U-Carmen iKhayelitsha

When this film was first on circuit, having won the 2005 Golden Bear award in Berlin, I had high hopes of being able to see it in a cinema; however, it seemed to miss most of the main venues and dropped into insignificance for most of us. I remember being present at Cape Town International Airport to meet someone off a flight when the director and cast flew back from receiving their awards in Germany and seeing how the entire concourse was taken up with their reception committee which was anything but quiet. So imagine my delight when I was able to find a copy of the DVD over the weekend! I immediately bought it and retired to watch the result.

Despite being an opera-fan for many years, I have only seen Carmen once, and that evening turned out to be something of a mission since the original opera has five acts; in sheer length and in its ability to turn the most comfortable theatre seat into an agony of shifting this way and that in order to stop one’s legs going to sleep it is only rivalled by several of the Wagner operas. Musically it does not rate with me as one of the greats since its many good melodies are interspersed with a great deal of operatic padding and stage-business and its orchestration definitely fits into the ‘light music’ category. No doubt in his time Bizet was popular, being accessible to most of the public, but a great composer he is not. When compared with Verdi, Puccini, Ponchielli, Saint-Saens (all of whom wrote at a similar time), his music is pleasantly singable but not particularly deep.

It was interesting to see how Carmen would translate into a modern idiom and especially into Xhosa and move itself from a romantic Spain of 1875 to a squalid Khayelitsha of the present. Of course, Romeo and Juliet was successfully moved from the middle ages to modern New York in West Side Story, and Carmen has been moved before with reasonable success as in Carmen Jones, again set in America. However, the Americans are not known for the sheer exuberance and amazing voices of our local black Africans, and so I was eager to see how this idea worked.

Apart from the fact that the natural noise of the streets is often allowed to drown out the score so that Bizet’s music becomes no more than a faint background, the singing is extremely good. It is a real thrill to know that there is such talent hidden away in the townships of this country and a great pity that we don’t see and hear more of it. Carmen comes across as a rather reclusive girl, hidden away in her cigarette factory, and does not really come to life as the temptress/animal that Callas made her until the very end of the opera. The famous Habanera is very low-key and, in my mind, could have been made a great deal more of, as also the gypsy dance on the table in the tavern, but the card song is brilliantly translated into a visit to the witch-doctor, and the very dramatic ending brings tears to the eyes.

The singing, as you can expect, is remarkably good and true to the original score, although, with the exception of Jongi (the soldier, Don Jose, with whom the original Carmen falls in love) and the girl from the country (Michaela), the soloists seem to have difficulty in sustaining the long top notes and some of these were slightly flat. The part of Escamillo (the bull-fighter, but in this version the singer) is all but written out and appears on only two occasions and is then little more than incidental to the actual plot. However, the bouquets really go to Jongi and Michaela, both of whom have wonderful voices that have depth, pitch and a strength capable of holding its own in any opera-house.

The original plot is a mixture of love, lust, betrayal, revenge, and death and this comes over well in U-Carmen, except for the fact that Carmen’s eventual allegiance to Escamillo and the jealousy that this causes in Jongi is not present in this version. It leaves the watcher wondering why Carmen suddenly appears to fall out of love with Jongi at the end of the opera, and therefore why he kills her. I kept on wondering through the DVD what European audiences must have thought of these somewhat overweight protagonists as they strutted their stuff about busy Khayelitsha. Carmen manages to zip herself into some amazingly tight outfits (no small task, if you’ll pardon the pun) and Jongi looks, throughout the opera, like a small turnip about to burst out of his uniform. The ageing Escamillo figure entirely lacks the aplomb and lustre of the star in the original.

