Eastern Cape Drakensberg - 320km

BARKLY EAST

Nestling in the foothills of the Cape Drakensberg at 1813 m, Barkly East is one of the highest, coldest towns in the country. In winter, the high mountain peaks are often snowcapped, while snow sometimes blankets the town and surrounding grasslands, creating scenes more reminiscent of Europe than of the northeastern Cape – hence the town’s claim to being the Switzerland of South Africa. Barkly East was established in 1874 and named after Sir Henry Barkly, Governor of the Cape from 1870 to 1877.

It is the commercial centre for the surrounding merino sheep farms, and the district is also well known for its cattle studs, dairy produce, grain and potatoes. The town cemetery contains the grave of Lord Kitchener’s horse, which was buried during the South African War. There are several beautiful sandstone buildings, among them the Dutch Reformed Church and the local museum, which focuses on early forms of transportation and the town’s history. Also of interest is the unique railway linking Barkly East with Lady Grey to the northwest.

Owing to the mountainous terrain, a system of eight ‘reverses’ was incorporated into the line, which has a gradient of 1 in 36,  one of only two such systems in the world. The Class 19D steam locomotive that stands in the town’s square is a reminder of the early days of rail transport.

RHODES

...lies in the tranquil valley of the Bell River, dominated by the high peaks of the Drakensberg. Founded in 1893, the settlement was originally named Rossville after Reverend David Ross, the Dutch Reformed minister of Lady Grey. In 1900, it was renamed after Cecil John Rhodes, Prime Minister of the Cape, who, as a gesture of appreciation, sent a wagon-load of stone pine trees, which still dominate the village centre. The Rhodes Hotel, with its Victorian architecture and small-town charm, was originally known as The Horseshoe.

The old stone-built school and hostel were designed by the renowned architect Sir Herbert Baker, and accommodated 250 children during the village’s heyday. Over the years, though, the population of this once-thriving farming community dwindled; the school was closed in the 1970s when there were only 11 pupils.
Today, Rhodes is a popular winter destination when the slopes of 3 001-m-high Ben MacDhui (the Eastern Cape Drakensberg’s highest point) are covered in snow, creating ideal skiing conditions.

At Tiffindell, 25 km north of Rhodes, winter snowfalls are supplemented by snow-making machines. In summer, the mountain streams offer fine trout angling opportunities. Other popular activities are horse-riding, hiking and birding.

NAUDÉSNEK PASS

At the foot of the Naudésnek Pass (1 920 m), the road passes a monument to the intrepid Naudé brothers, who built a rough track across the mountains in 1896. Using picks, shovels and a horse cart, they followed the route that their horses instinctively took when they were driven up the mountain. Following much of the original route, road engineer George Mandy constructed a military road linking Maclear with Lundin’s Nek in 1911.

From the foot of the pass, the road climbs steeply out of the Bell River valley in a series of switchbacks to the 2 500-m-high summit of the pass, from where there are spectacular views over the undulating countryside to the south.

OAKLEIGH FARM DINOSAUR TRACKS

Imprinted in the rock along the banks of the Pot River are the tracks of a large, four-footed dinosaur and a smaller, two-legged one. Although southern Africa has an abundance of dinosaur fossils, these tracks are of particular interest as they are preserved in the Molteno Formation, the lowest formation of the Stormberg Series. This places the tracks among the earliest evidence of dinosaurs in the subcontinent, dating back some 180 million years.

The four-footed dinosaur, which also left behind the mark of its dragging tail, was probably a member of the Prosauropoda, one of the most primitive groups of plant-eating dinosaurs. The two-legged tracks were made by a small theropod, a fast carnivorous dinosaur that moved on its hind legs and appears to have hunted in packs.

There are tracks of at least seven theropods, formed when these primitive reptiles walked across the muddy bed of an ancient river. As the water subsided, the mud dried out, preserving the tracks and forming mud cracks – still visible on the surface.

MACLEAR

...lies in the valley of the Mooi River amid white sandstone outcrops, rolling grasslands where sheep graze, and maize fields. The town grew up around the military camp established in 1876 for troops travelling to Matatiele and was named after Sir Thomas Maclear, the Astronomer Royal at the Cape from 1833 to 1870. As the terminal of the branch railway line from Sterkstroom, the town serves the district’s sheep and cattle farms, while dairy products, wheat and maize are also produced.