WILD COAST MEANDER

The Wild Coast Meander is a hike along the Transkei Coast in the Eastern Cape.  Virtually the entire coast is an untouched paradise with little development beyond a couple of small towns and the occasional family-orientated, very comfortable holiday resort.  We stayed overnight at beach resorts which offer hikers a seaview bedroom-en-suite, breakfast, dinner and a packed lunch for the next day. The meals were a mix of comfort food, homecooked and healthy at all the resorts.  No junk!  Different guides from the local community lead each group, the cost being part of the package.  This puts much needed income into the wildcoast communities and ensures that your security is looked after, and porters can be hired at a set, but not inflated, cost. 

The July school holidays was the perfect time to do this walk as it is the time of year with the lowest rainfall. Despite this, there are river mouths every 8km or so, which are very easy to cross, either barefoot, or by ferry which costs  R1.00 or R2.00 per person.  The hike can be done over five nights, with a night at each beach resort, or longer if you choose to spend more time at one or more of the resorts.

Picnic Lunch

We drove from Cape Town to East London using the taxi route - N1 to Beaufort West, then through Aberdeen and Graaff-Reinet.   I was told that the taxis do not travel to the Eastern Cape on a Saturday, the day we left, so this was a unanimous first choice.  The N2 has become overcrowded with traffic and busy towns, and has a constantly changing speed limit with the inevitable speed traps which all adds up to a stressful journey. 

In East London, our booking at Arbour Lodge, Beacon Bay was good value compared to everything else on offer – R600 for four of us for the night.  At 9.00 am we met up with Helen from Wild Coast Adventures who had organised secure parking for our car, lunch packs and a mini-bus to take us to the first overnight stop – Kob Inn.

Grassed area in front of the rooms.  

Kob Inn, a 3 ½ hour drive from East London, 32 kms and 45 minutes of which is on a rutted gravel road which is apparently a whole lot better than it used to be!  

Kob Inn is a very attractive beach resort  built close to the sea.  During the afternoon our daughters went quadbiking led by the Chef, Dean and we canoed up the Qora River.  Sunday supper was a braai served overlooking on the terrace overlooking the sea – at spring high tide I think we would have been splashed by waves.

Cattle herders with their cattle

Our guide for the first day of hiking, Phillip was an interesting mix of Khoisan, Xhosa and European descent which gave real meaning to the term, Rainbow Nation.  He was only too happy to answer all our questions and he told us his family history, as well as Xhosa traditions.  As we walked along the coast we became aware of the multi-cultured history of the area, which originally is Khoisan,  then mixed with the Xhosa people as they moved further south and the shipwrecked Europeans/Asians as explored in the book “The Sunburnt Queen”, followed by the 1820 settlers from Europe who landed at Grahamstown and the subsequent frontier wars.   The first day Kob Inn and Mazeppa Bay is a short walk of 6kms along beach and grassed fields which reach down to the rocks along this coast.

Ferry crossing!

Mazeppa Bay in the distance

At our second beach resort, Mazeppa Bay, the receptionist gave us a warm welcome and showed us around.  This was our only overnight stop which had a gym – worth a visit for the recliner which can be set to massage leg and back muscles.  The highlight of Mazeppa Bay Hotel was the island which is connected to the mainland by a rope bridge.  It was well frequented by fishermen, and sunset on the well-grassed little island is not to be missed.

Waiting for the ferry to cross to the Wavecrest

Phillip continued to walk with us for 10km of the distance to our next hotel – the Wavecrest – a long 22km day’s walk.  Along the route he pointed out a shell midden left behind by Khosisan people living along  the coast many years ago.  All the walks are a mix of beach walking and grassed fields with occasional cattle and rivers which are crossed on foot or by ferry.   There are many fresh water springs along this section of the coast –  no evidence that this water is used by anyone, except maybe the occasional cow.

On the way to our tour of the Mangrove Swamps

The Wavecrest Hotel is situated on the southern side of an estuary formed by the confluence of the Ngqusi and Nxaxo Rivers which has the southern most mangrove swamps.    A tour of the mangrove swamp area by a very knowledgeable guide was included in the cost of the hotel.  Not often you get something for nothing extra!!   After a swim across the river, the four of us booked the spa, sauna and steam room for an hour to relax tired muscles.  Twenty-two kilometres of walking along the beach and grassed areas which sloped down to the sea for most of the day had left us stiff and sore.

On Trevor's Trail from Trenneries

The third day of walking was about 14 km which had a half way lunch stop at the Jacaranda, a vessel wrecked in 1971.   We could see the position of the Trenneries Hotel, our stop for the night, from a few kilometres away as it was marked by a tall Pine Tree.  On arrival we found the Pine Tree to be a cell phone tower.  The Trenneries Hotel was another great experience – warm and inviting with excellent food.

Pontoon across the Great Kei River

Our last day of hiking was longer than the advertised 12 km according to the GPS.   Shortly before the eat Kei River is the Gxarha River River where Nongqawuse had her vision which led to the cattle killing and mass poverty and death among the Xhosa people.   The Great Kei River crossed by is a pontoon which can take walkers and traffic. On the opposite bank of the Kei River was our lunch stop with a wooden table, seating and a rather rickety
roof.  Our packed lunch from Trenneries was the best of all - chicken leg, grilled fish, sandwich and fruit.

The last hotel in Morgan Bay,  was a real treat!   Morgan Bay Hotel has a spectacular view of the sea from the rooms and we were served an excellent dinner menu which had starters, soup, fish, main course and dessert.

Final lunch stop on the banks of the Great Kei River

The next day we were picked up and driven back to our car in secure lockup in East London. 

We had a brief stopover in the Sundays River Valley for a days visit to Addo Elephant Park, and  choose the R62 for the drive home.

If you don’t know the R62, choose this route next time you head up the east coast and visit Ronnies Sex Shop for a lunch stopover.  (Not as it sounds!)

SUNSET AT KLOOF CORNER

On a warm, still evening you would be hard-pressed to find a more beautiful spot at sunset than Kloof Corner which is at the north-west corner of Table Mountain, 30 minutes walk up from the road to the lower cable station.  There is a magnificent 270° view  back along the front of Table Mountain,  the City Bowl and the harbour, Lion’s Head and Signal Hill, and over Kloof Nek to Camps Bay and along the Twelve Apostles towards Llandudno.   

Lion's Head, Signal Hill and a glimpse of the City Bowl

Signal Hill, City Bowl and Table Bay

Sit on the flat-topped rocks which retain the heat of the day,  glass in hand with your snacks spread around you.

Ready-made Stone Chairs

Time your walk so that you start when the heat of the day is over, and you have about an hour to sit on the rocks and watch the sun go down.  Do not forget a torch to help you on your way down, but if the moon is full there may be sufficient light to walk down without one.

At Kloof Nek circle, take the Lower Cableway Station Road for about 500 metres, and at a hair-pin bend there is parking on your left.  The way up is at the bend in the road.  The path starts out gently but soon becomes rather steep and you will walk up  a well-maintained set of steps, made in different styles.  Some are made using stones encased in strong wire, others are cut from the sandstone on the path, but you do have to be careful of your footing. 

Walking up - the path becomes very much steeper than this!

Enjoying the Warm Rocks.

When you reach the top which is just below the rockface, first prize is to find you are the only people there, and you can take your pick of picnic spots.   Settle down on the rocks, and spread  yourselves out, glasses in hand and snacks balanced on the rocks.

City Bowl Lights

Sunset over Clifton Beaches

When the sun has set, take out your torches (head torches would make the walk down easier) and make your way down back to the cars.