Unfinished Business – Magliesberg Meander
Living in a city is an alien concept to us Westwoods, so we try to escape to the sticks when we can. On one such jaunt, we took the hire car we had at the time, a brand new little silver blob, to Magliesberg (try saying that with the Africaans “acchll” after a couple of beers!) a couple of hours away from Joburg. I found an “interesting” route across the mountains to explore….
Note the helpful advice added later.
Within a short distance of the main road, we were on a dirt track, and then we started to climb ….. and the road became an obstacle course. A bakkie came flying by and bang, we both ducked as if we’d been shot! Now adorned with a beautifully cracked windscreen, we proceeded higher. Our little car was willing and pretty good at rock climbing, but we were relieved when we arrived at the saddle between the two mountains. The views were spectacular. Chatting to a lady who jumped out of a 4WD which appeared in the middle of nowhere, I asked about the road going down the other side. Her response was, “My husband says you will break that car if you try and drive down there!”, so alas we turned back. 
The summit at the weekend – a bit like Piccadilly really….
Not to be deterred, last weekend we were delighted to borrow Daniel’s trusted Landy, and off we went again. The Landy devoured the dirt track and we went up (passing some intrepid skate boarders) and over to the far road, and then back (past some rather grubby tired battered skate boarders). We had gullies, and steps and holes and rocks and, oh yes, a very recent oil trail showing us the way down the mountain. (We fully expected to find an abandoned motocross bike somewhere, but in any event an expensive bike repair was on the cards for some poor soul who got it wrong.)
Oops!
.. and the oil trail went on and on and on and ..
On our final descent we were flagged down by a bakkie coming up the hill with a trailer. The driver shouted out, “You’ll have to turn round, that’s far too much of a challenge for a Landy!” In SA there are those with Landys, and those without, and those without have a host of Landy jokes; I guess they must be jealous…
All these road signs
Stunning scenery, antelopes and baboons – what more could you ask for from a stroll out into the country. Mission accomplished – after a welcome drink at a roadside stop, a dusty orange landy returned unscathed to the city. 
Freebooter 