fitravel - Firefly the Travel Guy

A wizard’s grave in Cradock? Here lies Harry Potter

We all know Harry Potter, the boy wizard with his little round glasses and lightning scar on his forehead, created by JK Rowling for her books and turned into a successful film franchise. But what happened to Harry after the fact? Did he perhaps exchange the cold of England and Hogwarts for the warm sun of Cradock and Africa? Cradock’s old cemetery can get quite spooky in the early mornings when the fog hangs around the gravestones of settlers, frontiersmen,…

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28/10/2022

Firefly the Travel Guy / Port Elizabeth Daily Photo

The historic Mackay Bridge over the Sundays River

Back in the early 1800s the first river crossing across the Sundays River going east from Algoa Bay was a drift situated near Addo. As traffic increased there was an urgent need for a more direct route as the route via Addo was a bit of a detour to Grahamstown and the Albany DistrictBy the mid-1800s the Colchester area was a very busy spot as it had the only pont over the Sundays River on this main route between Port…

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22/10/2022

Firefly the Travel Guy

The Big Tree of the Tsitsikamma

The Tsitsikamma Big Tree has been around for a while. Literally and figuratively. It's not just one of the iconic Tsitsikamma attractions but also one of the most well-known on the Garden Route. The Big Tree is situated on the N2, just east of the entrance to Storms River Village. So why is this specific tree so significant? The tree is an indigenous Outeniqua Yellowwood, estimated to be about 1000 years old and a true giant of the forest. Getting…

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04/10/2022

Firefly the Travel Guy

Hiking along the Somerset East parkrun route

The Somerset East parkrun has become a popular outdoor activity for both locals and visitors to this beautiful Karoo Heartland town. But the parkrun hasn't just created a Saturday morning outing, it's also created a fantastic safe hiking trail option for the town. What is better than one trail? Two trails, as you can do the whole 5km route or opt-out about halfway. I spent a couple of days in Somerset East and Desiree of Mountain View Guest Inn took…

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16/09/2022

Firefly the Travel Guy

The war memorial in Somerset East

No matter how big or small the town in South Africa, you are very likely to find a war memorial of some sort somewhere in or close to it. As you come into the Karoo Heartland town of Somerset East from the Graaff Reinet side the town's war memorial stands on an island on the left-hand side. The War Memorial commemorates the men of Somerset East and the surrounding district who lost their lives in the First and Second World…

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06/09/2022

Firefly the Travel Guy

Slagtersnek, reminders of a Boer rebellion in the Karoo Heartland

If you're driving along the N10 south of Cookhouse in the Eastern Cape and you keep your eyes open on the eastern side of the road, you'll spot a monument that remembers quite a significant piece of history linked to this district's early years. A sign on the gate identifies it as the Slagtersnek (or Slachtersnek) Monument, but what is Slagtersnek, what happened here and what led to it? Back in the early 1800s this area was the eastern border…

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30/08/2022

Firefly the Travel Guy / Port Elizabeth Daily Photo

High Tea at the Boardwalk Hotel

For some reason when I hear somebody mentioning afternoon tea, I tend to imagine ladies in hats and Victorian dresses, men dressed smartly, cucumber sandwiches, and croquet on the lawn. What is the difference between afternoon tea and high tea though? Afternoon tea is a British food tradition of sitting down for an afternoon treat of tea, sandwiches, scones, and cake. Afternoon tea is normally served around 4 p.m and became fashionable in the early 19th century. The phrase high…

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01/08/2022

Firefly the Travel Guy

Beervlei Dam, the dam that was built to be empty

Motorists traveling along the N9 from the interior via Graaff Reinet and Aberdeen towards Willowmore would notice a huge empty dam on the right. It’s not empty because of drought though. The Beervlei Dam is supposed to be empty. The dam was completed in 1957 as a flood control dam to help protect areas downstream on the Groot River when good rains do happen. The Karoo sediments in the area contain a lot of salts and it has been found…

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27/07/2022

Read more about the article The museum ghosts of Somerset East

Somerset East Old Parsonage Museum ghost stories

Firefly the Travel Guy

The museum ghosts of Somerset East

You know that feeling when you walk around a very old place, often on your own? Yes, that feeling when you think to yourself that you really don't want to be alone there after dark. That feeling that you are sure something goes bump in the night there. Yes, thaaaaaatttt feeling. The one when the hair on the back of your neck rises and something crawls slowly down your spine. Somerset East has two excellent museums with a lot of…

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22/07/2022

Firefly the Travel Guy

Marveling at a beautiful Karoo Heartland sunset from Bruintjieshoogte

If you travel eastwards on the R63 from Graaff Reinet, you drive along fairly flat terrain all the way through the town of Pearston. You will only encounter the first significant change in elevation 20km east of the town when you start to ascend the Bruintjieshoogte Pass on the way to Somerset East. The pass is named after the surrounding Bruintjieshoogte mountain range which lies between the Sundays River, Renosterberg, the Groot Winterhoek Mountains and the Sneeuberge. The range forms a watershed for the Little Fish River (a tributary…

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03/07/2022