Onward and Upward – Hogsback here we come

We left Somerset East round noon on Sunday morning, with a fair drive ahead of us.  The temperatures again were soaring but we had planned to make a few stops so that the dogs could have some time to cool off and walk around.  We went through Bedford, Fort Beaufort and then Alice, before starting the steep climb to Hogsback.  As we started the climb upwards, we noticed quite a drop in the temperature from what we had, had the past few days.   Although the sky was blue and the sun shining, it was noticeably cooler.  Hogsback is beautiful, lush and green.  Lovely virgin forests and an abundance of birdlife.   Definitely get loads of rain here, which we were about to experience in the coming days.   As we got to the top of the road, on the left was Swallowtail Caravan Park, a very welcome sight for all of us.

There is not a lot to do in Hogsback for entertainment.   Most of the people who live in Hogsback are involved one way or another in hospitality.  There are plenty of accommodation places, a hotel, restaurant, art galleries, two small foodzones, a small petrol station, tourist information and even a telkom satellite office.   Oh and of course the bottlestore which seems to do the best trade, this was evident in most of the little towns we went through.

Hogsback is great if you are a hiker, mountainbiker, walker, or just want to do nothing.  Great birdlife for birders.  The forests are spectacular and there are several waterfalls one can visit.  Apart from that, not much.  We decided to stay put in Hogsback until after New Year, giving ourselves time to settle in to campervan life and give the dogs time to familiarise themselves with their surroundings, before moving on.  We are not sure where to next, so watch this space for more of our ad-ventures…..