Holiday Trips, Stoepsitter Birding, The World around Us

A Cape Winter Break – Part 3 : The Baths, Citrusdal

March 31, 2025 Don Reid 4 Comments

The Plan

This was a trip with a difference – we had no part in planning it whatsoever! Our daughter Geraldine had suggested earlier in the year that we join them on a winter trip in June/July 2024, which would include –

A one night stopover in Matjiesfontein at the historic Lord Milner Hotel
A couple of nights on a farm in Sutherland, the star-gazing capital of South Africa
A week at The Baths resort near Citrusdal

Always up for some mild adventure, and to experience places we have not seen before – which included two of the three above – we agreed to join them and made the necessary bookings to match those that they had already made – the trip was on!

After our stays in Matjiesfontein and Sutherland, all that remained was to get ourselves to Citrusdal for a week at The Baths …

Sutherland to Citrusdal

Friday 28^th June

A long day’s drive from the farm near Sutherland to Citrusdal started with getting everything back into their various cases, crates and bags and packed in the car while we got ourselves ready. All went more or less according to schedule and we left the farm, only to find the warning light coming on for a faulty or under-inflated tire, so I stopped at the first garage to have it checked – fortunately no puncture was found.

The route we followed was the longer, less direct one, avoiding the notorious tire-shredding gravel roads that head west out of Sutherland. That meant we had to return to Matjiesfontein, where we joined up with the N1 and headed west to Touws River, where a roadside cafe enticed us to stop for a roosterkoek (large bun baked over coals with various tasty fillings) lunch.

The route (in dark blue) from Sutherland to Citrusdal

Shortly after Touws River we turned northwards onto the R46 to Ceres, then via Tulbagh, Gouda and Porterville to the N7 which took us through the Piekenierskloof Pass – mostly behind slow-moving trucks – and Citrusdal came into sight as we descended into the valley.

The Baths

Just after turning off the N7, the signpost pointing the way to The Baths appeared and a short drive of 16kms along the narrow tar road took us to the main gate. From there we were directed along a 500m bumpy dirt road (made even bumpier with rough ‘speed humps’ at regular intervals) past camping sites to the reception where we obtained our keys for Apartment 31, our ‘home’ for the next week.

The access road runs through dense bush in places

It turned out to be on the first floor of one of several small buildings with a comfortable living room, balcony in front and a private sitting area at the back, complete with braai and jacuzzi.

The family helped us to get our cases and crates up the steep stairs and we were soon settled in – only for a short while as the family were in a chalet on the extreme edge of the resort, so we had to drive back down the bumpy road to join them for dinner before heading back and calling it a day.

Saturday

We surfaced around 8–ish and made the first round of tea/coffee, which we enjoyed outside on the balcony, surrounded by trees and birdsong as well as the comings and goings of fellow visitors off to swim or just out for a walk.

That was pretty much the pattern for the day up to lunchtime and beyond and just what we needed after the busy drive yesterday. In fact this became our pattern for the rest of the week

It also meant I could get a pentad (3240_1900) list going with a few of the commoner birds of the spot as well as a couple of scarcer species, including –

Cape White-eyes feeding in the trees

Cape White-eye *Zosterops capensis* Kaapse glasogie, (race capensis), The Baths Citrusdal

House Sparrows joining us on the balcony, hoping for dropped crumbs
Familiar Chat being – er – familiar with its wing flicks after every flight or even hop

Familiar Chat *Cercomela familiaris* Gewone spekvreter, The Baths Citrusdal

Sunbirds joining the White-eyes in the erythria tree – both Southern Double-collared and Malachite Sunbirds
Olive Woodpecker paying a brief visit to the surrounding trees

Lunch was toast (home-made bread from the Lord Milner Hotel, organized by Gerda, persuasive as ever) with smoked chicken slices and tomato – restaurant quality food!

We took a short walk after lunch to scout around the nearby facilities, visiting the rock pools and hot and cold swimming pools which provide most of the enjoyment in the resort.

One of the older buildings – still used for accommodation

After a short rest we drove to the chalet where the family were relaxing, for coffee and later a braai – Woolies sosaties accompanied by potato bake, salad and copper penny carrot salad to end off the day on a high culinary note. Just a pity our national T20 cricket team fell short of their target but oh so close with the margin between a potentially match-winning six and batsman caught being less than a metre of flight of the ball.

