Had a great little improptu coffee tasting (Ugandan, Rwandan & Guatemalan) at Great Brak's own coffee roastery, Brothers Coffee (also on Facebook), this afternoon.  You'll find them located at the Pink House - head up Amy Searle Street, past Greenhaven and about 200 meters to your right after you've passed the gravel Sandhoogte Road turn which appears on your left (don't take this turn, it's just a direction marker!).

Ben and Jaco are really enthusiastic about sharing their passion for coffee - and they tell us they'll happily give a special little tasting and talk to groups of up to 8 people.   Just call ahead (078 940 8301) and let Ben know you'd like to do that, so he can incorporate that into his busy roasting duties (Jaco mans the operation in Jo'burg, so if you're a Gautenger and you fall in love with their beans, you're in luck!).  Or, if you just want to pop by for a coffee or to pick up a bag of beans (or grounds), they are open 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturdays.

If you can manage the steep driveway on the way back out to the road (#nowimps), this is the perfect spot for a caffeine stop on your cycling route - I'll definitely be adding it to mine!

I occasionally receive e-mails asking about nearby MTB routes.  If you are staying on The Island or anywhere near (Reebok to the west or Glentana to the East and anywhere in between), the routes I usually do are posted here as well as in the Running & Cycling section of the website which also includes Great Brak River Village Cycling Routes and the Fragrance Route.

And today, George Trails, officially unveiled their series of trails - of the 4 trail systems, the Geelhoutboom is nearest, with 3 of its 5 routes in the immediate vicinity of The Island.

The "Great Brak" route (about 55 km) can be started from The Island - you simply join the route where it passes by the PicknPay (formerly a Spar) on Charles Street and go up the "Spar Bult" (hill in Afrikaans) if you want to do it counter-clockwise, or else carry on a bit further through the village on Amy Searle Street and then take the right-hand turn on Botha Street where it climbs up the Blesbok hill.  Either way, you'll end up passing Tramonto at about the half-way point instead of starting there.  It's a pretty easy to moderate ride - whichever way you go, the climb up from Great Brak will be the hardest section.  If you're fit, you can do these climbs in 10-12 minutes, otherwise, well, it'll take longer... :)

The "Botlierskop" route (about 73 km) is a bit more challenging, but not terribly so.  It's probably a bit harder going clockwise, but nothing too dramatic if you're in decent shape.  If you want to go counter-clockwise, you can go down Station Street and join the route as it passes by the PicknPay before you start your first climb of the ride (up the "Spar Bult") or you can go clockwise and head west along the old R102, passing by De Dekke, then turning to your right on Long Street (at the Total) and joining the route by turning left on Sandhoogte Road (where you'll see Suiderkruis Securitie) which will lead to a moderate climb when the tarred road turns to gravel.  The biggest section of climbing, in this direction, is going up Blesbok after the game reserve.  Going clockwise is going to give you a bit more of a workout than counter-clockwise.

Finally, the most strenuous of the three is the "Friemersheim" route (about 81 km), which has some challenging climbs - once again, you can join the route in the village.  Like the Botlierskop route, above, if you want to go counter-clockwise, you can go down Station Street and join the route as it passes by the PicknPay or you can go clockwise and head west along the old R102 before turning to your right on Long Street and joining the route by turning left on Sandhoogte Road.  It's a bit close to call - there are a couple of steep sections either way - but I'd say this route is toughest going clockwise.  You and your riding partners will want to be fit if you're going to do this route, particularly if you like pushing yourself.

If you're going to do the Botlierskop or Friemersheim routes, be sure to take plenty of liquids.  You can always get something to drink at the Farm & Fellow Restaurant at Tramonto, but that's only about 1 hour out if you go counter-clockwise at a decent pace.  There's not a lot in Friemersheim, so your options there will be limited - but you'll definitely be parched by the time you get there, no matter which route you've taken and which direction you've gone.  When I've done variations on these two routes, I've usually taken an extra bladder in my backpack (~3 litres total) and have still run dry, especially on a hot day.