Acted out against the backdrop of a very real and lively Khayelitsha with revenge being replaced by criminality and a yearning for money taking the place of lust, it is an extremely well made film and the translation from the original French into Xhosa is little short of brilliant. The truncation of the original opera tends to reduce it rather to a musical comedy in which normal scenes suddenly burst forth into music and the commonplace suddenly becomes the operatic drama, is not for everyone. However, in the context it works and one is actually left wondering whether the original or its translation is the better theatre. The only pity in my mind is that some of the better music gets thrown out, causing the plot to be a little hard to follow, and the end result to be a little ‘bitty’ and raising a number of questions in the mind of the watcher.

The Forgotten Highway

Mitchell's Pass

The Forgotten Highway

Whilst we live in a very beautiful country, it is interesting to note that its main history is fairly recent, only really going back to about 1850. Before that date the hinterland was largely unknown and unexplored and tended to be the bailiwick of various African tribes who fought one another for territory; even the Voortrekkers made only a small impact on the land beyond the Witteberg mountains as they ran to escape the rigours of British rule. Those that headed eastwards along the coast towards Grahamstown had other problems, but this article is too short to deal with those.

Until 1850 the Great Karoo and the lands beyond the Orange River remained largely untamed and only intrepid botanists, missionaries, and other explorers ventured so far afield from civilisation. There was a reasonable road from Cape Town north to Paarl and Wellington, and thence a wagon trail along the mountains and through the old Roodezand pass to Tulbagh, where a small farming community had laid out a village at the head of the Bree River Valley, then by an even more tortuous route over the Witsenberg into the Warm Bokkeveld, through which the wagon trail led towards what is now known as the Theronsberg Pass. The trail crossed this pass, continued through Hottentotskloof, and entered the poort known as Karoopoort, described by W.J.Burchell in 1811 as ‘the door to the desert’, since it marked the exit from the Warm Bokkeveld into the Ceres Karoo.

Somewhere between 1827 and 1848 the course of the road was changed when Mostert’s Pass was opened through the gap in the mountains made by the river as it flowed down from Ceres, just a small settlement in those days, past the peak known as Mostert’s Hoek, to join the Bree River; this pass was later re-surveyed and engineered to become the present Mitchell’s Pass, which was opened in 1848. With each new development the road to the interior became easier and more frequented and in 1850 an inn was opened in Karoopoort.

There had been a farm in the poort which was noted as far back as 1774 by Thunberg, a Swedish gardener from Kew Gardens. The farm consisted of a thatched homestead, some cornfields, a fruit orchard, and a stream set about with oaks and poplars. The inn was a very basic structure built to the south of the present house and provided little more than overnight shelter to the weary traveller. However, it was an inn which was destined to offer its limited hospitality to many well-known people such as Rhodes, Le Vaillant, Dr.Livingstone et al.

In 1852 Bain’s Kloof was opened and this year really marked the beginning of the period in which the road to the interior became a highway. Travellers would take the train as far as Wellington (which was in those days the end of the line) and then would continue by wagon or on horseback through Bain’s Kloof, Mitchell’s Pass, and Ceres to Kafferskraal (where there is still a farm of that name) where there was an outspan. They would then carry on to Leeuwfontein (which still exists, but not under that name) where they could overnight, and then over the pass to Hottentotskloof, where there is still a picnic spot with water. The next stopping place would be at Karoopoort, where they could stay the night, before continuing into the Ceres Karoo, where there were outspans at Platfontein and Smitswinkel.

In 1870 the diamond fields of Kimberley were discovered and for a brief time the road, now known as ‘the Forgotten Highway’, became exceptionally busy. A weekly service between Cape Town and Kimberley was started by a company known as The Diamond Fields Transport Company and diggers, fortune-hunters, speculators, and traders in their thousands passed through the poort on their way to make their fortunes. Soon afterwards, a coach service was begun from Wellington via Beaufort West to Kimberley. At times there were as many as thirty wagons, nose to bumper, travelling through the pass, carrying wine, brandy, hardware, mining equipment, tobacco, biltong, dried and fresh fruit, vegetables, and skins. They were not only headed for Kimberley as there was another road which led eventually to Calvinia and thence northwards to Gordonia and Namaqualand. This road fell out of favour in 1877 when the Pakhuis Pass was opened, offering a more direct route from Cape Town; in the same year, the railway line had reached Touws River, making road transport less attractive and effectively beginning the decline of the Forgotten Highway through Karoopoort.

