I left Knysna on Wednesday morning at 7am. Breakfast started at 8am and I didn’t want to sit around wasting the morning, so I decided to hit the road and to have breakfast along the way. My plan was to have breakfast in Brenton-on-sea but a guy at the petrol filling station told me to rather have breakfast at Buffelsbaai.

The picture I had of this restaurant on the beach was sadly rather romantic, besides from the fact that it wasn’t open yet, so I sat looking over the sea for a while before moving onto Wilderness. Below was my view from the restaurant.

It was a lovely drive and view over the beach but not enough to keep my attention longer than about 10 minutes.

I arrived in Wilderness at around 8.30am and started my search for a restaurant where I could have breakfast on the beach. I didn’t want to go back to the place where I’d had coffee the day before, so I kept my eye out for some place different. I spotted a place but it turned out that it only opened at 11am. This was clearly not my morning for enjoying breakfast on the beach.

When I saw a guy walking towards me I asked him if there was somewhere in town to have breakfast. He recommended two places in town and during our conversation preceded to tell me that I had a ‘deurmekaar’ (confused) accent. This found this very amusing given that it was the second time on my trip someone had said that to me. Clearly my twelves years in London has left its mark on me (so to speak).

Following breakfast in Wilderness I headed north towards Oudtshoorn, taking the Outeniqua pass for the second time. Only this time I could actually see the road. Result!

Since I was doing pretty well in terms of time, I decided to go to the Cango caves, which is about a 20 minute drive north of Oudtshoorn. It came highly recommended by my aunty Carry.

The cave itself is spectacular, we’ll certainly at least the first two of the six chambers that you visit on the Heritage Tour. There are a further two chambers that you can access if you go in the adventure tour but I was certainly not dressed for that.

Below is a photo from chamber two. That’s 200,000 years of history in the making. It’s pretty amazing.

I know that you should never compare things but I couldn’t help myself on this occasion. Although the cave holds the most spectacular display of Stalagmites and Stalactites I have seen, I was rather disappointed at the paved floor. It felt completely out of place, and all I kept thinking of where the words I saw in all the American parks, namely ‘leave no trace’. I wish we had followed this advice in the caves.

From the Cango caves I moved on the Cango Wildlife Ranch. I have always wanted to play with one of cat family cubs and I got the opportunity at the ranch to stroke two cheetah cubs. They were so cute but clearly so hot that they didn’t seem to notice me stroking them. What a fantastic experience – one I won’t easily forget (see the photos below).

It was around 3pm when I left the ranch. The drive along the R62 was absolutely fantastic! I loved the change of topography from mountain passed to open fields of fynbos and then onto the district mountainous landscape of the Cape wine lands. I could feel the excitement growing inside me as I entered the wine lands.

The only things dampening my mood slightly was that I’d been riding into the sun for 2.5 hours and my eyes were burning terribly. So much so that I had to close my right eye for a while. I was therefore very happy when I reached Robertson and started heading south towards McGregor where I was booked in for the night.

I have never been to McGregor so I didn’t know what to expect. There is a fork in the road as you ride into town from the north and I took the left fork. I could feel my heart sinking a little when I drove along the rather run down little houses lining the streets. I was starting to wander where on earth I had booked to stay. After a quick look at my map I realised I should have taken the right fork so I turned right to get back into Voortrekker street. What a difference this made.

I was absolutely delighted when I arrived at the B&B and was greeted my Nicolaas, one of the owners. He was lovely. To be honest, everything about the guesthouse was perfect. It’s the first time that I would rate a place as 10/10 until it came to paying the next day. The guesthouse only took cash.

Maybe I’m jumping to conclusions but in my experience cash in hand businesses are generally evading tax. This left a very bad taste in my mouth.

On a lighter note though, I was very excited to be on my way back to Cape Town. I decided to head back to the N2 so that I could ride over Sir Lowry’s pass in the sunshine (it was raining the first time I crossed over it). The view from the pass over Somerset West is quite breathtaking!

