis. At Rorke’s drift the British started fortifying the buildings the best they could. Six thousand Zulu men stormed the buildings but was driven back.
Six months later at Ulundi, the residence of King Cetshwayo, the Zulus were finally beaten by the British troops.
Lord Chelmsford failed to form a laager as required by army regulations and therefore put his troops on the back foot, unlike the Zulu impis who used their traditional horn formation to surround the camp and block any escape.
These battle fields are the most frequently visited by tourists.
Places to visit:
The grave of Louis Napoleon, Prince Imperial of France, the son of the emperor Napoleon III was killed in an ambush in the Zulu war. This meant the end of the long line of Napoleons.
Near Frere is the site where Winston Churchill was captured and taken to a prison in Pretoria. The prison was an old school building where from he escaped and made his way to LM, now known as Maputo in Mozambique.
In Newcastle, Ford Amiel, the cultural history museum warrants a visit. Another famous house is Hilldrop where the author Sir Rider Haggard once lived. A curio shop no well travelled tourist can miss, is situated in the Carnegie museum.
The Talana museum in Dundee is a must. “Talana means the shelves where precious items are kept.”
Till next time.
Keep the throttle open
Adventure weekend – 8 to 10th August 2009
We planned a trip to Clarens in the Free State. A mere 300kms from Johannesburg. There was only one little problem. Women’s Day, which meant a long weekend. With Clarens fully booked, we decided to still take a chance. With the motorcycles loaded with all our camping gear, we left Johannesburg at 7H00.
Our adventure took us via Deneysville, Oranjeville, Reitz and Bethlehem to Clarens. After only an hour on the road we stopped for coffee next to the road, cowboy style. Nothing like smelling the fresh air and brewing a cuppa. With the smell of fresh coffee lingering, we made the decision to rather go to the coast. Why settle for the mountains if you could include the ocean as well.
Just before entering Clarens we turned in at the outlet of the Lesotho Highlands Water project. Here you are able to see water from the Katse dam pumped to the Vaal river. The aim of the project is to provide water to South Africa and electricity to Lesotho. The transfer tunnel from Muela in Lesotho to Clarens is 85 kms long and 4m in diameter. What a sight.
Our travels took us through Golden Gate, where we were fortunate enough to see game and spend some time at the viewing points. From here we took the road past Sterkfontein dam, down Oliviershoek pass and the Drakensberg. The mountains were beautiful with their snow caps.
From Durban we travelled on the South Coast road for 125kms. The sea on the left hand side and the lush Kwazulu Natal hills on the right. We arrived in Shelley Beach in time to see the Springboks beat the Aussies. What a change from the weather we have experienced in Johannesburg over the last three months. Sun, sea and white beaches. Life is good! It was definitely worthwhile travelling 860kms for this.
Sunday was a lazy day of walks on the beach and cold ones.
Monday morning early we hopped on our bikes and started our journey back to Johannesburg. Seeing the sun come up over the ocean, just made us realize how lucky we are to live in this beautiful country.
Nottingham road with its many quant shops and restaurants is a must for everybody. The windy roads and glorious scenery makes you think that you ‘re in motorcycle heaven. The perfect place to have breakfast.
What a weekend. Good company, fabulous scenery and long roads
Till next time.
Open the throttle, enjoy the journey.