By 1895 the road was all but deserted, and in 1900 the inn closed. The Forgotten Highway was passing into history, overtaken by the railways and the need for speed and comfort. Parts of the highway can still be seen: Bain’s Kloof remains largely unchanged except for the tarred surface, and until 1948 it was still the main road from Cape Town to Johannesburg; Mitchell’s Pass, although much wider than the original, is still the only road from the coast to Ceres; the farms Kafferskloof and Leeuwfontein still exist and their outspans are still clearly visible; Hottentot’s Kloof is still there and still used; there is still a road through Karoopoort to Calvinia and Sutherland, and the original farmhouse, inn, and fig orchard are still very much in existence, as is the outspan under the poplar trees by the river; in 1981 the fig orchard was made a National Monument, and even today there is still a clause in the lease over the farm (it is still owned by the Sate) stipulating that free overnight accommodation must be offered to travellers; the farms Platfontein and Smitswinkel are still there for those who care to look, but the road with its motley crowd of hopeful travellers, has long since disappeared into the mists of time.

When next in the area, pause awhile under the poplar trees by the river, switch off your engine and you might hear the beat of hooves and grind of wagons as they toil through the poort; imagine how what is now a quiet and lonely spot was once the Forgotten Highway to the riches of the future.

Ceres: The Warm Bokkeveld

Karoopoort Farm

Ceres: A Trip into the Wilderness and Paradise

Of all the towns in the Western Cape, Ceres, nestling in the south-western corner of the Warm Bokkeveld, is one of the few places which are not only attractive but also is an excellent spot from which to explore some of the most interesting areas of our wonderful country. Instead of writing only about Ceres itself, I am going to suggest an ideal three-day trip from Cape Town – a chance to get away from it all and see some of the very best that this part of the world has to offer.

Leave Cape Town on the N1 and travel north-east through the Berg River valley, leaving the N1 at Klapmuts (R44) and turning left round the bottom of the Paarl Mountain, following the signs to Wellington, which you will reach after crossing the Berg River and after only forty-five minutes drive. Turn left for Nuwe Kloof Pass; turn right again over the railway bridge at Wellington and at the first traffic light turn left again travelling down Church St. The road leads straight through Wellington and continues up into the mountains (R303). This is the original road built by Thomas Bain and opened in 1852 and was for many years the main highway from the coast to the interior. Follow the road as it twists and turns on its tortuous way up the Hawequa Mountains and pause at the top to enjoy the view towards Table Mountain over the Berg River valley. Continue with this road as it falls away down the valley between high peaks with the Witte River tumbling along on your right. At the end of the pass is an excellent bush pub where you can stop for lunch before you continue your journey across the Bree River valley. Pass the turn to your left to Wolseley and carry straight on until just after passing the Mill and Oaks on your right, the road joins the R46 and enters Mitchell’s Pass.