Sunday

An unhurried start to the day once again – it’s hard to do it any other way in this super-relaxed place – we took it easy on the balcony and I added to my steadily growing pentad list with a few more species that came and went –

African Olive Pigeon made a brief appearance in the trees

African Olive-Pigeon *Columba arquatrix* Geelbekbosduif, The Baths Citrusdal

A bold Fiscal Flycatcher flew in and perched on a branch metres away from the balcony

Fiscal Flycatcher *Sigelus silens* Fiskaalvlieëvanger, The Baths Citrusdal

Streaky-headed Seedeater visited the flame tree nearby

Mid-morning I pottered down the road to the nearby swimming pool, fed by the natural hot spring, where I found to my surprise that I had it to myself for a wonderfully relaxing swim. Actually, it was more like a float around as the warm water is not conducive to high activity.

As luck would have it, while floating on my back in the pool, I spotted a raptor soaring high above near the ridge of the mountain – even without binos I could see it was a Verraux’s Eagle!

Later the family tried out the small pools near the source of the waters, set among the rocks up a steep set of steps – they ended up spending most of the afternoon there

Monday

After breakfast on the balcony, I went to the warm pool but was put off by the number of people already in so left it for later. When I tried again the maintenance was being done, so I went back to the apartment and filled the jacuzzi with water also piped from the hot spring – rather nice and relaxing with a water massage thrown in.

Feeling energetic, we joined the family on an outing to the De Tol Farm Deli on top of the Piekenierskloof Pass on the N7 for a bit of Carmien tea tasting (as one does)

This was something different, with a wide variety of flavoured rooibos teas brewed in cute glass teapots and kept warm with small burners – the interesting combinations kept us busy for a while, with the “Strawberries and Cream” flavoured tea proving to be a favourite.

The deli shop had some interesting items including bags of braaipap which had me chuckling….

On sale in the Farm Deli – translation : left bag – Coarse maize meal, right bag – bloody coarse maize meal!

The trip back was a chance to see what other bird species I could find in the pentad, but the habitat consisting mainly of citrus orchards offered few birds and I added just a couple of species.

Back at the chalet we had coffee and a slice of chocolate cake bought at the farm deli while watching the first day’s play at Wimbledon, before preparing dinner of braai-ed marinated ribs and Gerda’s chicken fillets done in a pan, along with a salad – a winning combination!

In between all this strenuous activity I added to my pentad list with a few birds seen near the chalet –

White-throated Canary
Karoo Prinia
Olive Thrush

Olive Thrush *Turdus olivaceus* Olyflyster, The Baths Citrusdal

Tuesday

The weather had turned colder so our morning stoepsitting had to be curtailed – after breakfast I meandered down the hill along the road towards the camping sites, on the lookout for birds, which were plentiful in places but without adding any new species to my pentad list

After lunch we made our way slowly to Citrusdal for some provisions , followed by a drive around the side streets to get a feel for the town beyond the main street. We came away with a feeling that service delivery was lacking as all the roads were littered with potholes – much like too many of our small towns.

We came across the NG Kerk in another side street – 1960’s era church at a guess with a lovely stone church hall across the street dating from 1917 all set in neat grounds.

On the way back we took it very slow looking for birds and thanks to Gerda spotted a Black-winged Kite to take the pentad list to 38.

Back at the resort we went straight to the chalet for the evening which included more Wimbledon, braai hamburgers and a hilarious game of 30 Seconds.

Wednesday

A rainy day in the kloof!

It rained on and off for most of the day, at times coming down heavily, so we mostly stayed inside. The girls all went for spa treatments and I joined them later for a short swim in the warm pool.

The rain did not deter the birds and I added a few including –

Cape Batis
White-necked Raven

Thursday

More of the same – late lie in followed by a soothing after-breakfast swim, then chilling on the balcony until the family arrived mid afternoon for waffles in the restaurant. Talk about strenuous!

Later after doing some packing we trundled down the bumpy track once more to spend the last evening braai-ing and wimbledon-ing, the meal being lamb chops, crispy on the outside, wors and braaibroodjies with some salads

Friday

Time to head home!

We were packed and ready by 10am and proceeded along the route which took us back to Citrusdal then southwards and eastwards passing through 10 towns in all, which makes for an interesting trip broken up into ‘manageable’ chunks.

The road from Worcester was the busiest I have ever seen it with long streams of vehicles making it difficult to drive any faster than the slower vehicles on the road. Added to that we encountered three stop-go’s after Swellendam so only reached Mossel Bay around 6pm.

That brought our trip with the family to an end and a memory bank recharged with new experiences and moments.

On the atlasing side my list stood at 41 species in total – a modest total but pleasing for an area that I have never atlased before.

The Water

And finally, some interesting facts and statistics about the waters at The Baths (which only exists because of the natural hot springs of course) – how amazing that the water is forced under the Olifants River and up the other side!