Of course, you can also include the Patria and Dairyland routes as variations to any of the three routes above - you're just taking a few shortcuts around the vicinity of Tramonto, rather than really adding any distance (otherwise you'll end up doing a few loops of gravel you've already been on...). Both of these are very easy sections.

Okay, it's not part of the George Trails initiative, but if you're looking for a bit of singletrack, there's a new pump track that's opened up this season - the Klipheuvel Mountain Bike Park, located in Little Brak, it's within peddling distance (just do something like the Little Brak loop to get there and back - whichever way you go just be sure to avoid the R102 between Little Brak and Great Brak, as there's quite a bit of traffic on this narrow, potholed stretch of road).

I haven't been to Klipheuvel yet, so can't give an opinion on it.  AfrikaBike opposite Le Grand in Hansmoeskraal near George haven't updated their website or Facebook page in many months.  [subsequent edit:  I managed to track down one of its co-founders at the 2017 Knysna Bull MTB event, and sadly, was told that it went out of business (that's the short version).  I've since updated the website to remove it from the Running & Cycling page].

But if you're looking for one of the best MTB Parks in the Western Cape (if not the entire country), it's well worth a drive to the Garden Route Trail Park between George and Knysna.  You're talking about kilometers and kilometers of uninterrupted singletrack trails.  If that's your thing, head over there - they also have bike rentals available.

Other single track options worth a side-trip include SAN Park's MTB Trails (Harkerville and Homtini) - again, this means a drive down the N2 towards Knysna, so 50 km or so away.  If you're a MTB fanatic you won't complain about a little drive to check out new terrain. :)

There's also some nice single track in Knysna itself, up near the Simola golf course (drive there and either park your vehicle at the very bottom of the Simola hill and ride up the paved road, or else keep driving, then park your vehicle and offload your bike on the gravel road just after the entrance to the golf course).  You have to watch for the tracks - they are off to the side of the gravel road up there.  Jacques Brink of Knysna Cycle Works and the municipality's self-declared "Mayor of Cycling" knows these trails like the back of his hand (afterall, he's built most of them).  Jacques also runs a Cycling Academy for 9-12 year-olds and Odyssey Training Clinics for teens.  He's even been known to take out adults (though riding with me last season might have put him off that...).  Contact Jacques on freejacq@gmail.com for more info or if you'd like to ride with him.

Got my chores done (which included sending my mobile phone off for warranty repair, so no photos likely for a while...), so it was time to get my ol' war horse of a mountain bike (I swear, sometimes it feels like the brakes are permanently on....) and do a bit of training in advance of the GR300Lite at the end of the month.

I figured I'd head up Morrison Road towards Glentana, then on the gravel roads out towards Jonkersburg, then over towards Blanco before hitting Tramonto at Geelhoutboom.  I've done a slightly longer variation of this route before, but it's been a few years.  Anyway, in case you were wondering, it turns out it's exactly 30 km to Tramonto.  

The wind is usually stronger in afternoon, and today was no exception - I seemed to be facing the 30 km/hr winds no matter what direction I was in - nothing beats uphill climbs into the wind for working out the legs!
​
Incidentally, Tramonto's worth a visit on the bike or not - they have a nice little cafe (indoor and outdoor seating) - and NLR Wines has a tasting room there where you can sample some great wines.  Not for me today, I'm afraid - time to push on or I won't make it home in time for dinner!

I took a quick walk/hike up to the old Great Brak power station the other day - it's an easy walk - just over 10 minutes to get there - maybe 15 if you go at a more leisurely pace.  It's a great spot for a picnic if you're looking for a short but scenic outing (and remember, you're enjoying it because it's pristine and beautiful - so please, please, please leave it that way for whomever comes next by packing out your rubbish - there aren't any trash bins there).  

The trail head starts at the end of Willow Road, near Beatnix Leatherworks - just climb up and over the steps, then stick to your left (don't follow the hiking sign that points to your right - that is also a lovely hike, but it takes you along the other side of the river, so you'll miss the power station).

