roads - Firefly the Travel Guy

Under the canopy of the winding Bloukrans Pass

In the late 1870s, master pass builder Thomas Bain arrived in the Tsitsikamma to look at the possibility of building passes through the three gorges standing in the way of a road linking the Plettenberg Bay area to Port Elizabeth in the east. Bain plotted the best and easiest way through the Groot River, Bloukrans River and Storms River gorges by following the elephant footpaths and construction started in 1879. The Bloukrans Pass was completed in 1880 with the Storms…

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17/11/2022

Firefly the Travel Guy

The roads of Nieu-Bethesda

The village of Nieu-Bethesda is located about 30 minutes north of Graaff-Reinet and literally feels like another world. It is so different from most small rural towns as there is very little development around which makes the place feel sleepy and peaceful. The road to about 4km from the outskirts of the village was tarred a couple of years ago which makes getting to it a little easier, but town itself has no tar roads, no street lights, no petrol…

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24/05/2021

Firefly the Travel Guy

Oh I wish I had a 4×4

Oh how I wish I had a 4x4. A proper bakkie (or SUV, I'm not picky) to explore the backroads with. I love my Polo, don't get me wrong, but I feel for her every time I hit a dirt road. But a bigger vehicle would allow me to discover places I've been avoiding. Crossing the Zuurberg Pass, taking the Elands River road, have a proper Wild Coast trip, do the Baviaanskloof from end to end for the first time,…

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12/05/2021

Port Elizabeth Daily Photo

The road past Beachview

How about a little roadtrip around PE? Start on the beachfront and follow Marine Drive along the Wildside to Schoenmakerskop, around to Sardinia Bay and then onto the Seaview Road to Seaview, Beachview and Maitland (perhaps as far as the Van Stadens Wildflower Reserve), before returning along Kragga Kamma Road to Port Elizabeth. This is what the road past Beachview on the way to Maitland looks like. Views for ages.

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17/07/2020

Port Elizabeth Daily Photo

Marine Drive on the Wildside

Marine Drive along the Port Elizabeth beachfront and the Wildside all the way out to Schoenmakerskop probably has some of the best scenery in PE. Sea views, a rugged coastline, gullies to enjoy with kids, fishing spots, coastal fynbos, shipwrecks, whales and dolphins, hiking trails, nature reserves, picnic spots, camp sites, tons of photo opportunities and so much more.

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19/06/2020

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Under the freeway

Strand Street under the Settlers Freeway isn't really a place where many of Port Elizabeth's suburban inhabitants wander but if you do you'll encounter interesting scenes, vendors and shops that you won't really find anywhere else. The painting on the freeway support pillar is one of a series of colourful and evocative portraits that depict young South Africans from a range of cultural backgrounds. It forms part of Route 67 and is called IDENTITIES.

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27/02/2018

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Campanile view – Looking north along the Settlers Freeway

There are four viewing windows at the top of the Campanile. The new full-length viewing window looks out to the east over the Port Elizabeth Harbour. The view south is towards the beachfront, west across the city centre towards the Donkin Reserve and then north along the Settlers Freeway. Looking at the picture the Settlers Freeway (M4) is on the left and the railway lines on the right. The roof at the bottom of the picture is the Port Elizabeth Station building. …

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19/10/2017

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The road is long…

When I downloaded this photo of me sitting in the road near Jansenville in the Karoo Heartland from my camera onto the laptop and saw it, the first thing that came to my mind was "The road is long..." from He ain't heavy, he's my brother by The Hollies. The tune, melody, words, everything. It's probably also the best description of my life lately. Between work and personal life it's been busy, busy, busy with lots of time spent on the road…

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14/10/2017

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Empty highway

Some abandoned highway somewhere after the outbreak of the zombie apocalypse? Nope, the N2 just past Coega, taken from the overpass at just the right time to show an empty road.

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08/08/2017

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Upper Seaview

Driving from Mount Pleasant to Seaview most people always seem to be in a hurry and fly down Seaview Road. I enjoy taking the slower more scenic option and drive along the Old and Upper Seaview roads. There are much better views from up there.

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04/01/2017