Page 21 - Cape-Camera-May-June-2021

Cape Camera May/June 2021

Ever changing and spectacular vistas. Images by Kim Stevens (left) and Lesley Parolis (right)
of the Camdeboo National Park, which they highly recommend, In earlier years Tiffendell made the area famous as South Af-
even though the drought spoilt the game viewing as the ani- rica’s only ski resort. The slopes of the Cape’s highest peak, Ben
mals were mere dots along the shrinking waterholes. All of us MacDhui (3 001m), is covered by snow for many months of the
gathered at the Valley of Desolation, which is part of the park, year, but the resort has for most of its 30-odd year life struggled
for a sunset shoot of the awesome rock formations and valley to make a profit. This resulted in several lawsuits and changes
views beyond. of ownership. The Covid pandemic certainly didn’t improve the
From Graaff-Reinet we travelled on good roads via Middelburg, fortunes of the current owners and the resort was closed dur-
Steynsburg, Aliwal North, Lady Grey and Barkly East, the last pit ing our visit.
stop for petrol and the end of the tarred roads. After another Now, following our exploratory trip at the end of April Rhodes
90 minute teeth-chattering drive on a 60km rutted gravel road can very well become a main photographic drawcard.
- granted, there is great scenery along the way! – we rounded a We were fortunate to se-
bend and got our first view of Rhodes. All was forgiven. cure the services of Brendan
Had it not been declared a South African national monument in Cole as a guide to the most
1997, one could almost believe that an episode of the TV series scenic spots. As an accom-
Midsummer Murders would be filmed here. It is a picturesque, plished photographer, he
tranquil, haven where everybody knows everybody else … but sure knows where the best
like the villages so favoured by BBC TV crews, there is a lot hap- images can be captured at
pening under the surface. the best time of the day. He
It is tempting to fall in the trap of describing Rhodes as a hidden patiently waited while we
gem – especially as few of us had heard of it before. But, this tried to capture in-camera-
would be a huge mistake. It is certainly a gem – but not hidden movement with varying lev-
to many specialised groups of people. els of success – or when fre-
For example, the 700-odd fly fishers who enjoy casting their quent stops to capture the
lines in the famous Bell river and streams … and contributed incredible scenes along the
something like R6-m per year to the local economy in pre-Covid way sometimes doubled the
times. This created almost 40 tourism jobs in the poverty-strick- planned duration of trips.
en area. Over the past thirty years the Wild Trout Association en- Brendan settled in Rhodes
sured that the Eastern Cape Highlands around Rhodes became about seven years ago af-
one of the most sought after destinations for fly fishers. This is in Historian, botanist & photogra- ter returning from the UK
large part due to the efforts of our landlord, Dave Walker of the pher Brendan Cole. Image by where he taught art and so-
Walkerbouts Inn. Joyce Goldschmidt' cial history for twenty years
The husband of Kathy Priday, Anthony, was also a member of at some of the most prestig-
our group who knew Rhodes well: he is a keen mountain biker ious schools. Although his day job is designing websites, he de-
and astonished us by zipping up and down the passes on his votes a lot of time in furthering the passionate interest in flora
bike, while our 4x4 vehicles bumped along at a sedate pace. The he developed in England.
Rhodes Challenge mountain bike race has been dubbed the While botanists from across the country and groups of overseas
grandfather of races, with a cumulative climb of 855m to reach visitors regularly travel to the area to experience the several
the highest point 2 673m above sea level. Since its inception species of orchid on the Naude’s Nek Pass route and the impres-
in 1994 the race has attracted many adventurous bikers – the sive indigenous floral diversity, Brendan can enjoy it year round.
highest number of participants 600 – who want to experience His hiking trips amongst the sometimes almost hidden flora re-
the thrill of racing downhill at a speed of up to 60km/hour. sulted in a book he published last year: Botanical Guide to the
The Naude’s Nek Pass, 2500m above sea level, has become a Local Wild Flowers of Rhodes Village & Neighbouring Valleys in the
bucket list item for motorbikers keen to ride the gravel curves of Eastern Cape Drakensberg. He is now working on a second book
one of the highest mountain passes in the country – with all the on the Alpine vegetation found in the habitat above 2 000m, of
connecting “rough roads” and 15 other passes contributing to which some genus resemble that of the Karoo.
making this a motorcycle and 4x4 adventure tour favourite. As There is plenty to photograph in the quaint village itself with the
can be expected, it offers endless vistas as far as the eye can see. Victorian architecture of the grand traders’ houses interspersed
For elite athletes from across the world the Alpine Swift Trails with the more modest flat-roofed dorpshuise preserved after
has become the go to high altitude training facility, with the the proclamation of Rhodes as a Conservation Area in 1997.
swimming pond cleaned by water lilies and khoi an added at- This means that building plans are approved to maintain the
traction. unique old world character of the village.

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