In 1848 the present Mitchell’s Pass was opened and took over from the original Mostert’s Pass, which followed the riverbed through the bottom of the valley. Today, Mitchell’s Pass is a relatively high-speed road and, despite being busy, winds upwards through some of the most awe-inspiring scenery of the Western Cape. From the beginning of the pass the road climbs steadily with the twin peaks of Mostert’s Hoek on your right; just before the end of the Pass on your left you will see the original toll-house which is now open for light meals; soon after this, almost without warning, there is a sharp left turn, a short downhill stretch, and you are right in the middle of the town itself. At this time of year the plane trees and oaks are already turning colour and losing their leaves and there is a definite chill in the air, unlike the lower regions where the end of summer still clings. Ceres is a good shopping centre with every kind of shop you could wish for; it is also a very pretty town through which the Titus river joins the Skaap river and then tumbles through the pass and joins the Klein Berg river to flow through Nuwe Kloof Pass and into the Berg River proper. The river in Ceres is lined with trees, rustling now in the autumn wind, and passes under the main road as you enter the town. There are many good accommodation establishments in the tree-lined backstreets and a stop here is highly recommended. Ceres also has a very good golf-course and wilderness area as you leave Mitchell’s Pass. Ceres is the centre from which most of our local fruit comes and an ideal place from which to explore areas such as the Warm Bokkeveld, the Koue Bokkeveld, Bo-Swarmoed, Agter Witsenberg, and the Ceres Karoo.

Once rested and refreshed, and having explored the town itself, you are now ready to hit the road again. Take the R46 north-eastwards out of Ceres towards the towering wall of Theronsberg straight ahead. Soon after passing the informal settlement which lies to the right of this road and the jail which lies to the left, take a right turn for Bo-Swarmoed and follow this secondary road as it meanders through fruit orchards towards the backs of the Hex River mountains; climb the Swarmoed Pass, keep left and re-join the R46 just after Hottentots Kloof, a small picnic area. Follow the R46 for a short distance until, keeping straight on when the R46 turns off to the right for Touws River, the road becomes gravel and is now the R355. You should have been able to cover this distance in less than one hour from Ceres.

The R355 then descends into Karoopoort, one of the most fascinating and historical roads of this part of the world. Because of the high volume of traffic to the interior (and this was the only road, known as the Forgotten Highway) an inn was opened in 1850 and the original homestead still stands. There had been a farm in the poort which was noted as far back as 1774 by Thunberg, a Swedish gardener from Kew Gardens. The farm consisted of a thatched homestead, some cornfields, a fruit orchard, and a stream set about with oaks and poplars. The inn was a very basic structure built to the south of the present house and provided little more than overnight shelter to the weary traveller. However, it was an inn which was destined to offer its limited hospitality to many well-known people such as Rhodes, Le Vaillant, Dr.Livingstone et al. The original fig orchard still runs alongside the road on the left and the whole area is a national monument. It is a magical spot which is well worth stopping for; park your car under the trees by the stream where the original Outspan was, and listen to the absolute silence while you imagine the creaks of ox-wagons, the crack of the driver’s whip, and later the rattle of stage-coaches as they made their way through the poort.

Continue on the R355, ignoring the right turn for Sutherland (this is a journey in itself), until about forty kilometres from Karoopoort you see a left turn marked ‘Kaggakamma’.

All the way from leaving the mountains which form the gateway to the Ceres Karoo at Karoopoort you are travelling through the wilderness known as the Ceres Karoo. On your left the Swartruggens mountains rise towards the blue of the sky, while in the distance on the right are the Komsberg and the Roggeveldberg; the central area, through which the road drives, straight as a dye is a vast grey plain relieved at times by small hillocks. It is a dry, dull, area where on a clear day you can see for miles and over which the endless sky arches. Apart from the occasional ground squirrel and pygmy meerkat almost nothing moves and distant cars can be seen as great columns of dust in the veld. Despite the apparent emptiness of the place there are several fascinating farms and old homesteads hidden in the spurs of the mountains on your left.

Turn left at the Kaggakamma road and start your twisting and turning climb into the Swartruggens mountains. As the road climbs ever upwards there are some wonderful views backwards over the plain. After about half an hour’s drive you will see a signpost on your right pointing to Kaggakamma. Be warned: although the restaurant here is open for lunch, the kitchen closes at two p.m. sharp and the service road to Kaggakamma is often stony and seemingly endless, although it is only eighteen kilometres. Kaggakamma, despite being very well-known, was to me a rather disappointing place perched high up on a plateau above the Koue Bokkeveld. Overnight accommodation is available here, although it is fairly pricey and very much for the four-wheel drive brigade.

