I’m standing in front of the Wimpy in Beaufort West with a heavy load: my Silverback Sola 1 mountain bike, three bulging bike bags and a backpack full of padkos. I’ve just spent 12 hours on a bus from Klerksdorp and I’m suddenly not sure whether I’m up for the challenge I set myself.
Three days ago, just after Christmas Day, I started making arrangements for a solo cycle tour from Beaufort West to Ceres. My girlfriend Mari van Dyk lives near Ceres and her birthday is on 3 January – not only would I start the new year with an adventure, but I’d also be able to celebrate with her afterwards. It sounded like a win-win to me!
My plan was to cycle about 500 km in six days. I booked accommodation along the route.
But now I’m here, ready for my adventure, and I’m feeling nervous. Will I make it?
DAY 1 Beaufort West to Merweville (126 km)
I decide then and there – at the filling station in Beaufort West – to give my bike a name. Henceforth, it will be “Die Draadkameel”. The name is apt: The two of us will explore the Karoo together, my bike carrying heavy bags and almost five litres of water on its back, just like a camel.
I swallow a delicious Wimpy breakfast and hit the road at 8 am. I follow the N1 west out of town for 15 km and then turn right, past the Karoo National Park, onto an unmarked dirt road to Fraserburg.
It’s midsummer but the breeze is cool. Like many other parts of South Africa, the Karoo is in the grips of a crippling drought and the trees and bushes next to the road are dry and dull. I pass a dead steenbok in the road – I hope I don’t end up the same way…
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة June 2020 من go! - South Africa.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة June 2020 من go! - South Africa.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
The wilder shore
The final leg of a 30-day trek across East Africa sees lan Tyrer and the Africa - Wild & Untamed crew explore both shores of Lake Malawi. Get ready for an overloaded ferry, a croc attack and being surrounded by elephants...
A river runs through it
Sabie is onthe Drakensberg escaromentialongMpumalanga’s famous Panorama Route. Want a weekend away surrounded by forests and waterfalls? Here's wnat you need to know.
TAKE A HIKE
Harkerville's mini Otter
Sweet & juicy!
This issue's recipes all include lush seasonal fruit like nectarines, plums and apricots. Enjoy!
Big mountain magic
On a clear day, as you approach the Cathedral Peak Hotel, it happens involuntarily: You start to grin. You'll be standing up there soon, gazing over this valley, and the scuttling of ground-level life will seem irrelevant. Join us on a five-day adventure into the heart of the high Drakensberg
Your next weekend away
A self-catering house in the Tankwa, a campsite next to the Orange River, a guest farm near the Drakensberg... Toast Coetzer travelled a lot last year: Here are six of his favourite places to stay if you're planning a road trip or weekend escape.
A life through binoculars
If the name Hugh Chittenden sounds familiar, it's probably because you see it every time you use your Roberts Bird Guide he's one of the co-authors. He lives in Mtunzini on the KZN coast and birding is as much part of his day as a cup of coffee.
Wanderlust in the park
All great cities have great parks, writes Dara Kell: spaces where you can exhale and slough off the stress and grime of urban life.
The Kalahari remembers
The Kalahari is a place of magic and heartache, where drought is an ever-present threat. Drive a loop from Upington to the Kuruman River and discover soulful landscapes, brilliant skies and resilient people who never give up.
Take a Hike
Hug a baobab in the Bushveld