Click on the image below if you'd like to see the full "workout" on www.sports-tracker.com - there are a few photos uploaded as well.

Last week we took a 4-day/3-night road trip to Prince Albert.  Normally we just zip over for the day and back in the late afternoon (see this earlier postfrom 2014), but this time we decided to stick around awhile...

So, all checked in and bags unpacked, it was time for a wander up and down the main drag, ducking in and out of the various little shops and galleries.  For dinner, went to the Gallery Cafe (we went there 2 out of 3 nights).  Besides the art gallery, they've got a restaurant with outdoor seating on the upper veranda - white table cloths, little hurricane lights and wine glasses and a spectacular view of the Klein Karoo and Swartberg Mountains makes for a wonderful ambiance, topped off by good food and a convivial host.

It was a birthday celebration (not mine), and we had a full-day cooking lesson booked at African Relish- the theme: vegetarian.  hmm, and here I thought the only vegetable on a South African braai was the chicken - apparently not!  Incidentally, if this piques your interest, you might find a full day pretty long (we did). Especially in the heat (the mercury hit 49 degrees).  Instead, I'd recommend their half-day option.

We were welcomed by African Relish's new chef, Jaco Fourie.  Having just started on December 1st, he must have been run off his feet with the holiday season, and here he was running a class - no rest for a chef it seems!  The kitchen is quite spectacular - check out the slideshow on the right.

I think our favourite part of the class were the outings, which I think was a really inspired start - first we went out to O is for Olive for a quick olive oil and olive tasting (including tapenades and relishes).

Then it was out to see Basil and pick some tomatoes from a local farmer's garden (no, I'm not being funny, that's his name).  The heat made for some pretty scrawny looking plants, but there was no shortage of tomatoes to be picked.  We even picked up a pomegranate or two, straight off the tree.

From there it was out to see the doctor.  What?  Yup, you heard right, we were off to see Dr. Reinders who has a spectacular garden which I'm guessing covered about 1 hectare.  He took us around, offering even more tomatoes, a variety of eggplant (including Cambodian and Assyrian, the latter being *very* bitter and tobacco-ey, by the way!), and other assorted veggies - oh, and he threw in a yard-long bean at the last minute.  Then you go to the reception desk in his surgery where the bounty is weighed (African Relish picked up the tab for this, of course).  I thought it was pretty cool - imagine going to the doctor and him "prescribing" a walk around his garden in the sunshine for a bit of vitamin D and maybe some cruciferous veggies for your iron deficiency!  That was probably the highlight of the day for us.

Then back to the kitchen at African Relish to figure out what to do with all our bounty of veggies.

Lunch done, we get a 1.5 hour break to refresh ourselves.  It was pretty hot.  So, we wandered down to the Lazy Lizard for a quick pick-me up, then back to Dennehof for a catnap and a dip in the pool.  

Times up, so back to African Relish we head - for dinner we'd make an Italian-style tomato sauce which we'd combine with grilled eggplant (aubergines to you) for a parmigiana-inspired dish, together with a butter nut and blue cheese risotto.  Dessert in the desert:  stewed plums with ice cream.

And finally, it's time for dinner with stewed plums for dessert - bon appetit!

Good deed done for the day, we pay a visit to the Fransie Pienaar Museum - probably one of the better local museums I've experienced.  Museums aren't normally my thing - usually within minutes my legs feel like lead, I start to feel light-headed and find it difficult to breathe (I experience a very similar condition in shopping malls).  In fact, we usually have a pact for our European road trips:  no churches or museums, but we made an exception in this case and I have to admit this one was not bad at all.  