If you choose to ignore the right turn to Kaggakamma, continue to follow the minor road as it twists and turns through the mountains to suddenly burst forth on the edge of a dizzying precipice. You will be warned to engage low gear here as you start the amazing drop down the Katbakkies Pass. At the bottom of the pass the road crosses a curious white pan through which the Riet River passes, and then soon afterwards it joins another minor road which leads, on your right, to Mount Cedar, the Groot River, and the Cedarberg Pass to Clanwilliam. Mount Cedar is a large, modern hotel on the banks of the Groot River and is well worth a visit. Overnight accommodation is available here and the hotel is fully licensed. On you left the road soon becomes tar again and leads past some of the richest fruit-farms of the Koue Bokkeveld before joining the R303 at Op Die Berg.

At this T-junction, Citrusdal lies off to your right along a road which is particularly scenic but also somewhat precipitous when it crosses the Middelburg Pass, and to your left is the road back towards Ceres. Turn left here and follow the tar R303 through the Koue Bokkeveld, the Skuurweberg on your right, until you begin the descent of Gydo Pass. On your right is a turning marked ‘Agter Witsenberg’ and, if you still have time, this is a fascinating detour. The road quickly climbs the Skuurweberg, crosses the summit, and descends into a wonderfully green area laced with lakes and smaller farms; tar all the way, it is definitely worth making the small detour.

Back on the R303, you now find that you are dropping rapidly down the side of Theronsberg – the Gydo Pass - towards the Warm Bokkeveld. There are various viewpoints on this road, and it is well worth stopping to see the whole of the valley stretching away below you; you can see the road running through Prince Alfred’s Hamlet and then on towards Ceres.

The round trip is well under two hundred kilometres and I would highly recommend it. Take your camera, and some padkos, because you will need both!

The road back from Ceres to Cape Town is no less interesting. Follow the R46 back down Mitchell’s Pass and at the end of the pass turn left for Worcester (R43). Pass the Mill and Oaks on your left and follow the road until the next left turn at Bree River (R43). Follow this road for only four kilometres and then turn right onto a road signposted ‘Slanghoek’. The road soon crosses the Bree River and once more becomes tar as it wanders through the lush wine-farms of the Slanghoek valley. The views are stupendous, there is a very good winery, and twenty-one kilometres further on you come to the old N1. Turn right here if you don’t want to have a look at Rawsonville (there’s not much to see) and follow the road until it joins the present N1 at the beginning of the pass.

There is a good restaurant and winery off to your right in the middle of the pass, otherwise continue straight, pass through the Huguenot Tunnel, and then it’s a straight run back to Cape Town.

You will not forget the wonderful places you have been to or the sights you have seen.

Hidden Corners of the Cape

Left to right: the schoolhouse, Lenie Marais House, the road to Die Hel, the Gamka River

To Hell and Gone – exploring Die Hel

I have always been one of those people with strange ideas: many years ago I was a steepleholic – if there was a church steeple with a good view I would be the first to climb to the top, then there would be disused railway-lines and tunnels, or canals from the Industrial Revolution. Since we have few of these in this country it has always been a mission of mine to find places which the average person would overlook. In this article I would like to take you to some of the places hidden away in our wonderful country which the various guide-books hardly ever mention and which, to my mind, are well worth a visit.

Over the years I have crossed the famous Swartberg Pass between Prince Albert and Oudtshoorn several times and have always been strongly attracted by the sign at the top of the pass pointing downwards through the mountains to Die Hel. Perhaps the attraction of this road is the warning that there is no petrol available for the entire trip, or it could be that most of the books warn of a road which should not be undertaken by the faint-hearted. That is probably why, on a dreary damp morning in June, three of us sandwiched ourselves and enough supplies to keep an army going for a week into my small Mazda Soho and set out on our voyage of discovery.

