This year there is no Kalahari desert to look forward to, we are also not roughing it up with camping, we are going soft. We promised ourselves that next year is the year of the long camp, for now this year is the year of family stay-overs. We vowed to steer clear of the highways and tarred surface and stick to dirt roards and back tracks as far as possible. We also planned the trip in such a way that we never have 2 consecutive hard driving long days in the saddle. We tried to always have a "day off" in between.
Our general plan is to travel through the central Karoo (Loxton, De Aar) to the Gariep River and to follow it to Aliwal North and maybe even a little further, until we hit Lesotho. Then south though Barkley East to Elliot to spend some time with my sister and her family on their farm outside Elliot. Tiffendell is also on the cards, I want to go hang upside down from the rafters in the pub and down shooters, just to see if it is possible to down a shooter upside down. Afterwards we'll go skiing....
From Elliot we are going to Himeville via Matatiele and Kokstad, and a meal at Jack Ramkat's Wimpy, and a lekker chat. We will be staying over at Himeville for 2 nights and the day in between we are planning to go up the Sani Pass, weather permitting, to have lunch at the Sani Top, the highest pub in Africa. From Himeville we head over the Drakensberg via Bergville and the Sterkfontein dam to Golden Gate, Clarens and eventually Marquard, where we will be staying at the Korannaberg resort.
A short trip along the border of Lesotho gets us to Bloemfontein and then Kimberley where a close friend wil put us up for a few days. During the time in KY-City we'll do the touristy thing, recharge batteries, and go see some places out there that few people know of. From Kimberley we head out north to Jan Kemp Dorp and Kuruman, just because I have never been there before in my life and I always wanted to go see what it looks like. Then south-west to Upington. In Upington we park off at the family for another few days, and then south via Putsonderwater, Marydale, Van Wyksvlei, Carnavon to Williston, where the best grilled skaap-chops in the world get served in the hotel.
South from Williston to Fraserburg, and then to a mystery destination, just to keep things interesting, seeing as it is our last nite out on the road. This is going to be a big one!! From our Mystery Destination we head for home, but first we will stop in at Hentey Pople's place in Worcester for a nice cuppa coffee to get us ready for the last 100km home.
Here is our itenary in a nutshell;
Brackenfell to Beaufort Wes
Beaufort Wes to Vanderkloof
Vanderkloof to Aliwal Noord
Aliwal Noord to Elliot
Elliot to Himeville
Sani Pass
Himeville to Marquard
Marquard to Kimberley
Kimberley to Upington
Upington to Williston
Williston to Mystery Destination
Mystery Destination to Brackenfell
We are really looking forward to the break...
... kyk mooi na jou baas :D 
