Ferndale - November 2009 By Andy & Veronica Brown This magnificent trail is situated in the Eastern Cape, approximately 23 kms to the East of Cathcart, and although some distance from us in the Western Cape, it should be placed on your list of places to visit when you are passing through this area. The trail and the geographical area in which it is situated are more than deserving of a visit. The venue has been widely praised by all the off-road publications and was rated in Drive Out's top 10 for three consecutive years between 2004 and 2006, appearing on their Roll of Honour in 2007. We met our trip leaders, Philip and Lesley Sackville-Scott on the evening of Friday 13 November at the Ferndale Campsite located adjacent to the Thomas River. We were greeted by the owners, Butch and Jenny James (yes, Butch is the uncle of the Fly Half). Also present were Gary Miles and his friend Nettie. Gary would be our trail guide for the first day of the weekend. Gary is regularly commissioned by Butch to lead the guiding of the trail while Butch stays at the back to regale his guests with interesting snippets of the history of the area and the farm. Butch is the fifth generation of the James family to work these lands which are now dedicated to sheep and cattle farming. The various trails therefore are used on a daily basis as access roads for the farm. Not that this detracts in any way from the driving pleasure. Quite the contrary, if anything, it enhances the experience. Following a relaxing evening around the fire we set out on the first of the trails at the fairly leisurely hour of 09h00 on the Saturday morning. The weather was a bit indifferent with the threat of rain very clearly in the air. There are four trails on the farm rated from Grade 3 to Grade 5. Most of the driving is straightforward although the terrain is generally very rocky with some inspiring steep ascents and descents to keep you on your toes. The views from all of the trails are nothing short of stupendous. All the difficult sections of the routes that we drove had been hewn out of the mountainside by Butch and his trusty Caterpillar D4D Bulldozer which dates back to 1964. We started out on the Ferndale Trail which runs to the North of the farmhouse with the Thomas River never too far away. Eventually we turned onto a loop which is known as the Wilder Ride to give us an opportunity to put our low range capabilities to the test. This is an alternative to following the arguably more sedate Ferndale Scenic Circle Route (which is rated as a Grade3). Along the way Butch was an endless raconteur of interesting facts relating to the birds and mammals that abound in the area. A visit to the notorious Grade 5 Diff Lock Alley proved that without diff locks you are not going to get up this section of the route. Fortunately, there is a by-pass for those who won't make it. The rain started to fall as we left the Wilder Ride and rejoined the Ferndale Scenic Circle Route. This made the descent into Box Kloof Canyon an absolute no go. We found out why the following day when drove it in the dry. A short visit to the campsite for lunch was followed by a drive on the Red Cone Route. This again is a wonderfully scenic route of approximately 19 kms of moderate difficulty which traverses the mountainside on the southern side of the farm. On this route we were treated to a visit to the ruined farmhouse of the Wiggills family who had been the owners of the farm before the first of the five generations of the James family came to the land. This old stone ruin, which was built around the time of the Frontier Wars, is in good enough condition for one to identify the different rooms and the stoep. The tiny muzzle hole still evident in one of the walls bears testimony to the hard life that the farmers of that era must have endured. Raids by the Xhosa people and the constant danger presented by the wildlife that abounded at that time, not to mention other factors such as disease, illness, and the remoteness of where they lived, must have been a far cry from the life that the early settlers to the area from Britain were accustomed to. At the end of this drive we visited the farmhouse in which Butch and Jenny live. Butch explained that the original farmhouse, which still forms the core of the one end of the current structure, was built by the missionaries who first settled here in the 1820's. The stone end gable and other preserved sections of the stone building are clearly evident in the more modern structure. We spent another very festive evening around the fire with our hosts during which the conversation often drifted back to the very interesting history of the James family through the Frontier Wars, the Anglo- Boer war, the First and Second World wars. Butch is a very passionate war historian who has travelled extensively to establish the facts regarding his ancestors' history throughout these conflicts. On Sunday morning we set out on our final drive, the Ferndale Trail but now taking in the highlights of the Scenic Circle Route which we had been able to cover the previous day. This route took us below a vertical cliff face where, when looking up, Vulture and Verraux Eagle nests were easy to see. Here we negotiated a couple of steep descents which became steep ascents as we had to turn and retrace our steps from the bottom. A further steep and rocky ascent through a small aloe forest took us on to the escarpment where we paused for mid morning tea and a photo shoot of the wonderful vista spread out below us. On the way back to camp we travelled into the Box Kloof Canyon and were relieved that we had not attempted this VERY steep descent on the slippery mud of the previous day. Once back in camp, we had a quick snack, packed up the camp and we were on the road south by 14h30. Just before leaving we all inspected the guest cottage located on the camp site which is very well appointed. From a camping point of view the campsite is beautifully situated adjacent to the Thomas River and has nicely grassed sites with plenty of shade. The ablutions provide a plentiful supply of hot water for the showers and are spotlessly clean. A covered lapa in the middle of the campsite, conveniently positioned near to the camp fire, provides a central point for preparing and eating meals. In summary, Ferndale provides spectacular driving on trails that are graded moderate to difficult, a superb campsite and an opportunity to experience a close up look at the history of the area. Thanks to Philip and Lesley Sackville-Scott for arranging this very unusual and worthwhile weekend.