We made Oudtshoorn in mid-afternoon; the clouds had lifted and a pale sunlight lit our way as, with a full petrol tank, we started the climb up the Swartberg Mountains. Firstly the road led through the endless tourist-traps (Crocodile ranches and the like) which have sprung up to the north of the town, and then, becoming more scenic wound through Schoeman’s Poort, hills high on either side, towards the famous Cango Caves. Soon after the caves the road changed from a good tar to a particularly slippery dirt and we began climbing the Swartberg proper. The pass climbs 1000 metres in only about 25 kilometres and has changed little since it was built by teams of prisoners over a period of four years, finishing in 1888. The clouds descended once more as we skidded through hairpin bends, climbing steadily all the time, until at the end of what seemed like an eternity we reached the top of the pass and stopped for a breather at the signpost to Die Hel, about 55 kms from Oudtshoorn.

There was little to see on this relatively flat plateau at the summit, but since the afternoon was rapidly sinking to dusk we headed westwards towards Die Hel, better known today as Gamkaskloof. The road was at first wide and gravely, leading past dark stands of pines and all the time following the Waterkloof River which flowed in the valley to our right. Then it began to climb and become steadily narrower. We crossed a ridge, descended to the bottom of a valley where we crossed a stream, and then ascended again towards the stars which were now beginning to come out. Apart from the fact that many of the bends are steep and narrow, the road, where it crosses streams (and there are five of them in all), is clearly not designed for long wheel-based vehicles as the dongas are narrow and deep. Guide books which actually mention this hidden valley warn that the road is not suitable for busses, caravans, or mobile homes. In the deepening twilight we crossed three long ridges until, cresting the final one, the awesome valley of the Gamaskloof could just be discerned far below us.

The history of this virtually unknown place has always fascinated me. First inhabited in 1830, Die Hel could only be reached by following the Gamka River from Calitzdorp, a trip of at least 35 kilometres through very rough terrain. Official history tells us that the valley was discovered by accident, but local rumour is somewhat different and tells of smuggling and all sorts of dirty deeds from the past. In 1841 the first farm was registered in the kloof and there was no road access until as late as 1962. Until the road was built there were just three routes in and out of the place: the riverbed to Calitzdorp in the south, the riverbed to Prince Albert in the north, and up a particularly hair-raising track (known as The Ladder) to Ladismith in the west. A few families found that this was the ideal escape from civilisation (no phones, no tax-inspectors, no police service) and they farmed here successfully for just over one hundred and fifty years. When the children were old enough to go to school they would be tied on the backs of donkeys which would then be slapped so that they trekked over the mountains to Calitzdorp. In later years a small school was opened in the valley. Due to the fact that only a few families ever settled here the problems of in-breeding were well-known; however, as long as one remained reasonably healthy this was an ideal environment in which to live. In 1991 the last inhabitants packed their bags and left and Cape Nature Conservation took over ownership and management of the area.

We ground our way down the precipitous road into the bottom of the valley in first gear, darkness closing in on all sides, and then made our way slowly through the valley to the cottage we had hired on the other side of the Gamka River. We soon had paraffin lamps lit, food cooking on the stove, a fire in the grate, and thought longingly of deep feathery beds under the thatched roof beneath the stars.

We were fortunate to be assigned to part of the original farm, Ouplaas, where we occupied Snyman’s House, just above the tranquil Gamka River as it gurgles through beds of reeds beneath the road and then winds onwards through the mountains to Calitzdorp. The cottages are comfortable and well furnished and the beds, although one of the bedrooms was only accessible by walking along the stoep, are superb.

Straight after breakfast, which we ate on the stoep so that we could admire the view of mountains and wilderness all about us, we scrambled our way to the deep and silent pool where the river cuts through almost sheer rockfaces as it comes down from the Gamkapoort Dam. The going is particularly tough, so if you have not brought along all your hiking gear you can’t really get very far, but the scenery and the silence was well worth a couple of hours out of the day. The old track southwards along the river towards Calitzdorp has largely been obliterated by flooding over the years but part of this is still visible and can still be followed by the more intrepid hiker.