When I reached the bottom of the pass I was 60km outside of Cape Town. I pulled off the road and called my mom to let her know to come and collect me at the bike garage which is in the city.

My mom’s timing was impeccable! I had just given the keys to the bike back and had stepped outside to see if there was a coffee shop where I could wait for her and there she was.

It was 2.20pm and I had one more thing I wanted to do. I wanted to abseil off Table Mountain. I called the company to find out if they were doing abseiling that afternoon and as it turned out their last slot was 3pm. Perfect, we could just make that if we rushed.

We got to the top of Table Mountain at 2.55pm – just in time for me to make the final abseil of the day. I was nervous and excited all at once. I’d waited two years to do this so I was so pleased to finally make it. It was the perfect way to end my trip!

So here is the view from just over 1,000m. It’s one hell of a ride!

I didn’t think it was possible but I’ve fallen a little more in love with the Cape after this trip. It was great to be home!

I left Herolds Bay on Monday morning following a walk along the coast and breakfast with Mick and June. I’d woken up at 5am so there was plenty of time for both before hitting the road at 10am.

The weather was not playing along with my plan to explore the coastal towns on my way to Storms River. Well I say that but I didn’t really have a plan. I hadn’t booked accommodation for Monday or Tuesday night, so I was going with the flow. The ‘flow’ told me to keep moving given that it was raining. In my head I was trying to out ride the rain. My head was wrong!

I drove to Wilderness on the old Wilderness road on June’s advice. It’s a narrow, windy road which brings you into Wilderness over the mountain and past the Map of Africa. Instead of telling you what it is, I’ll show it to you instead (see photos below).

I had a quick stop in Wilderness for coffee on the beach. I instantly liked Wilderness. It has a village feel about it which is quite unusual for a coastal town. My ‘plan’ at that stage was to see how far I got down the coast and then to come back and stay in Wilderness on my second last night. Of course, plans change.

The rain continued as I travelled east along the coast. My dad told me not to miss the Knysna Heads so when I got to Knysna I took the turn off to the Heads, only to turn around about 2 minutes later when I see anything past 100m in front of me. Okay, now I would have to come back past Knysna.

So off I went to Plettenberg Bay.

It stopped raining long enough while I was in Plett to have lunch on the beach. The thing that stood out most for me about my stop in Plett though was a young black boy, about 16, digging though the dustbins along the beachfront for food. I’m pretty sure he was as high as a kite as he stumbled along in a pair of ladies heeled sandles that were at least two sizes too small for him and what looked like slices of bread in his brown shorts pocket. The sight was heartbreaking!

I offered to buy him a meal but he asked me for the money instead so that he could go into town and buy some bread. I thought about it for a second and then realised who am I to judge what he uses the money for, so I gave him enough cash for a good few loaves of bread. I hope he got what he needed from it.

I left Plett with the boy very much still on my mind. That was my sad thought. My happy thought was that I was now approaching my favourite section of the garden route, the section between Natures Valley and Storms River, which is the Tsitsikamma National Park. This part of the coastline is exquisite! As it is a protected area it is only accessible to the public on either end, and to the 5 day hikers via the Otter Trail. I did this trail with a group of friends in 2009 – an experience I will never forget.

As I didn’t do the hike I can only show you what it looks like on either end. Sadly I just noticed that I didn’t put very many photos on Instagram so I’ll put more on my Mel & Trinity Facebook page. The photos were taken on Tuesday when the weather had cleared up.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BBAAMuUnXpI/https://www.instagram.com/p/BA__xaiHXox/

If you ever get the opportunity to do the Otter Trail, grab it with both hands! Just be warned there’s about a years waiting list. It is worth the wait though.

The other exiting thing to see while you are in the area is the worlds highest bungee jump. The bungee jump from Bloukrans bridge is a whopping 216m. Well, the bridge is 216m and the bungee jump about 180m, but I don’t think you’d notice on the way down. This is what it looks like.

