Cederberge accommodation

Post by **pietpetoors** » Mon Jun 29, 2009 8:30 am

We are planning a trip to the Cederberge next week. On 5 or 6 July we will stay over at Matroosberg but from there on I want to go into the Cederberge in the direction of Wuperthal. I know many of the camping sites around there but the ladies for some reason do not want to camp this time. I don't know why, might be the snow.

Does anybody know of nice chalets (less than R700 per night per chalet) in the area?

Dadz Toy BFI · Post by **Dadz Toy BFI** » Mon Jun 29, 2009 8:38 am

Yes Pieter,

Go to

http://www.citrusdal.info/olivier/cottage.htm

The owners are friends of my father and they are dead keen for 4x4 enthusiasts to visit and drive their very own 4x4 Trail; discount should be poss'

You can name drop if you like, my Dad's name is Bryan

Arno · Post by **Arno** » Mon Jun 29, 2009 9:46 am

Die nuutste WEGRY het artikels oor die die area en huisies by Elandsvlei. Tydskrif is by die huis so ek kan vanaand die besonderhede vir jou kry.

Mr_B · Post by **Mr_B** » Mon Jun 29, 2009 10:19 am

Hi Pieter,

Another option... EnjoLife in the Bidou Valley, just outside Wupperthal, one of my favourite spots...

Take a look at the website:
http://www.soulcountry.info

The place is run by a German couple Mauritz and Andreas, there prices are very reasonable, R270 to R370...

And the cottages have fire places... a must for this time of the year!

B

Post by **pietpetoors** » Mon Jun 29, 2009 11:11 am

Thanks, some of them seem to small unfortunately, we will be 5.

Talking about the mountains, we will be staining at Matroosberg the first night and when I confirmed our booking this morning I asked them if we would be able to do the 4x4 trail up the mountain on Sunday. They said we can but apparently it now costs R250 per vehicle PLUS R50 per person. Seems like they smelt money and now wants to rip-off the public big time. Are there any other 4x4 routes in the area where one can go to see the snow. My wife's son from Pretoria are visiting and he nether saw snow, so the whole idea is to show him snow

Mr_B · Post by **Mr_B** » Mon Jun 29, 2009 11:56 am

Hi Pieter,

In the Cederberg, there are many hikes that will take you to the snow(if there is) Wolveberg Cracks or Maltese Cross, but these are not for the faint hearted, it's quite a hike...

Matroosberg is unfortunately really expensive, when there's snow they tend to get over run with people, I think it's there way of keeping the numbers down... I know they only allow a certain number of vehicles in per day!

B

Post by **Family_Dog** » Mon Jun 29, 2009 6:25 pm

I don't know the area, but the guys from the LCCSA are very wary of the Matroosberg...

From today's Cape Times:

Man slips, falls to his death during snow outing
AN Italian living and working in Cape Town plunged to his death on Saturday after slipping on ice in the Matroosberg, falling from a cliff nearly 200m high.

With camping chairs under their arms, the 38-year-old man and his friend were walking from their 4x4 towards the edge of the deep Groothoek Kloof when they both slipped and fell, witness Otto Rall said.

The man has not yet been identified because his relatives have yet to be informed.

"He and his friend took two black chairs from their vehicle and walked down toward the edge. The next moment, they were both lying on the ground and then the one was gone.

"He dropped off the krans 10m in front of me. My eyes locked with the other man." Rall said he grabbed snatch ropes from the back of his own 4x4 and threw them down to the man, whose heel had, luckily, caught on a small rock, preventing him from also falling off the cliff.

"He dug into the snow with his nails to slow himself down. They were ripped and bleeding." The man tied the ropes around his body and Rall was able to haul him away from the edge. The man then used a rope to fashion a harness, and a group of people lowered him on to a ledge, but he could not see his friend and asked to be pulled back up.

"We radioed down to one of the cars further down the road where there was cellphone reception, and told them to call a helicopter," Rall said.

According to Wilderness Search and Rescue's John Davids, the Skymed helicopter searched the area and found and recovered the man's body.