The affable greeter at the Museum gave us a quick introduction to the place, then left us alone to discover the rest.  But he planted an idea in our heads:  he said the waterfall at Meiringspoort (see the great MountainPassesSouthAfrica website for photos of the pass and an overview as well as these TripAdvisor Reviews) was worth a visit.  Bingo!  The deal was sealed:  that's what we'd do in the afternoon.  But first, over to see Gay's Guernsey Dairy (see: TripAdvisor Reviews) to check out their cheeses (you can do a tasting at no charge - we bought a mozzarella and a parmesan-styled cheese).

The next morning we got up, had another delicious breakfast - it was busy, there was a large group of friendly Danish bikers of the motorcycle variety who had made this their first stop on a Cape Town to Durban trip (they'd ship their bikes back via container.  But within minutes we had our coffee and freshly-squeezed orange juice - and thereafter our "stack" and meringue omelette (delicious!).  

We had a good chat with Ria before leaving - guess what?  She suggested (in fact, strongly suggested) that for our next road trip we might like to check out Karoo Cuisine in Murraysburg - Ria said that after spending time with host Susanna and Chef Erika she always comes back inspired with new ideas.  Judging by the quality of the food that comes out of Ria's kitchen at Dennehof (they often also serve dinners, but sadly not while we were there...), that's definitely a vote of confidence.   hmm, that just may be a thought.... stay tuned!

But first we have to get home - so it's over the Swartberg Pass where the watermelon pink petals of the proteas are blooming as we approach the summit.  Incidentally, with little recent rain, the gravel road, which can be rough at times, was in very good condition.  Then it's over the Robinson Pass where we see a few more protea (though not nearly as many) and home via Hartenbos and Little Brak.  Figure 8 done and dusted!

If you're planning a visit to Prince Albert be sure to check out their website or download their free app for Android or iOS for what's to see and do.

Each year we have a bit of a holiday tradition with a couple of other fun-loving Islanders:  a bottle (or 2 or 3 or ...) of champagne and a raw oyster fest!  It's a shame to have to wait a year between these events (okay, I admit it, sometimes I resort to some secret shucking in the intervening months...) - we always have a lot of laughs, and well, yes, a lot of oysters (and champagne - did I mention the champagne?).

My usual mission is to secure the oysters.  David's is to pop the champagne corks into the garden (he can hit a yucca at 15 meters even on a windy day).  And the e-mails start to fly back and forth a month or two in advance.  "We'll be there on such and such date - you're getting the oysters ready, right?  Don't forget the champagne!"  The anticipation builds...

They are located near the Bolton Shoe Factory and the Great Brak Hardware Store, just before the Amy Searle bridge in the village.  Make your way through the parking lot and you'll find them situated on the river bank on your right.

​Enjoy!

What can I say, I love a good road trip.  So, fuelled by a mug of coffee, it was time to go - there's no time for breakfast, we'll get it along the way.  Maybe somewhere in Wilderness... maybe Tottie's Farm Kitchen in Rheenendal, who knows, just grab your sunglasses and let's go!

So, down the N2 we head.  Turns out Tottie's is only open noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays, so we decide to try Beejuice at the old train station stop in Wilderness (on the right-hand side of the N2 about 300-400 meters before you reach the main entry to Wilderness).  The food was very good - and the coffee was great.

Fed and coffee'd up, time to carry on down the N2.  Next stop Old Nick Village just past Plettenberg Bay for a look at the raw wood furniture, ceramics, soaps and textiles, with a few old bits of machinery thrown in, presumably to keep us guys amused.  Me, I cover the whole hectare (?) in about 5 minutes and then I'm happy to have a bench - you go do your soap snooping and your picture perusing, take as long as you like, I'll be happy to wait here....

Old Nick done and dusted, we head further up the road to the Crags, heading up Monkeyland Road to pop in at The Mohair Mill and associated little shops (and tiny nursery).  Then back we come, heading down to Keurboomstrand (with Enrico's at the very end) for a little beach walk on a blustery day.

Then back in the vehicle for the push home - turns out the N2 is being repaved for a good few kilometers somewhere between the Garden Route Mall and Pacaltsdorp.  We peel off, taking the Glentana exit, ever hopeful we'll see dolphins.  I saw several the other day at precisely high tide just before Hersham.  Today, though it was rather choppy was no different - another few dolphins just off Peinaarstrand.