The one thing you may want to skip is the Bloukraans Pass. I travelled along it between Natures Valley and Storms River not realising it is actually closed. I’m not surprised, it’s in a bit of a state, although quite beautiful in its own right. Below is a photo that I took along the pass.

My accommodation in Storms River was absolutely delightful. I knew that Stormsriver village had a number of places to stay so I pitched up there in the hope that there would be somewhere to stay. I ended up staying in the Stormsriver Village Inn which was such a pleasant surprise. The Inn is made up of a series of little houses all in a different Cape style, all dancing into a central garden. It is too cute (see photo below).

The delight of these two days was however Knysna Heads. As I mentioned earlier I had planned to stay in Wilderness on my way back but when I saw the view from the Heads I couldn’t drag myself away. The photos don’t do it justice but will give you a feel of it. Enjoy!

I had found a little piece of heaven!

Three days in a nutshell – this will be a challenge! Okay, here goes.

I left Hermanus on Saturday morning following an early morning walk along the coastline towards Hermanus town centre. The coastline is so rugged and beautiful (see photo below)! It was just a slight shame that it was overcast but it’s been overcast and rainy at times for the last three days – not the weather I’m used to at this time of the year in the Cape but maybe I’ve generally been lucky.

If you have ever been to this part of the world then you will know that everything around here is gorgeous! The only thing that changes is the landscape. So with that in mind I’ll stick to the facts of my trip and I hope you can image the scenery as I take you along my journey with me.

I rode along the R43 between Hermanus and Gaansbaai, stopping briefly at De Kelders just before it, only because I saw a sign saying there were caves. I’m always a sucker for a cave!

When I reached the caves I got chatting to a very friendly old guy who explained that the caves are only open for tours – apparently they are gated up otherwise. Really? That put an end to that then as he also said that you need to get geared up to explore the caves. It sounded like my US Lava Cave Monument experience all over again i.e. I wasn’t dressed for the occasion (fancy that). The one particularly bit of useful information that the guy gave me was that one of the roads between Gaansbaai and Cape Agulhas had been tarred so I wouldn’t need to backtrack on myself as I was expecting. Result!

On that note, I moved onto Gaansbaai where I visited the information centre and met two lovely people in the process. The first was the lady in the information centre called Doulene, and the second an older chap who I saw eyeing up Butus, called Neville. Both were delightful!

After possible a 20 minute chat to Neville about the motorbikes he rode in his youth, I hit the road to Cape Agulhas, stopping at the Black Oystercatcher for lunch, which Doulene had recommended. It was a good choice. Only one thing struck me. This was the first place that I had stopped at that was ‘very local’. Pretty much everyone was Afrikaans speaking where almost every other place I had visited or stayed in where predominantly English, Dutch or German tourists. To be fair, this play is in the middle of nowhere!

Cape Agulhas itself was great. This is primarily from a scenery perspective as the town itself is like most coastal towns in these parts – pretty quiet! It was very exciting to be at the southern most tip of the African continent. Of course I captured the moment (see below).

Besides being amazed at how gorgeous the colour of the ocean is at Cape Agulhas, my next surprise was arriving in Swellendam. What a fabulous little town! I really wasn’t expecting much, so I was blown away when I was approaching it and was left in aw at the imposing mountain which forms it backdrop. The best of all is that the place where I was staying was at the foot of the mountain. I felt so ridiculous spoiled (see the photo below) and loved every minute of it.

My room remained me so much of the place I stayed in at Lake Tahoe. It felt like I was only my honeymoon, again! Haha..rather amusing since I’ve never been married.

From Swellendam I took the Tadouw Pass which links up with the R62. What a fabulous ride!

I am so glad I took my dad’s advice and drove along the R62 rather than the N2. It is such a great ride and so varied in its landscape, which really breaks the journey. I now understand why it’s such a popular drive. Below is a photo along the route.