Holiday Trips, On the Road

A Cape Winter Break – Part 2 : Sutherland

March 16, 2025 Don Reid 4 Comments

The Plan (Repeat from Part 1)

A one night stopover in Matjiesfontein at the historic Lord Milner Hotel
A couple of nights on a farm in Sutherland, the star-gazing capital of South Africa
A week at The Baths resort near Citrusdal

Heading to Sutherland

Wednesday

We left Matjiesfontein at 12.30pm and headed northwards on the R354 to Sutherland, some 111kms distant, crossing into the Northern Cape Province in the process.

The road was tarred and generally good, while the hilly countryside was a surprise for us as we were expecting much flatter terrain – without good reason, simply based on our experience of the Karoo elsewhere in South Africa.

Close to Sutherland we stopped at a Padkafee which looked promising but didn’t have much to offer, although a friendly and playful Sheepdog caught our attention and enthusiastically chased and retrieved thrown sticks until we eventually tired of the game.

Before we continued, our resident star-gazer Andre pointed out how clear the sky had become and how blue it was – a sure sign of clean, pollution free atmosphere.

Near Sutherland – now that’s a blue sky!

This is the principal reason why Sutherland has become the chosen location for a bevy of Observatories on a nearby hilltop, and a favoured spot among astronomers worldwide

Klipkraal Farm

Reaching Sutherland soon after, we stopped for coffee, then popped into the small grocery store for a few provisions before heading east to our accommodation on a farm called Klipkraal.

The farmstead has the charm of a typical Karoo farm – unpretentious, simple yet inviting with a few sheep grazing among the low bushes.

After settling in I took my customary walk along the entrance road (in the above photo) to see which birds were around and was able to eke out an initial list of 10 species, including –

Shelducks in the fields near the house, flying off when I approached

South African Shelduck *Tadorna cana* Kopereend (Male), Sutherland

Speckled Pigeons (Kransduiwe) true to their Afrikaans name, high up on the ridge of the hills overlooking the farm
A Mountain Wheatear in the tall trees

Dinner was a chicken veg soup (thick and meaty – more like a stew) in the kitchen with a fire going to ward off the cold – not extreme, but cold enough to remind you that Sutherland is the coldest place in SA.

Thursday

We slept snugly with the electric blankets keeping us warm all night – so much so that we only surfaced around 9am for a first coffee and tea to get us going.

Sutherland

After breakfast we joined the family for a trip to town where we meandered along the dusty quiet streets just taking in the atmosphere of this deep Karoo dorp that has become famous for being the centre of astronomy in SA – and for being the coldest place in the country!

SAAO Observatories

After a coffee at the Planetarium in town, we drove back to the farm and Andre and I were soon on our way to the SAAO observatories a little further along the same road for the afternoon tour of the facilities.

SAAO (South African Astronomical Observatory) owns and operates four major telescopes on a hilltop site 1800 metres above sea level, chosen for its year round clear skies, semi-arid setting and absence of light and other pollution.

The tour started with a video and a walk around the visitor centre to learn about the history of the facility and the basic principles of the different types of telescopes, followed by a short drive up the hill to where the observatories are located.

The four telescopes, all optical telescopes, run by SAAO are –

The 1.0m telescope
The 1.9m telescope
Lesedi telescope, and the big daddy of them all…
The Southern African Large Telescope (SALT)

Lesedi telescope (currently being commissioned) is housed in this building

Besides these four flagship telescopes, the facility houses a number of other telescopes, mostly operated by other organisations and international astronomy institutions

1.0m Telescope

We were taken firstly into the 1.0m observatory to view the telescope known as Elizabeth, funded by the queen and in use since 1964. It originally stood in the Observatory grounds in Cape Town and was upgraded and modernised to operate remotely when SAAO moved it to Sutherland in 1972.

SALT (Southern African Large Telescope)

Then it was time to enter the observatory housing the 11.0m SALT telescope – the building is imposing and there was a buzz of anticipation among the group of about twenty visitors on the tour.

Inside, we all climbed a couple of flights of stairs up to the level where a platform allowed a view of the whole interior, which elicited an excited babble from the group and rightly so – the mass of structural elements and the glint of the 11.0m primary mirror array were certainly impressive.

The heart of the telescope, the 11m wide hexagonal primary mirror array, is made up of 91 individual 1m hexagonal mirrors, housed in a complex movable structure weighing 80 tons.

The largest single optical telescope in the southern hemisphere, SALT can detect the equivalent of a candle flame at the distance of the moon!