The incident occurred close to the summit of the 2 249m high mountain in the Matroosberg Private Nature Reserve, where scores of snowboarders, skiers and 4x4 enthusiasts had driven to enjoy the snow.

According to the reserve's Didi Greef, the snow conditions were particularly unpredictable on Saturday as it was soft in some places and hard and slippery in others.

Western Cape police said the man's body was taken to the Tygerberg Hospital Mortuary.

The dead man's friend who also slipped on the snow was also his business partner, Greef said.

The victim's family, believed to be overseas, is scheduled to arrive in Cape Town today.

Some of the guys mentione that they avoid the area like the plague when it snows.

-F_D

wacky · Post by **wacky** » Mon Jun 29, 2009 7:01 pm

Well we were also on those section of the mountain and it make common sense not to go near the cliffs.
1) You cannot see the cliff's edge because the snow is so thick
2) In summer those cliffs are so scary to go near as its in a zig-zag formation with instant vertical drops.
So ja rather play safe than be sorry.because we stayed clear of those cliffs. :?
see pictures under trail reports.

Post by **pietpetoors** » Mon Jun 29, 2009 9:19 pm

Eric, I tend to agree with Wacky. I have been there before and if you stay where you are supposed to be and don't go out and try to be funny or looking for trouble, it is not that dangerous. Don't worry, where we went the last time we were very far from any cliffs or severe dangers.

Post by **pietpetoors** » Tue Jun 30, 2009 8:48 am

OK, Bretton we are going to stay one night at the place you suggested, although their cottage only takes max of 4 we twisted their arm to allow 5.

Rich, your place is just a little bit out of the way, if we stayed one night longer I would have looked at it, perhaps next time.

Arno, I did read the WEGRY. Elandsvlei is also a bit out of our way for this trip. On this trip we want to cover a smaller area but see if we can do more activities like hiking, looking for bushman paintings, etc instead of just driving around.

Thanks for all of your input and suggestions

Mr_B · Post by **Mr_B** » Tue Jun 30, 2009 8:56 am

I take it you are going to Stadsaal Caves then? There are bushmen painting, but unfortunately they have been fenced off... cause some id1ots think it's good sports to damage them :evil: . A fun route do is from Wupperthal to Eselbank, via Eselbank pass... just be careful if it's raining the pass may be slippery and some sections are pretty narrow.

Niel · Post by **Niel** » Tue Jun 30, 2009 9:01 am

snipes wrote:Eselbank pass... just be careful if it's raining the pass may be slippery and some sections are pretty narrow

Is that the same pass the locals drive with sedan vehicles

ThysdJ · Post by **ThysdJ** » Tue Jun 30, 2009 9:10 am

Niel wrote:Is that the same pass the locals drive with sedan vehicles

het die ou met die Mazda 323 by jou OOK verbygekom Niel?

Mr_B · Post by **Mr_B** » Tue Jun 30, 2009 11:03 am

Niel wrote:
snipes wrote:Eselbank pass... just be careful if it's raining the pass may be slippery and some sections are pretty narrow
Is that the same pass the locals drive with sedan vehicles

Yip that's the one... the locals use it like a rally track... they're mad... just take a look what there vehicles look like!!

On our way down, we met a local on his way the steeper narrow section... he says it's all about revs...

he was on his second exhaust system for the year... everything was held together with bloudraad! It's alot worse it the wet!

Post by **pietpetoors** » Tue Jun 30, 2009 12:58 pm

You must try it on a bike boet. Especially of you drive in the track closest to the edge. It is a completely different experience from doing it in a vehicle with 4 wheels. It feels as if you are going to fall over and you know that if you just fall over you will fall far.

Arno · Post by **Arno** » Tue Jun 30, 2009 1:22 pm

Did it on a mountain bike ! Riding (braking ) down and pushing up !

Piesang · Post by **Piesang** » Tue Jun 30, 2009 4:00 pm

Pieter as jy daai pad met jou bakkie gaan ry plak voortydig die flikkerligte voor met ductape aan die boddy vas. Daai pad skud so dat die armpie bo aan die lig wat hom aan die bakwerk vas hou afbreek en dan val hy uit. Ek het my bakkie sin dar verloor. En nee ek het nie soos die locals gejaag nie.