Before finishing my journey in Herolds Bay, I stopped off in Oudtshoorn to see some Ostriches. I had not researched the various Ostrich farms but when I saw that one of them was called Highgate I had to visit it. This WA because I lives in Highgate, North London with my friend Nicola for three years and it brought back so many wonderful memories. Thus, it was a logical choice.

The ostrich tour was loads of fun! They showed us how they make feather dusters (it takes 1 minute and 43 seconds by hand to make one – I timed the guy); to showing us 7 day old chicks; to feeding adult ostriches to standing on their eggs; to riding adult ostriches. It’s definitely worth doing if you’re ever in this part of the world. Below are some photos.

It’s an hour’s ride from Oudtshoorn to Herolds bay where I was staying. I was so excited about riding over Outeniqua Pass which I had heard so much about but sadly the clouds had completely covered the pads that I couldn’t see more than 50m in front of me. Needless to say I was a little wet by the time I reached Herolds Bay.

Fortunately for me I was staying with Mick and June last night. Although I’ve only met June recently, I’ve known Mick for 30 years. It was such a pleasure spending the evening with them – they totally spoiled me! Thanks guys – I hope I can return the favour one day. Below is the sunset their deck. How can you argue with that view! WOW! Another day in paradise.

I don’t know how I’m going to break the news to Trinity but I’ve developed a serious crush on Brutus. This bike is seriously racing my motor! I now understand why it’s the top selling BMW motorcycle model. It is an AMAZING ride!

Following a rather slow start to the day, my day was nothing but exhilarating. This was because I ended up chatting to three the other couples staying at the same guest house as me, so I got away about 1.5 hours later than I had planned to. Well, everyone knows I’m prone to a chat! What lovely people though – all three retired couples, two from the UK and one from the Netherlands.

The plan for the day was to head to Hermanus via Stellenbosch, Franschoek, Gordan’s Bay and Betty’s Bay.

What a day it turned out to be. The scenery was breathtaking, while the weather was sketchy at bits. It was quite windy but sunny on the route to Stellenbosch. I don’t know this part of the world very well but I could not forget the spot where our minibus broke down on the way to Simonsig wine estate between Christmas and New Year. When I saw the spot I instantly started to giggle and thought about my group of my friends and mom standing on the side of the road with the grape sellers. I could help but smile. It also of course made me realise that I was close to Simonsig so I decided to pop by and see if Maureen was there. As luck would have it she was and I have a photo to prove it.

From Simonsig I headed east to Franschoek passing by Tokara (the best wine estate to see the sunset) and De Graaf (the best wine estate in Stellenbosch to have lunch), which are located on opposite sides of Helshoogte Road (R310). The dramatic landscape surrounding these estates is breathtaking.

It felt quite strange riding into Franschoek without my friend Angela – I have only ever been there with her. I looked for a place to have lunch in town (Franschoek has two of the top restaurants in South Africa so it’s a bit of a foodie’s haven) but as I kept riding I decided to head up the mountain to Le Petite Ferme, Angela’s favourite wine estate in Franschoek. I can’t blame her though, the food there is outstanding. My steak was flawless, the same as my view, so I enjoyed it for the both of us.

As luck would have it I was on the road I needed to be, namely the R45 heading towards Franschoek Pass. What an exciting ride! The road firstly climbs the mountain providing a panoramic view across the wine valley, and then winds down the mountain in a series of tight twists and bends. It looked and felt quite dramatic with the clouds closing in on the mountain pass. I sadly didn’t take a photo of the road down the mountain but I did take a photo on the way up (see below).

By the time I joined the N2 (heading west to Cale Town) it had started to rain lightly. For the first time I felt rather cautious of Brutus so I placed him into rain mode (a setting on the bike that reduces the power output by 30%). As a result the drive down Sir Lowry’s pass was not as dramatic as it would normally be but my other issue was that the wind was really strong as I came over the pass so I had to keep my eyes firmly peeled to the road. This is quite a shame as Sir Lowry’s pass is not something you ever want to miss!