Inspired, we after getting home we decide we should take a beach walk.  We wade through the maze of the meandering river heading to the mouth and out along the beach to the end of Southern Cross.

No dolphins, but a nice stroll along the deserted beach and back around The Island just in time to get the braai going for dinner.  Ahhhh.... all in all a pretty successful day! ​

Well, it's nice to have our sunshine back after a few days of drizzle and grey skies (and yesterday's blustery wind).  From the moment the first rays of the rising sun streamed into the bedroom early this morning, I knew it was going to be good one.  All right, time to put irksome injuries aside (it's been a week of X-Rays and MRI's - don't ask!), quit moping around and get out there.

Aussie Eybers and the rest of his intrepid Great Brak Birding Group provided the perfect excuse for me to, well, stretch my wings and try something new.  Today's mission:  heading over to the Mossel Bay Wastewater Reclamation Plant opposite Hartenbos where they would contribute to South Africa's bi-annual Coordinated Waterbird Count.

I am not much of a birder - oh sure, I know the important ones like "Big Bird", "Tweety", "Woody Woodpecker" and "Huey, Dewey and Louie" (though I admit I can't tell who is who...), and even exotic ones like "Emu", but that's really about it.  

So I really didn't have any idea what to expect with this "Coordinated Waterbirds" business.  Flamingos, maybe?  They've got to be pretty coordinated given they stand around on one leg all day, right?

Turns out it there weren't any flamingos, but we did see quite a few other birds - a lot of Egyptian geese (including goslings), yellow-billed ducks, and various sized/shaped gull-like creatures (I told you I wasn't much of a birder - apparently I also don't have much of a memory for their names, either...).  Oh, and we saw the omni-present wagtails, maybe a weaver or two (I saw a fresh nest - the grass was still green), a couple of varieties of herons, a darter (which I mistook for a cormorant), 3-ringed plovers, white egrets, thick-kneed dikops, coots - I even got a pat on the back for identifying a moor hen (surprising even myself with that one).  Overhead there was an African Fish Eagle with its tell-tale white head, as well as some sort of buzzard.  

​Did I manage to take any photos of the birds?  No, of course not.  But I did get some photos of the birders!  Thanks for the outing, Aussie!

Incidentally, if you are more serious about your birds than I am, and want to find out more about birds and birding around The Island, then you'll find more in the Birdwatching section of this website, including a list of birds that have been spotted here.

I didn't have time to post this earlier, but we were running low on coffee grounds, so it was time to head out to Mossel Bay's, Blue Shed Coffee Roastery and then try out a new place for brunch: The Merchant.  A kilo sack of coffee in hand, it was back to 78C Bland Street to "The Merchant" (it's immediately adjacent to the old sandstone Searle Building).  It's set well back from the street, so it's easy to miss (I did) - watch for it.

If you want to get a jump on the Fragrance Fest which will kick-off on February 26, 2016, then why not check out the Fragrance Route?  

As I understand it, this year's Fragrance Fest will be slightly scaled back, but it's still an integral part of the PROE Mossel Baai Arts, Culture & Food scene.  The map below shows the locations for 2016 but is a bit hard to read.  Just click on it and you'll get the 2015 map in PDF format for download (note there are a few minor differences!).

I'll post more info as it becomes available - or keep an eye the PROE MB website.

The scenic route takes you through the rural backroads of Great Brak and Friemersheim where you can visit (by appointment prior to the Fest) the Hakuna Matata Game Farm, Kattekwaad (homegrown olives & olive-oil and olive-oil based products), Die Kraal (a multi-purpose complex whose grand opening coincides with the Feb 26th start of the Fest, where you can expect to find various locally-produced refreshments & handicrafts) and the Friemersheim Nursery.

Of course, you can drive the route, but it's even better on the bike (it's included in the various cycling routes on this website)!