Ons gaan af-en-toe waneer dit ons gegun word kamp by Kromrevier, daar is geen krag vir die tent staanplekke nie. Daar is wel huisies en 'n vriend van my het nou twee weke terug vir 'n week daar in 'n uisie gebly.
Dit is baie stiller as die ander kampplekke en is sentral gelee tussen die Statsaal grotte, Wolfberg skeur en die M/kruis en loop afstand van Truitjieskraal en baie plek om met jou fiets tery. Ongelukkig is die 4x4 roete op die plaas gesluit.

Jy kan ook 'n ent met die revier op ry en dan verder allangs die rivier stap tot jy by 'n waterfal en nog verder poelle uit kom, maak so dag van die stap.

Post by **Family_Dog** » Tue Jun 30, 2009 6:31 pm

pietpetoors wrote:You must try it on a bike boet. Especially of you drive in the track closest to the edge. It is a completely different experience from doing it in a vehicle with 4 wheels. It feels as if you are going to fall over and you know that if you just fall over you will fall far.

I suffer from extreme vertigo (fear of heights). Never, ever, would you get me anywhere close to a place like this, and the fact that one might think there is solid ground next to you but in reality there is only a snow bank, gives me the willies even as I read about it. As a kid, I used to have nightmares from falling into deep holes, before finally waking up with a shock. Eishhhh.......... not for me, thank you! :roll:

Piet, enjoy it, but take care!

-F_D

wacky · Post by **wacky** » Tue Jun 30, 2009 11:25 pm

En ek het gedink ek is al een "pietpetoors wrote:

I suffer from extreme vertigo

Post by **pietpetoors** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 3:12 pm

We are back. I will probably write the trip report tonight.
The whole area was quite exciting. They had lots of rain two weeks ago which washed away a lot of the roads. The Matroosberg route has also been washed away at some stages and it was a bit more difficult than usual. There was even one place where I only got up on the second try.

The back road to Wuppertal also lost its "Sedan" status. There are places where you would not get through with a sedan vehicle. What is unfortunately very sad to see is that somebody (probably the sedan drivers) just made new detours through the bushes everywhere where the road has been washed away.

Mr_B · Post by **Mr_B** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 4:11 pm

pietpetoors wrote:What is unfortunately very sad to see is that somebody (probably the sedan drivers) just made new detours through the bushes everywhere where the road has been washed away.

This is more than likely done by the local that live at Eselbank, they really don't have much of an option, they don't have 4x4's and have to get home somehow!

Can't wait to read the trip report!

B

Post by **pietpetoors** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 9:48 pm

Bretton you can have a look at http://www.africatrips.co.za/cape-town- ... ound-trip/

Mr_B · Post by **Mr_B** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 10:17 pm

Pieter I'm really glad you and the family enjoyed Middelplas, it's a special place! In fact your pictures have made me decide it's time for the family to visit there again soon... very soon... my favourite spot in up at the dam/pool watching the sun set, with all the weaver birds nests overhead...

B

Post by **pietpetoors** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 10:30 pm

Ja, I actually dont feel like being here. I would love to go back there and help them mark out the hiking trails and build the bush camp.

Dadz Toy BFI · Post by **Dadz Toy BFI** » Thu Aug 13, 2009 9:40 pm

snipes wrote:Hi Pieter,

Another option... EnjoLife in the Bidou Valley, just outside Wupperthal, one of my favourite spots...

Take a look at the website:
http://www.soulcountry.info

The place is run by a German couple Mauritz and Andreas, there prices are very reasonable, R270 to R370...

And the cottages have fire places... a must for this time of the year!

B

Thanks B

We're just trying to book this for the 24-27th Sept

Is there a lekker SWAMBO friendly trail near by

Post by **pietpetoors** » Fri Aug 14, 2009 9:17 am

Hi Rich, no there is not an official trail. You can drive up to the fountain which is a nice route and there are a couple of places where it is rather difficult. There are also hiking trails.

