Boegoeberg 4x4 26th to 28th January 2007 I decided we would travel through on Friday afternoon to give us 2 nights of camping. We all met at the one stop on the N7 except for Nico who went ahead earlier. He said it was because he had just had the Landrover's gearbox redone and did not want to travel fast. (I suppose some people might believe this). Surprisingly, after my threat of all change being donated to the Cruiser's petrol fund, everyone arrived with the exact amount. The plan was to leave at 4.30pm, but we only got away about 15 minutes later. I was in the lead (and hoping the gps would not stop working!) followed by George & Susan, Roger & Bev, Peter, Bruce, Nazier, Francois & Gillian, Morne & Vonica, Andre & Ena with James & Janet bringing up the rear. There were a bunch of kids, from little to big. A quick fuel stop at Piketberg, and then it was up the Piekenierskloof pass. Just beyond the Kardoesie farm stall, we turned off the N7 and after a short drive, we reached the end of the tar. With approx 60 km of dirt road ahead, everyone was happy to deflate their tyres. So, after another 15 minute stop, we were on our way again. Everything went fine up to the turn off to the farm. Without giving away names, somebody's radio became unplugged, and after shouts of "Wortel, Wortel" went unheeded, it was left up to the sweeper James to chase after the vehicle and bring them back. We were met at the office by Sybrie De Beer, the owner of the farm Lambertshoek and the Boegoeberg 4x4 trail. I did the money thing and Sybrie gave me maps, rules and stickers for everyone. We then went to the campsite, met Nico, Christine and their friends, and everyone got stuck into setting up camp. There was some confusion about the "roughing it" when we saw we would be camping on lawns. Sybrie popped round a bit later to see if everything was ok. After checking out the communal braai area and the pool, it was time to start the fires burning. The plan was to start the trail at 9 the next morning. Even after there were moans and groans the night before, everyone deflated their tyres and all were ready to depart on time. Sybrie joined us for the trail and he led the way. Even though it was an early start, it was already warm and I was worried about how hot it could get. The trail is fairly technical, and you need to concentrate all the time. Although technical, it is not a vehicle breaker. There were plenty ascents with loose gravel and cross-axle possibilities. Deflated tyres made a huge difference and those that had diff-loc used it. We stopped at the top campsite to have a look and use the loo, and I think everyone agreed that the lower campsite was the better of the two. From the campsite, we dropped down to "Groenkloof" where the first small obstacle awaited. Before the obstacle, We did a quick loop round and the loose gravel here caught a few by surprise. Roger decided to bypass and waited at the obstacle for us. Last time I was here in 2003, I did not make it through this obstacle, and was determined to get the better of it this time. Either there was less mud this time, or maybe it was my tyres, but the cruiser just flew up no problem. The first recovery of the weekend was here - just a gentle tug for one of the Colt's. We then continued up the mountain making our way to the "Platklip Viewpoint" where we were going to have a lunch stop. Just before this came a call from Nazier - he needed assistance. Luckily Bruce was in front of him and although it was quite far, Bruce reversed all the way to go and help. In the mean time, I continued to the top where I saw Sybrie walking away from the cars. I parked and followed, but missed him (he was standing on a ledge watching the proceedings) and ended up walking, climbing and stumbling down the mountain. (Tip - don't do this while wearing Crocs) After lots of slipping and getting thorns stuck in my feet, I managed to get to the road. Peter's Landy was there with no sign of them - they had obviously also gone back to help/watch. I carried on walking along the track and eventually met up with the vehicles coming up. Tried hitching a lift, but Bruce drove past, and while I was trying to catch up to him, Nazier was hooting at me because I was in the track and moving too slowly. Well, just before passing out, I managed to get into Bruce's Cruiser and got a lift back up the mountain. The views up here are amazing. You can see the Dunes at Lambert's Bay, Clanwilliam dam and also Kleintafelberg. (I reckon on a clear day, you may be able to see next week) Here another surprise awaited me - some kind soul decided to play a prank, and they put a bag containing soiled nappies into my garbage carrier. I tossed it out and luckily the owner (of the baby that produced the mess) picked it up before we left the mountain. The descent was fairly steep, and we didn't bother stopping at the swimming place as Sybrie had told us it was dry. We had a quick stop at "Buurman se Gat" which is a hut on the mountain - very rustic and a loo with a view (ok, so the branches need trimming so you can enjoy the view) The last leg back to the campsite was fairly quick, as everyone was looking forward to the pool. Folks swam, relaxed in the shade and prepared for the evening meal. The ablution facilities are very clean with hot water supplied by a "donkey". There was even toilet paper in the loos. This campsite is definitely one of the best I have been to. Sunday morning the group split a little. First group left at 9am for the short trail, once again with Sybrie in the lead. The second group planned on leaving at 10:30 with a couple of folks not driving at all - they just wanted to enjoy the campsite. At the first sand obstacle, there was a moment for the Pajero, but after a gentle pull, everything was ok. The second sand obstacle also caught out the Paj. This trail was definitely a relaxing drive after the trail on Saturday. Then ..... We got to a split, and Sybrie pointed out an ascent on the right. This was used during the launch of the new Range Rover, as they requested a steep ascent. Apparently none of them made it up the hill, and they told Sybrie that piece of road is un-drivable, and that no vehicle will be able to get up there unless he makes it easier. It was full of loose rocks and large holes that would cause major cross-axle challenges all the way. It didn't look impossible, so Bruce and I gave it a bash. Tyres at 0.8 bar, 1st gear low range with the rear locker on and the cruiser just crawled up - ok, there was a bit of bouncing. When I got clear, Bruce came up - also without any worries. Land Cruiser = 2 , Range Rover = 0 (hee hee hee) Nico and the two Colts joined us for the sand play area. Sybrie was impressed that all the members deflated their tyres more after not making the sand hill the first time. This saved lots of time - and congrats to Nazier who made it up first time. It was a short drive back to the campsite where we had to all pack up. A few folks did this very quickly and then spent some time in the pool before starting the drive home. We didn't go home in one group as people had different plans for the afternoon. I stuck around to make sure the last folks got away safely. I had George, Roger and Peter (and families) for company on the way home. Once again, I had a great weekend. It also looked like everyone enjoyed themselves as much as I did. I definitely recommend this trail to everyone - even if you just want to go camping without driving a trail. It is very clear to see how this trail got the "Top 10" rating from Drive Out, and not surprising at all to see that they have kept the "Top 10" rating for the past few years. Boegoeberg 4x4 has now been put on the Drive Out "Roll of Honour".