Compassberg, looking down on the surrounding Karoo Heartland
If you've ever been to Nieu-Bethesda then you would have spotted Compassberg on the horizon. In fact, it's not difficult to miss. The Compassberg (2502m) is the highest peak in the Sneeuberg range and also the highest peak in South Africa outside the Stormberg-Drakensberg massif. It was named by Colonel Robert Jacob Gordon when he accompanied Governor Joachim van Plettenberg on a journey to the eastern frontier of the Cape Colony in 1778. Compassberg together with its neighbouring mountains provides a critical water catchment area, covering…