Dadz Toy BFI · Post by **Dadz Toy BFI** » Fri Aug 14, 2009 9:23 am

Thanks Pieter

We might even end up at my Dad's friends place, just a big worri over the proximity of the pool and damn to the huis, not clever when you have a very active and curious 2 yr old

I did promise them that I'd Appraise their new Trail in 2009, might have to be a Club Weekender nê

Piesang · Post by **Piesang** » Fri Aug 14, 2009 11:12 am

Ek was so 23jaar terug van Clanwilliam se kant af na die maalgate wat daar is en as ek reg onthou was dit by Bidou, maar toe ek die gesin met ons trips daar deur so jaar terug wou gaan wys, kon ek nie die plek kry nie.

Het wel by 'n plek ingery waar ek gedink het dit moet wees, maar dit was seker etenstyd daar en kon niemand in die hande kry om te vra nie.

Weet julle waar die maalgate is?

Post by **pietpetoors** » Fri Aug 14, 2009 11:31 am

Ja, dis by Sanddrif
Sien http://pietpetoors.com/cederberge/wupperthal/5.php
en
http://www.africatrips.co.za/cape-town- ... ound-trip/

Mr_B · Post by **Mr_B** » Fri Aug 14, 2009 11:40 am

Excuse my potential ignorance, but is it not called MalGat?

I've been there, but only the real 'mal gatte' actually did the jump into that icy cold water... btw it was the middle of winter!

B

Piesang · Post by **Piesang** » Fri Aug 14, 2009 12:16 pm

pietpetoors wrote:Ja, dis by Sanddrif
Sien http://pietpetoors.com/cederberge/wupperthal/5.php
en
http://www.africatrips.co.za/cape-town- ... ound-trip/

Piet, nee dit is nie die een by Sandrif nie, was al 'n paarmal daar. Ek sal die ou albums moet gaan uithaal en die fotos in scaan dat jul kan sien hoe die plek lyk waarvan ek praat.

Buff · Post by **Buff** » Fri Aug 14, 2009 12:30 pm

It's on the left just before the 90deg right hand bend before you get to Eselbank (before the low level bridge) if you're coming from Wuppertals side.
About 3 pools that flow into each other and then over the waterfall.

Piesang · Post by **Piesang** » Fri Aug 14, 2009 12:35 pm

Buff wrote:It's on the left just before the 90deg right hand bend before you get to Eselbank (before the low level bridge) if you're coming from Wuppertals side.
About 3 pools that flow into each other and then over the waterfall.

That sounds like it.. but where the ............. is Eselbank.

Post by **pietpetoors** » Fri Aug 14, 2009 12:50 pm

Oh, those. Have a look at http://pietpetoors.com/bike_wupperthal/2.php
Eselbank is in the way to Wupperthal if you go from Sanddrif to Wupperthal

hentey · Post by **hentey** » Fri Aug 14, 2009 12:56 pm

Piesang,ek het n foto van die Eselbankers wat ek vir jou kan e-mail.Wil dit nie op die forum sit nie.Laat kry my jou e adres dan maak ek so.Dit was op n Satteraggg mirraggg geneem

Buff · Post by **Buff** » Fri Aug 14, 2009 2:08 pm

Turn off is at S32 20 42.1 E19 13 11.9 and the pools at S32 20 47 E19 13 25.8

Dadz Toy BFI · Post by **Dadz Toy BFI** » Fri Aug 14, 2009 2:33 pm

Buff wrote:Turn off is at S32 20 42.1 E19 13 11.9 and the pools at S32 20 47 E19 13 25.8

Coool, thanks Brett

Piesang · Post by **Piesang** » Fri Aug 14, 2009 3:00 pm

Dadz Toy BFI wrote:
Buff wrote:Turn off is at S32 20 42.1 E19 13 11.9 and the pools at S32 20 47 E19 13 25.8

Coool, thanks Brett

And now I need thar GPS that I don't have.

Buff · Post by **Buff** » Fri Aug 14, 2009 3:12 pm

Work with me here Pieter, I'm try my best to help you out

Post by **pietpetoors** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 8:31 pm

Does anybody know where Martiensrus or Beukeskraal is? Must be close to Wuppertal somewhere.
Or does anybody know where the dam is where Wuppertal gets its water from?