Hogsback - The Road Less Travelled
[WITH GRATEFUL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO THE DAILY DISPATCH]
by Andrew Stone
I’VE been to Hogsback many, many times over the years. In fact, too many times to count.
I recall going on camps to Hobbiton during the early 1980s while still a primary school pupil and also going on day trips or even the odd weekend adventure with my parents several times.
Lately, I’ve been taking my own children to experience the magic of the picturesque mountain retreat. Several weeks ago we got to enjoy a ‘white’ Hogsback for the first time after a heavy snowfall.
But for some inexplicable reason I’ve always driven the same route to get there.
From East London we would head to King William’s Town. From there, we’d travel on the R63 in the direction of Alice and, shortly before arriving in the university town, we’d turn off on the R345 and drive straight into the village.
So this time around I decided to do things a little differently and travel via Sandile Dam. I didn’t know this route existed and it’s not on any map I own. In fact, I only came across it thanks to my GPS.
They’re incredibly handy devices and I highly recommend you get one if you plan on travelling off the beaten track any time soon.
One thing I don’t need a map or GPS for is the location of Wimpys around the country.
I’ve probably got just about every one dialled into my head. I promise I’m not being paid for saying this (I’d hate Julius Malema to accuse me of being a “brown envelope” journalist), but for me Wimpy coffee and a road trip go hand in hand.
So after leaving East London early last Sunday morning (August 1) and duly stopping off at the Wimpy on the outskirts of King, we headed along the R63 in the direction of Alice. Not much unusual there. But this time we turned off the R63 just before Middledrift.
The Sandile Dam road is well signposted so you shouldn’t miss it. It’s a decent dirt road that meanders its way through some of the most spectacular countryside the Eastern Cape has to offer.
There’s also an interesting historical aspect to it to boot.
Our first stop along the road was the Fort Cox Memorial, which is dedicated to the British servicemen who died in the area during the many battles fought against the Xhosa.
A little further down the road is another memorial, the Burnshill Wagon Disaster.
It was in this area that a convoy of British supply wagons drawn by 1750 oxen were attacked by a large Xhosa force in 1846, leading to what many experts have described as “one of the most inglorious episodes in the history of the British army in the 19th century”.
The convoy formed a line said to be almost five kilometres long and it needed an hour’s travel time between the first and last wagons.
The force defending the supply column was hopelessly too small. Taking advantage of this, the Xhosas attacked when the column was just below Fort Cox.
According to an information board at the site, a fierce running battle over four ammunition wagons was fought, and while they were able to escape and reconnect with some of the front wagons, the rest were lost to the Xhosas, who plundered and burned them.
Two British officers, about 20 regulars and several colonists and Khoi lost their lives. It was a significant victory for the Xhosas, who wiped out the bulk of the invading army’s supplies in one decisive stroke.
Our next stop was the site of King Ngqika’s grave, an 18th century Xhosa leader who was the chief and founder of the Gaika Tribe. His grave is housed in a locked rondavel structure, ostensibly to stop it from being vandalised.
We continued our journey in the direction of Sandile Dam, located about 18km from the R63 turn-off. The road was in good condition and could easily be driven in a sedan, although what it’s like after rain I’m not sure. The water level in the dam was extremely low, but it’s still a magnificent sight. Established in 1983 to assist farmers in agricultural production, the dam has also become a popular fishing spot.
The road splits in two at the earthen wall, the left fork heading in the direction of Hogsback while the right fork crosses the wall and ends up in Keiskammahoek.
We spent a short time exploring the water’s edge before heading off in the direction of Hogsback, just less than 30km away.
The climb towards the village is breathtaking. The road meanders through a rural countryside dotted with traditional huts on one side and lined with magnificent indigenous forests on the other. It doesn’t stop climbing until you hit Hogsback and the last few kilometres are particularly picturesque as the road winds through a combination of man-made and natural forests.
Once in Hogsback, we headed for the Arboretum, a garden of trees from all over the world, including five Californian Redwoods, where we stopped for a picnic.
Having left home at 8am that morning, we were enjoying coffee and muffins a little after noon with the three Hogsback peaks forming a natural backdrop.
There’s so much to see and do in the picturesque village and you could probably go back several times before getting through it all.
There’s too much to mention here, but one of the biggest attractions is the variety of scenic walks, which range from short trails to challenging hikes. If you’re keen on doing any of them it’s probably best to plan ahead and find out the difficulty and time needed for each walk before going.
Based in the Amathole Mountains, Hogsback also boasts some spectacular view s of the surrounding area, which is steeped in history.
The whole of the Amathole range was used by the Xhosa forces during their wars of resistance against British rule and the village grew up around a wagon halt that linked the quickest route between the fortifications of Fort Hare and Cathcart.
Once peace had settled over the warring frontier, the people living below the Amatholes headed for Hogsback during the summer months to escape the heat in the valleys below.
The area is also renowned for its spectacular waterfalls, including Madonna and Child, and Bridal Veil.
For adrenaline junkies, rock climbing, abseiling, kayaking and mountain biking are popular pastimes.
From the Arboretum, we headed for The Edge, where we did the 700m labyrinth walk and, after working up an appetite, had lunch at the Hogsback Inn.
For our journey home, we decided to drive back along the traditional R345 route and once down the mountain made our last stop at the Christmas Day Massacre Memorial.
According to information gleaned from a brochure, the settler villages of Woburn, Auckland, Juanasberg and Ely – all clustered around Alice – were attacked by the Xhosas on Christmas Day 1850.
At Auckland, the settlers were caught by surprise by Xhosa warriors, although a group did manage to resist the attack for a couple of hours.
They negotiated with the attacking force for the safe passage of women and children to Fort Hare, before all 27 men from the village were killed.
There is some confusion as to just how many settlers died in total on the day, with some estimates putting the number as high as 92.
The simple stone memorial erected in remembrance of those killed that Christmas Day is located next to a quaint but somewhat dilapidated church.
An inscription simply reads: In memory of those who fell in this valley on Christmas Day 1850.
Reflecting on our trip as we made our way home once again reinforced the idea that when it comes to travelling, half the fun is in getting there.
Hogsback fast facts
GPS points:
Fort Cox Memorial: S32° 46.757 E027° 02.346
Burnshill Wagon Disaster viewpoint: S32° 46.725 E027° 02.472
King Ngqika’s grave: S32° 45.423 E027° 03.651
Sandile Dam: S32° 43.152 E027° 06.121
Hogsback Arboretum: S32° 35.439 E026° 56.113
Christmas Day Massacre Memorial: S32° 40.163 E026° 53.563
Total distance travelled: 327km
Approximate fuel cost: R260 (R7.93 per litre at 10km/litre)
