The tough part of the journey to Die Hel in the Groot Winterhoek Mountains (about 180km from Cape Town near the town of Porterville) wasn't done on foot at all but rather the 13km of 4X4 trail we needed to travel to get there (the trail is only accessible by 4x4s). With Conrad looking to test his recently acquired 4X4 we opted for this route as apposed to the 3½-hour hike along the river, which was our other option.

Now normally I would go for the legs rather than the wheels route (much more reliable I find and cheaper to fix most times) but the drive was so much fun, bouncing around over boulders, dodging trees, scrambling over rocks while hugging the cliff face – needless to say the car passed with flying colours and we arrived intact at De Tronk, our resting place for the night, so called because in times of heavy storms the place becomes cut off from the outside. (There is no landline or cell phone signal there). Rain had being predicted for that evening and we looked nervously at the skies but it was a beautiful clear winters day with no clouds in site.

We arrived at our destination having being bounced around in the car for an hour and needing to stretch our legs. So we packed some snacks and water and headed off in search of Die Hel. While we may have being looking for Die Hel, the walk was more like heaven. The easy to follow path led us through lush Fynbos surrounded by ancient rocks, which teased our imagination as we saw all kinds of wonderfull creatures in the fascinating formations. Proteas as far as the eye could see and long tailed Sugar Birds aplenty feeding off them. The walk is easy enough so that both young and old can comfortably make it without too much strain.

After about an hours walking the path started to dip and suddenly there it was down below, Die Hel – a natural swimming pool, surrounded on 3 sides by towering cliffs and a waterfall thundering into it on the far side. A quick scramble and we were down at its cold, dark and deep waters.

Never one to turn down an opportunity to swim – I was soon testing out the deep and indeed icy waters of the Groot Winterhoek – I was just as soon frantically trying to escape feeling invigorated and refreshed.

The walk back was just as pleasant with the setting sun dropping a beautiful light on the surroundings and us; we bumped into other hikers looking tired but happy (They had done the river walk) and setting up camp under a giant Oak tree.

Back at De Tronk – we dressed warmly as the temperature dropped dramatically with the fast disappearing sun. As darkness descended so the stars started appearing and seemed to multiply exponentially with each passing moment. Some good food, cold beers and a warm fire ended a fine day in the Groot Winterhoek Mountains.

We woke to a steady drizzle and thought we might indeed land up in De Tronk if it started raining any harder, but the trip back seemed to fly by and soon we were safely home already planning our next trip to Die Hel.

Candice & Caitlin through the fynbos & rocks	Conrad & Sarah
Neighbours? - didn't spot any...	| Die Hel