Fortunately for me though the disappointment of missing taking in the view from Sir Lowry’s pass was forgotten on the drive around the coast on the R44 from Gordon’s Bay to Hermanus. The drive reminds me so much of Highway 1 between Big Sur and Monterey, although in my view it’s nicer. Below is a little taster of it for you.

I arrived in Hermanus at around 6pm. After a shower I rode into town to have a light dinner and see what the town has to offer. It’s a very cute little town very much catered to whale watching, which is what this part of the coastline is famous for. I captured one of the whale watching lookout points below.

What a truly wonderful day!

What a start to my Garden Route tour!

My USA/Canada trip was very much a soul searching trip. This trip is all about having fun and relaxing. Of course, that’s not very difficult to do in the laid back Cape and being on a motorbike. Brutus, the BMW1200GS that I’ve hired for this trip, is exhilarating to ride!

Wednesday morning started out with my mom and I having a walk on Scarborough beach. The beach is absolutely stunning (see video below) – almost as good as my company.

From there we headed to Kommetjie so that I could take in the glorious view from Long Beach, my favourite view from any beach in Cape Town. The video below is the view over Long Beach drive and its view towards Hout Bay as you come into Kommetjie from Scarborough. I also wanted to get a Latte and access to wifi. I’ve discovered that wifi is not that readily available in Cape Town. Not if you move away from the city anyway.

It was a little hazy on Wednesday from the fire that day (the country is having its worst drought in 100 years). As sad as the fires are I couldn’t stop smiling. Everything about Cape Town reminds me of being back in Northern California (just half the price). That in itself is worth getting excited about.

The thing that South Africa (or Cape Town at least) is not shy on is gorgeous scenery and loads of outdoor activities. Oh yes, my heart is beating that little bit faster just thinking about it.

My first day of riding (yesterday) took me from Fishhoek via Chapman’s Peak to Bloubergstrand to Riebeek-Kasteel to Ceres and then onto Wellington where I stayed last night. A 190mile (300km) ride covering dramatic coastline, rolling fields, mountain passes, and ending in the wine lands. A pretty amazing day.

I cannot wait to process the Go-Pro video to show you the various passes but until then below is a taste of my ride yesterday, which starts with the view from Chapman’s Peak lookout, then the view from Bloubergstrand, Bainskloof Pass through the Ceres mountains, which brought me to Dunstone Country House in Wellington where I stayed last night.

I cannot wait for my ride today to Hermanus. Woohoo!

Happy 2016 everyone! I hope it is filled with joy, adventure and good health for you and your loved ones.

What a start to the new year this has been for me. Trinity is finally home – very much in need of a service and a tyre check but otherwise she’s in good shape, as you can see below.

The bonus last week was catching up with Dave and Elaine who I met in Bryce Canyon and spent a couple of nights with in San Francisco. It was so wonderful to catch up with them and I was touched that they made the time during their short visit to see me. Thanks guys!

On Friday I head to South Africa to spend time with my family; hopefully fling myself off the side of Table Mountain (to abseil that is); and tour around my own country. I cannot wait! I have hired a BMW1200GS for my 8 day Western Cape tour, which I am ridiculous excited about sharing with you.

Cape Town has always been my favourite city in the world. Not because it is rich in culture or gorgeous architecture, although Table Mountain as a backdrop is pretty spectacular, but because it’s where my heart sings! I was reminded of this between Christmas and new year when I was in Cape Town for a few days. I cannot remember when last I was so happy! Of course, being with some of my favourite people certainly added to my joy. As a teaser I thought I’d share my favourite spot, Chapman’s Peak. It reminds me of the drive along Highway 1 between Big Sur and Monterey in California. What wonderful memories!

For more details about my upcoming trip please visit my ‘South Africa’ page, and of course, keep an eye out for my blog. I plan to take you on a exciting adventure through South Africa’s Garden Route.

My motorcycle journey starts on 21 January so watch this space!