However, before following the various hiking trails, which are quite well marked, we wanted to have a good look at the hidden valley itself. Before the present road was hacked through the mountains one would come to Ouplaas first in the widest part of the valley; one would then follow the track eastwards along the valley bottom, the mountains closing in steadily until one reached the narrow end where the precipitous ascent to the Swartberg pass disappears into the sky. Although the mountains themselves are largely bare, the bottom of the valley is green and wooded and, in places, so deep that the winter sun never reaches even the roofs of the little clusters of cottages.

Travelling eastwards, then, you would pass Cordier’s house on an open bluff to the right, then Mostert’s house up on the left, then Lenie Marais’ house on a bend up above the road also on the left. The houses were built from whatever materials were available in the valley; the foundations are of packed stone on which the walls of raw brick stand; the roof-trusses are made from poplar or olive-wood and the ceilings were made of reed, on which a clay packing was placed in order to make the ‘solder’ floor, the roof-space being used for storage, usually of foodstuffs and, of course, one’s coffin. The floors were always of packed earth which was then smeered with cow-dung mixed with thorn-tree sap (misvloere). Outside doors were always split horizontally so that the top half could be left open as an extra window and inside doors consisted only of an opening over which a curtain would be hung. Few of the windows were ever glazed, rather consisting of an oblong opening which was closed with wooden shutters; Lenie Marais’ house is the only building in the valley to have gables and it is interesting to note that this tough lady built the entire place herself.

Lenie Marais was the only ‘doctor’ in the valley, having a good knowledge of herbs and Boer remedies. If a conventionally qualified man was required, then Dr. Luttig would ride alongside the river from Prince Albert.

The first school of the valley being on the farm Boplaas, at the Ladismith end of the road and just beneath The Ladder, was erected in 1904. From Lenie Marais’ house the track then leads through Middelplaas where a second school was opened in 1928, the window-glass, benches and blackboard being brought into the valley from outside. This second school was closed in 1980, showing how, gradually, the small population dwindled as it left for the towns and the challenges of the outside world. The school buildings doubled as the local church with the teacher as preacher; local festivals were always held in the valley, but more important happenings such as weddings were usually held in Prince Albert or Calitzdorp.

The track then winds past eight other houses, some of which are almost hidden in the trees; there were only a total of five families in this secret spot, living on either side of the track which stretches for fifteen kilometres along the valley floor.

Anyone who has spent time learning the history of a village will tell you that the best way to un-cover the past is by spending some time in the local graveyard. There is a small and very peaceful one near the school and, although the inscriptions on the tombstones are now a little hard to read and at times very basic, a visit there is well worthwhile.

Thus Die Hel remained basically unchanged from 1830 until 1959 when Dr.Otto du Plessis arrived on horseback and promised the inhabitants a road over the mountains to the Swartberg pass. From that moment onward everything changed forever; bakkies were bought so that local produce could be taken outside and the products of civilisation brought into the valley. Tourists began to appear and the tranquillity of life in Die Hel became a thing of the past. Families started to leave, beckoned by the bright lights of the towns and the valley fell into dereliction and disrepair.

Die Hel was effectively saved from disappearing into folklore by Cape Nature Conservation, who gradually bought up one farm after another until only Boplaas remains privately owned.

The result is a spot, overlooked by most of the roadmaps, where time has stood still; it is a spot well worth a visit if you remember to bring everything you need with you (and take everything you don’t need back with you too); the scenery is stupendous, the road frightening and only for the intrepid, and the cottages, most of which can be hired at a very reasonable nightly fee from Cape Nature Conservation, extremely comfortable and well restored. Spend a few nights there – you won’t regret it!