SOON after our late winter visit to brittle, thirsty Kruger National Park, we paid an October visit to the Drakensberg’s magical Champagne Valley. What a contrast it was. Spring had arrived in all its glory, coating the mountains in velvety green and generously sprinkling the grasslands with a confetti shower of wild flowers. After the long, hard mountain winter, it was such a joyful celebration of the advent of the season of renewal.
We had another reason to celebrate. As my brother had attained the age of wisdom and pensioner discounts, he was gathering together all his favourite people, his special friends and relations to join him for his 60th birthday party in one of his very favourite places. The party, a grand dinner, was to be held at The Nest, a charming olde worlde family hotel set in exquisite gardens that were also putting on a fine spring show. While many of his guests opted to stay at the hotel, we prolonged our mountain expedition to give us four lovely days of camping at the nearby Mountain Splendour camping and caravan park.
We’d never stayed there before but we will certainly be back. It was beautifully maintained and the facilities were excellent but it was the excellent conservation ethics underlying it management as well as its naturally beautiful setting that impressed us the most. We had a lovely campsite right on the edge of the park, which had a wonderful mountain view. Over the last few years, my husband, Bill and I have paid several visits to the Champagne Valley and it has become a firm favourite for both of us. With most of the party people only arriving on the Friday evening, we had a two wonderful days to do some exploring.
Although there wasn’t time to do a major mountain hike, we spent a lovely afternoon doing the gentle Monk’s Cowl walk to Sterkspruit falls. The grasslands along the way were absolutely wonderful with masses of spring flowers to stop and admire, so it took us much longer than usual. The little viewing platform overlooking the falls is such a peaceful little spot. We lingered there for quite a while. and managed to tick off some interesting grassland birds. The walk back to the start, along the Sterkspruit, a rather bubbly little river, was just as beautiful.
We had plenty of time to do little walks in and around the caravan park grounds and Bill did some pleasant mountain bike rides. As I am generally allergic to two-wheeled transport, I chose to enjoy the rare chance to read, sit, think and simply to drink in my beautiful surrounds. Although it was a long way to drive to the start, at the entrance to the Royal Natal National Park, Bill and I couldn’t resist the chance to do the Cannibal Cave parkrun.
It was the third time we’d done this parkrun and we strongly recommend it to our fellow parkrunners. It is organised by two lovely people, Lizzy and Muzi Mabaso who have done so much to encourage young people, many from disadvantaged homes, to take up running as a healthy activity. Since starting parkrun, many young Cannibal Cave regulars have gone on to excel and to win all sorts of races and events.
We thoroughly enjoyed out parkrun and I have a particularly happy memory of a special moment along the way. Somehow I found myself catching up to a bunch of young children who decided to use me as their pacer, running or walking alongside me. Going up a particularly steep slope they all joined hands, took my hands and we all sailed effortlessly up the hill, singing and laughing together. My brother’s party was all that we hoped it would be, a special reunion with family and friends of many years standing. It would have been enjoyable anywhere I am sure, but somehow the sparkling Champagne Valley added a special magic to the occasion. And there can be very few places in the world more beautiful to celebrate the advent of spring.
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