Hi John. Hogsback is a special place too, full of faeries and hobbits and some wonderful birdlife. I imagined that I could see it from the highest point as we crossed the Zuurberg, along with the Winterberg and Bosberg to the west of it. The clarity of light here is sometimes quite wonderful. Coincidentally today I was re-reading a post of yours on the Thorn forum regarding stoves and cooking. You mentioned biltong as a good flavourant for couscous and that resonated deeply in me. Biltong, especially that made from Kudu, is one thing we really miss when traveling outside of southern Africa and yet we have hardly eaten any since returning because of COVID. Stay safe. Warmer days arriving soon for you so hopefully you can get get back on your bicycle.

Thanks, Jean-Marc -- love the photos and the landscapes. Some time back, I spent a fabulous week hiking in the Hogsback Mtns, a little further east. That was [counts on fingers] seventeen years ago. (Yikes!) Best to you and Leigh -- enjoy your trek, safe journeys.

John

Just finished a tour of the blacksmith's shop with Clever. From Somerset East we are heading up to Pearston and then Graaff Reinet, Nieu Bethesda and Middelburg so we will have to skip the route over the Bosberg. The railway service road sounds as if it could be a good option for when we make our way back to PE.

Two of us cycled through there in December. Say hi to Clever, the caretaker at Anne's Villa. From Somerset East, take the route over the mountain, north of the town. It is tough but spectacular.
We came down the railway service road all the way from Trompsburg in the Freestate to Klipfontein station, a very nice route.

Thanks Andrea but I am already missing my "real" camera!

That's right! You two are the bird-masters! Your phone is doing a perfectly nice job.

Al has a limited tolerance of camping these days so, if we are touring together, we don't bring camping gear if there are other reasonably-priced accommodation options. So we camp in BC and of course I camp if I'm solo for cost reasons.

Four years we did a six month trip (the 3rd Step), first through Japan (with quite a bit of camping) then South Korea (very little camping) and then Singapore-Malaysia-Thailand-Cambodia-Vietnam with no camping at all. We lugged all that camping gear all the way through south-east Asia and never used it so we have been primed to avoid carrying it if we don't need to.

On our first tour in Europe after a 23-year hiatus (kids, work, ...) we brought camping gear but opted not to bring cooking gear. We camped exactly once in 3 weeks, and it was so hot we didn't even take out our sleeping bags. If/when we return to Germany, we won't bother with camping. While there, we were told by German friends that, though they camp in other places, they don't in Germany.