Guildhall in Sandwich
The Guildhall in Sandwich is a very attractive old building which also houses the museum. We started the day here before going out of the town to explore the Monks Wall Nature Reserve.... READ MORE
Churches & Monasteries in Sandwich
There are three churches and a vanished monastery in Sandwich. READ MORE
River Stour nature reserves in Sandwich
We enjoyed walks in two more River Stour nature reserves in Sandwich, after we had explored the Gazen Salts nature reserve. And we were lucky with the weather too. READ MORE
Gazen Salts Nature Reserve
In Roman times, Gazen Salts Nature Reserve was the bottom of the Wantsum Channel, the channel of water which divided Kent from the Isle of Thanet. John Gason was once a leaseholder here,... READ MORE
Sandwich Town Walls
Sandwich must be one of the most complete Mediaeval towns in England and as such it would have been walled. So, we walked the line of the Sandwich town walls on successive days.... READ MORE
A few days in Sandwich
After a gruelling winter we needed a break, nothing too dramatic, but a change from the everyday, work, and responsibilities, and so decided on a few days in Sandwich on the Kent coast.... READ MORE
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Walking in the Bontebok National Park, Swellendam
The Bontebok National Park is just outside Swellendam and as we had enjoyed our visit and walk last year we returned for a repeat experience. We turned into the carpark and found a group of bontebok who didn’t seem at all … Continued
Tradouw Pass
We set off into Tradouw Pass towards the end of the day with a deadline for arriving in Swellendam so these photographs were taken from inside the car. The pass is 16 kms of tarred road, the R324, following the course … Continued
Calitzdorp
Calitzdorp, like several of the towns we visited, started on a farm. Jacobus Pretorius settled in the area, which he called ‘Buffelsvlei’, in 1757, and other settlers gradually followed.
The Church of St Peter & St Paul, Fressingfield
The Church of St Peter & St Paul in Fressingfield was built in the 1300s and 1400s and its South Porch dates from c.1420s, with fine flintwork and lovely carvings. The Church is in the middle of the village, on a … Continued
Driving from Oudtshoorn to Swellendam
We left Oudtshoorn late morning to drive the 238 kms to Swellendam on the tarred R62, then turned off on a quieter, concrete road, heading for Calitzdorp. The concrete road was the original road between Oudtshoorn and Calitzdorp and the first … Continued
Around the Cango Caves in the Swartberg Mountains
We drove out of Oudtshoorn towards the Cango Caves but didn’t go in – I am claustrophobic – and just wanted to see the scenery closer to the mountains.
Langenhoven in Oudtshoorn
Cornelis Jacobus Langenhoven (1873-1932) was a writer, poet, and philosopher who lived in Oudtshoorn and was perhaps best known as the author of Die Stem, the poem whose words were used as the original South African national anthem.
Oudtshoorn
Oudtshoorn as a South African town dates back to the mid-1800s and is principally known for the production of ostrich products. I visited last year and in this post just wanted to walk around the town and take in some … Continued
Port Elizabeth to Oudtshoorn via the Langkloof
We left PE on a grey day for drive the 325 kms to Oudtshoorn, choosing to travel through the Langkloof on the R62 rather than along the coast. The Langkloof is a valley of c.160kms with a climate which is … Continued
Along the coast at Port Elizabeth
Saturday’s heat and humidity had been tiring and so we decided on a quiet Sunday, wandering down the coast from Port Elizabeth with stops to smell the sea and perhaps see dolphins. The sea smells salty here, and fresh, and … Continued