Sandveld Trip - February 2009 What a pleasure to nip off a bit early from work on a Friday afternoon and meet up with a really fantastic group of club members for a weekend's 4x4'ing and exploration of the Sandveld area. As is the custom when going north, we met at the N7 Engen to meet and greet and to fill up with petrol for the 400 odd kms that lay ahead. In the mid afternoon sunshine we made our way up the N7, deviating through Koringberg where we deflated tyres for the rest of the weekend. What a quaint little town, well worth exploring when you have some spare time on a Saturday to take family to a "Greyton in the making" as John put it! We took a short detour through the village before heading out on gravel in a north westerly direction until we crossed the Berg River at a drift and then headed north via the Kapteinskloof into the Sandveld proper. Recent veld fires had devastated hectare upon hectare of fynbos and many areas resembled moonscape rather than anything from this planet. Our scenic gravel traveling eventually saw us reach our first night's camp site, Jakkalskloof, at around 17:30, providing plenty of time for a cool-off swim and lazy preparations for the evening's braai. The campsite is situated beneath huge blue gum trees, which provide plenty of shade and apparently keep the mozzies and flies away. I don't know if this is true, but there weren't any mozzies or flies about. Saturday morning dawned early and before setting out on the mountain section of the Jakkalskloof route, owner Izak Kotze took us for a tour through their "Castle" of a farmhouse, distinctively decorated with such architectural features and towers, minarets and even a great arched double entrance door. (See accompanying photos.) The initial sections of the trail are a series of steady inclines over rocky terrain as you gain height to the highest sections of the farm, from where you drive all along the ridge of the mountain surrounded by spectacular views. The route requires the drivers to concentrate on wheel placement and picking the correct line through the twists and turns to survive safely. The descent is quite hectic with loose rocks and even some in the 'boulder' class strewn across the track, making ride height (ground clearance) critical. The vehicles with raised suspensions coped relatively easily, however some serious road building was needed for the others. A lapse in concentration by the leader saw his right rear tyre sliced on the side wall by a hidden protruding rock. The subsequent tyre change took almost an hour in insane heat, with no cooling breeze to temper things. Once the whole group was safely down from the mountain, we stopped at the next suitable spot for an hour's recuperation and a well earned lunch break. After lunch we proceeded northwards along divisional dirt roads, passed farmlands and over extremely powdery dust which billowed around the vehicles almost hiding them completely. The route then met up with the railway line which runs from Graafwater in the north to Picketberg to the south east. The convoy then proceeded along the service road next to the tracks in the direction of Paleisheuwel. The way is characterized by its overgrown nature, with Port Jackson wildly growing across the path from both sides, which meant frequent "gardening stops" for the necessary pruning to take place, lest the more pristine paint jobs get scratched and scraped. We had come prepared for this and had an enviable array of bow saws, pull saws, rose clippers and even a chain saw as back up - thanks to Ian Kalis of Bridgestone. After much hacking, sawing, sweating and swearing, we made it through the worst section, only for the whole roadway to be blocked by a Spoornet team repairing a culvert and whose diggers, rollers and crane trucks completely blocked our path. Through ultimate diplomacy, they were convinced to halt operations and move their rigs out of the way so that we could proceed past. Hats of to them for a positive attitude and keen assistance. From Paleisheuwel it was a short hop and a skip to Castle Rock, the second campsite for the weekend. On arrival, some drove to the camp area to set up tents and relax, whilst others drove straight to the rock pool to cool off. This was particularly appreciated by the children, all of whom had endured many hot hours of bumpy offroading and where understandably hot and bothered. Castle Rock has an interesting history, as it was originally bought by a group of Beau Valley nudists who found themselves living in the Cape and wanted to continue with their naturalist lifestyle. This is the property they selected as it is situated in a small valley, completely hidden from the surrounding farm roads, lies amongst great natural beauty and has a year round supply of fresh spring water. What more could one ask for? Oh, it has many and diverse fynbos species, plenty of birds and some stunning bushman painting rock art sites to boot. The Saturday evening was a relaxed affair the group congregated around the braai fire chatting and generally chilling after the hard work of the day. I think everyone was relieved to be told that we would only start the Castle Rock Trail at 10:00, so a good old Sunday morning lie in, followed by bacon and eggs could be enjoyed by everyone at their leisure. Some decided not to do the trail and left early, whilst the remaining 5 vehicles tackled this scenic yet demanding trail. The beauty of this route is that from below you can see absolutely no sign of the track as it is masked by lush Fynbos, Waboom protea trees and tall reeds. The trail is very technical, in that it twists and turns whilst ascending the mountain until leveling out at the rock art site. This is typical of such sites, in that it has a high rock cliff behind it, a commanding view of the valley below and a nice level stage for trance dancing. From here you drive up a ridiculously narrow and winding track up to the look out area where we enjoyed a cool drink and a snack and took in the view. Descending down this section was more difficult than going up and cars needed to be guided through the various obstacles to arrive safely at the bottom. Once again, the majority retired to the rock pool for a swim or enjoyed a fresh water outdoor shower to cool off. By now it was after lunch time and whilst some decided to go straight home, others detoured via Langebaan before heading home. All in all another really great club outing and from our side a big thank you to everyone for making this a most enjoyable weekend. We drove plenty, saw a lot and had a really good time, despite the long, hot Saturday afternoon! Unfortunately on the way home, Arie had a fuel pump fail on him just outside Malmesbury but we were driving together so I could assist. The tour was lead by Philip and Lesley in their 80 series Cruiser and the group comprised:- John and Jacqui in a low slung Pajero (business opportunity Mr Tyres?), Michael and Rena in a lifted Prado, Jurgen, Michelle and kids in a beaut Disco V8, Jorg and kids in his faithful 60 series Cruiser, Corne and Erika in the shorty Prado, And with Arie in his kitted Defender bringing up the rear. Thanks to all for making this yet another great club outing.