#21 Report Back June 2013

The End is nigh! ... great news is that not only is the final checking in process, we even have an Official Launch Date (of which more details later), for “Hike the Cederberg”, as the map will be named.

The covers of the map set, front and back;
pics by Graham Bellairs and Matt du Plessis

Why the ‘hike the’? Well, we have to distinguish it carefully from our touring map of the Cederberg, which has been available in various editions since 1976. The eleventh edition of this one is next on our job card, and this time will include the popular spring flower areas north to Nieuwoudtville, Loeriesfontein and Calvinia.

But that’s a different story. The hiking maps will only be sold together, in a folding plastic wallet. Each map is roughly A1, printed on 80 gsm Duraflex waterproof paper, so the set will be relatively expensive, but the good news is that there will be a pre-launch special at a cheaper price – I’ll let you know when you can order. The set consists of two double-side maps, and they fit together like this:

In the meantime, I am going to start putting up sample bits of map, asking for your comments. These will be added from day to day to the same blog page. I can’t send out 120 emails every time, so if you would like to be involved in the checking process please visit the blog regularly from Monday 1 July. The absolute deadline for all inputs is WEDNESDAY 17 JULY. Please use the contact form on the Slingsby Maps website if you don’t have my email address.

The process started in May 2011, when Matt Britton took his first of 16 000 photos of the Cederberg Trails, is finally reaching fruition!

Matt’s photo no 1: Kliphuis;
Matt’s photo number 16 124: Boskloof. 650km in 25 days.

A great new footpath

Drikus Mouton of Wilderness Search and Resue sent me a gps track for this great little walk between Heuningvlei and Biedouw ... if you know of any details along the route, please let me know [click on map to enlarge it].

Old Ruins

Janette Deacon and Nic Wiltshire sent me their list, with co-ordinates, of ruins in the Cederberg. Many we have already but there are a good few new ones, all valuable landmarks in the Wilderness.

Doc Spock’s Rock?

Charles Merry sent me pics of Doc’s Rock, near Arch Peak, named, I’m told, for the famous Doc Watson. It’s now been suggested that the rock is really called ‘Spock’s Rock’, after the controversial how-to-bring-up-your-kids guy, not the Star Trek Vulcan. I expect a torrent of comment on this one ....

Underneath the Arches ...

I now have six rock arches in the southern area ... all look quite different in the pictures, and each has quite different coordinates, so they are indeed obviously different ... BUT I have lots and lots of contradictions about which is called what. For now I’m going to stick to the names as I have them, unless someone out there is willing to come to my office to try to sort it all out ...

But, thanks to Martin Hutton-Squire, we now have firm boundaries for the MCSA property at Breekkrantz.

Kliphuis cottages ...
Peter Hart pointed out that the new prefab cottages next to the road at Kliphuis [Pakhuis Pass] are staff quarters, not cottages for hire.

Cederberg Heritage Route
There’s a great article about the route in the June ‘Country Life’; in the meantime Peter Hart has urged all those involved to attend the AGM in Wupperthal on July 17th.

Checking ....
And special thanks to Rudolf Andrag and Patrick Lane and Steven Windell for some great inputs in the checking process. Next week I’m looking forward to a visit from Alex Basson ...

Already acknowledged:
Rudolf Andrag, Alex Basson, Graham Bellairs, Chris Berens, Arrie Beukes, Willem Beukes, Matthew Britton, Hendrico Burger, Lizette Burger, Theresa Burton, Eleanore Colyn, Andrea and Moritz Connrad, Louis Conradie, Janette Deacon, David Donald, Rika du Plessis, Connie & Lizzie du Toit, Laurence Elton, Kerneels Filander, Ferdi Fischer, David Fox, Carina Hanekom, Petrus Hanekom, Theunis Hanekom, Peter Hart, Ronnie Hazell, Tony Heher, Martin Hutton-Squire, Sam Jack, James Joubert, Jeroen Kant, Gerrit Karsten, Tony Kings, Isak Koopman, Thys Kruger, Paul la Grange, Patrick Lane, Johann Lanz, John Ross, Justin Lawson, Denis le Jeune, Margie le Roux, Nicky Lombard, Tony Lourens, Sandy MacDonald, Pieter Malan, Quinton Martins, Annette Mason, Charles Merry, Eugene Moll, Dermot Moore, Wim Morris, Greg Moseley, Drikus Mouton, Anneke Nieuwoudt, Cisca Nieuwoudt, Jannie and Katrin Nieuwoudt, Marianna Nieuwoudt, Pip Nieuwoudt, Barry Ockhuis, Joey Ockhuis, Kellie of Grasvlei, Caro & Steve Oldroyd, Paddy O’Leary, Mare Olivier, Linton Pope, Peter Jan Randewijk, Trevor Rennison, Galeo Saintz, Mike Scott, Jasper Slingsby, Mariet Smit, Mariaan Smuts, Haffie Strauss, Julyan Symons, Gert Theron, Georgina Thomas, Edmund Thompson, Ingar Valentyn, Johann van Biljon, Anne-Marie van der Merwe, Leonie van der Merwe, George van der Watt, Andricus van der Westhuizen, Hennie van der Westhuizen, Johan van der Westhuizen, Mike van Wieringen, Charité van Rijswijck, Kosie Viljoen, Jill Wagner, Torben Wiborg, Ezan Wilson, Nicholas Wiltshire, Steven Windell and Louise Esterhuizen, Mary Anne Zimri

-- Kaartman, June 2013