Sure Travel Journey 5.4 Spring 2019 | Page 35

STJ 5.4
ADVENTURE
SPECIAL EDITION
SPRING 2019
SLACKPACKING THE WILD COAST
CHRIS KEAL FORGOES HIS USUAL DRAKENSBERG TREK TO HIKE THE WILD COAST AND RETURNS SUITABLY IMPRESSED
© HANNAH KEAL
Clockwise from left: Looking out to Hole in the Wall, the hiking party and the route ahead.
“
The next
morning, slightly the
worse for wear, we
set off south into the
wind and sun. Some
of our party broke
into spontaneous
song – a mistake,
perhaps, but who
cared on a morning
like this.
“
“I was expecting a rondavel to sleep in,”
sniffed my wife, her displeasure palpable.
First appearances of our backpackers’
had not met with her unexacting, but at
times eccentric, standards. I scurried off
to reception to find out if Paul, organiser
of our walk, was anywhere about. A surfer
with dreadlocks and a French accent was
having a wounded leg attended to, so I
waited, taking in the surroundings, enjoying
the Afro-jazz playing over the reception’s
computer.
I was at Coffee Bay with family and
friends for a coastal walk; it was my wife’s
doing. She suspected that I was becoming
set in my ways and had suggested this
instead of the usual Drakensberg walking.
My surfer daughter, no doubt tired of my
tales of how cool it all was in the ’60s, had
concurred. They got hold of Paul, a tour
operator, and planned our three-day walk
with him.
The Wild Coast lends itself well to the
mountain-bike and walking trails that Paul
and other operators organise. There are
hotels, campsites and backpacker lodges
at walkable intervals and spectacular and
unspoiled country in between. Commonly
referred to as “slackpacking trails”, you can
pick a spot anywhere between Port Edward
in the north and Morgan Bay in the south,
then simply walk up or down the coast; the
only real constraint seems to be transport
back to your vehicles. The tour operators
are particularly useful here with contacts
and local knowledge.
With the Gallic surfer sorted, we were
greeted with a smile, registered and given a
whirlwind tour.
Our party had a dorm and two double
rooms, all clean, airy and pleasant. Then
we toddled down to the deserted beach
out front for a swim and to climb a dune
to the sugarloaf hill that it connects to the
mainland. The view north was of Coffee
Bay proper, where a ship bearing a cargo
of coffee went down many moons ago.
We “ooh”ed and “ahh”ed appreciably and
predictably. That’s the Wild Coast for you:
it elicits that response so often from your
companions that you may start to feel
© GUIDES/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
irritated – but then you catch yourself
doing it.
The first haul in our three-day walk was
to Hole-in-the-Wall the next morning, a
mere eight or nine kilometres south – a
doddle. Clearly we could fit in a bit of
partying that night, right? We did so after
a good meal, with a full moon rising over
drummers sweating and shining in the
firelight. Drumming seems to be a big
thing in Coffee Bay.
The next morning, slightly the worse
for wear, we set off south into the wind
and sun. The trail ran along green hillsides
and clifftops, with some steep ascents and
descents where streams have carved sharp
valleys and ravines. It is hard on the legs
and lungs at times, but there is nothing
technical or alarming to contend with.
In fact, there is nothing like a Wild Coast
summer’s morning and the trail ahead
to raise the spirits. Some of our party
broke into spontaneous song – a mistake,
perhaps, but who cared on a morning
like this. Descending into a narrow valley
about halfway to Hole-in-the-Wall, we
found ourselves in a euphorbia grove that
ended almost at the sea’s edge. Up a few
more hills and I was wishing I could fly like
the sea birds and kites whirling around us,
wishing I could ride the breeze and make
a gannet-like dive into that extraordinarily
blue sea far below us – and then, hey ho,
there was Hole-in-the-Wall dead ahead.
MAKE MEMORIES FOR LIFE // 35