SALT is funded by a consortium of international partners from SA, USA, Germany, Poland, India, UK and New Zealand

SALT, Sutherland showing the interior structure and part of the mirror array

SALT, Sutherland – a closer view of the mirror array, comprising 91 hexagonal mirrors

After hearing all the ins and outs of its operation and specs the tour came to an end and we returned to the farm, happy that we had seen the observatories and learnt a bit about their capabilities

The girls had not yet returned from their trip to town, which meant we could not get into the house as they had taken the key. However this turned out in our favour as we spotted a bird party moving through the garden.

In 15 minutes or so we saw –

Mountain Wheatears both boldly and drably coloured
Long-billed Crombec
Namaqua Warbler perching in the tree and singing beautifully

Chestnut-vented Tit-Babbler pair
Cape Bunting

I then took a short drive before sunset adding just White-throated Canary to take my pentad list to 20.

The evening was spent around the fire in the kitchen and for a while outside, suitably wrapped up in our warmest clothes, doing some star gazing with Andre informing us about some of the features of the night sky.

Tomorrow we head to Citrusdal and The Baths

Holiday Trips, On the Road

A Cape Winter Break – Part 1 : Matjiesfontein

March 9, 2025 Don Reid 4 Comments

The Plan

A one night stopover in Matjiesfontein at the historic Lord Milner Hotel
A couple of nights on a farm in Sutherland, the star-gazing capital of South Africa
A week at The Baths resort near Citrusdal

Always up for some mild adventure, and to experience places we have not visited before – which included two of the three above – we agreed to join them and made the necessary bookings to match those that they had already made – the trip was on!

The Trip to Matjiesfontein

Tuesday

The preparation and packing started the day before as usual but it still took us the whole morning to finalise everything and be ready for the trip, in particular the first leg which took us to Matjiesfontein, where we checked into the Lord Milner Hotel around 5.30pm, right on schedule to make it there before sunset.

The route from Mossel Bay was a familiar one as we followed the road through the Robinson Pass to Oudtshoorn, Meiringspoort, Prince Albert and Laingsburg – all places we have visited in the past and pleasing to see again.

Progress was slow initially with a couple of “stop and go’s” between Brandwag and the Robinson Pass, where we stopped in mist to have sandwiches and tea.

Meiringspoort showed signs of the heavy rains of a month or two ago, which must have turned the usually quiet river and the adjoining road into one large torrent of water judging by the sand drifts and debris of bushes and trees all the way along the 20kms of twisting road.

The picnic spots were all barriered off due to the floods, so there was no chance of stopping as we usually did – we were just happy the road was open after being closed entirely for a few weeks until mid-June

The road to Prince Albert was quiet and as attractive as ever with lovely vistas opening up as we descended into the Kareedouw valley. We passed through Prince Albert and soon reached the junction with the N1 National road where we turned west and travelled to Laingsburg and beyond to our overnight stop at Matjiesfontein.

Matjiesfontein

Checking in at the Lord Milner Hotel, I realised that our previous stay must have been in 1976 – not because we could remember that far back but what we did recall was that the milk we ordered for our then baby son was sour and he was born in 1976!

It all still looks much the same and we even got the same room – the Olive Schreiner cottage – as 48 years ago.

The main staircase is eye-catching and the central cast iron column in the dining room is said to be one of only two of its kind, the other being in Buckingham Palace.

Main staircase in Lord Milner Hotel, Matjiesfontein

Dinner was hotel fare in the classic old dining room and having had a light lunch we did all three courses – soup, main and dessert – then headed to the cottage for an early night.

Wednesday

With just a short distance to drive today we slept in and only got to breakfast after 9am, enjoying the time with the family and the extensive fare on offer before checking out.

Before leaving Matjiesfontein we explored the village on foot, strolling along the station platform then past the Red London bus (which is used to take visitors on short tours of the village) and viewing some of the other buildings on the street.

The signal room in the old station, Matjiesfontein – a gem of mechanical engineering from a forgotten age

The small Transport Museum looked intriguing so we popped in after paying a nominal fee. What we found was a motley collection of old cars, some of which are in need of repair and/or TLC, nevertheless interesting for a fan of old cars such as myself (not just a birder after all).

Also in the museum is an old loco with a few coaches

And the Birding?

Our visit to Matjiesfontein was short, so birding was not uppermost in my mind, yet I managed to record 15 species while walking about the village. Apart from the everyday Doves, Sparrows, Robins I did see White-backed Mousebird, Malachite Sunbird and Red-winged Starlings, while Pied Barbets provided a typical Karoo background sound with their familiar calls.