No Fixed Abode: Accidental off roading

Mon 13 June 2016 - Maltese Cross hike and Cederberg Vineyard

For our last day in Cederberg wilderness we planned to go on another hike, to the Maltese Cross rock, so when the alarm played its cheery tune at 0700, it’s a long drive over dirt roads to the start of the hike, we pulled ourselves from the covers to see a magnificent sunrise.

Miraculously we were on our way by 0900 (early mornings have become a bit taxing of late) and we repeated Saturday’s journey over the pass and then some 30km through the park to reach the permit office at Sandrift, which, unknown to us, was also home of the Cederberg vineyard and they offered tasting until 1630 so we had a finish time to work to. The young girl at reception gave us a photocopied map and verbal directions to pass through a combination lock gate adjacent to the Cederberg Observatory and proceed 5km down the track to a car park where the walk started.

A short drive brought us to the gate then it was just the 5km down the track, which disappeared into the rock strewn wilderness and looked a bit rough but nothing we hadn’t already driven on so off we set. The first few hundred metres were ok but it soon became clear that this was 4x4 track and our little Corolla was going to seriously struggle. Unfortunately, however, there was nowhere to turn around and reversing a km along a narrow shrub lined track was going to be very, very difficult so on we pressed. Crawling along in first gear over rocks, sand and gaping holes with shrubs scraping against the doors and the underside of the car we slowly proceeded. Hearts in mouths and Glenn’s sweaty palms on the wheel. After 3.5 km we finally found an area at the side of the track where we could leave the car so with great relief we parked up and walked the remainder of the track to the car park. Our parking spot was a very happy co-incidence as a further long the track turned hard core 4x4 and we would never had made it.

The path was indicated by a small sign pointing into the fynbos which we followed across a rock strewn floor that made walking difficult but after a few gentle curves across a valley floor it started to climb up a large gully with a barely trickling stream. The sculpted sandstone scenery was stunning: rocks piled on top of each in jumbled masses or neatly aligned like a dry stone wall; steep walls with tattered tops like wind shredded flags; mushroom shaped rocks; and the ground littered with rocks of all sizes as if giants had sprinkled huge handfuls like seeds. At last we walked between two small cliffs at the top of the gully and surfaced onto a rock strewn plateau - nature sure has been busy up here.

Photographs of the Maltese Cross give no indication of its size and we’d been expecting something 2m tall and were prepared to be underwhelmed. How wrong we were. Cresting a shallow ridge revealed a huge stone pillar, vaguely shaped like a cross, that must be 15-20m tall standing all alone on atop a small mound. Quite spectacular. In a cold breeze we stood admiring it for some time then partly because of the chill and partly (mostly) because of the vineyard closing time, we set off back down the path at a good rate. Back at the car we slowly, even more tensely, returned to the gate and, very relieved, drove the 400m to the vineyard.

The tasting room was a rather fetching space of concrete, stone and wood. We were met by a middle aged lady who asked if it would be ok for one of their interns to host our tasting and we affirmed. A few minutes later Maryan appeared and guided us through nine of their wines, providing us with lots of useful information about the grapes, the growing location, maturing rates and what to look for when selecting. She was a very knowledgeable young viticulturalist from whom we learned a lot and with not a single reference to “fruity notes on the nose”. During our lengthy conversation we also learned that as part of her studies she was going to a French vineyard in the Southern Rhone for 6 weeks in Sep/Oct so we exchanged emails with the hopes of paying her a visit when we are there. So enamoured with their wines were we that we bought a case of 6.

With sunset approaching it was then a mad dash home along, what now seemed, relatively smooth dirt road to get back to our cottage and fill ourselves with chilli.