Van Stadens Rail bridge and two Dams Hiking trail. Sunday 27th June 2021

 Van Stadens Rail bridge and two Dams Hiking trail.   Sunday 27th June 2021

Sunday 27th June 2021

We meet at the Windfarm for a Coffee and toilet break before continuing on to the start of the hiking trail.   We are able to start hiking at about 9am.  This is a 7km or 3 hour hiking trail.   We start the morning looking at the old Rail Bridge which links Van Stadens nature reserve with the Crossways village.   

After a short while we continue with the Dams Hike.   The trail begins with a long descent on the old concrete sloot / road to where the pumps and wier are located.   The views are already quite spectacular.   Once at the bottom of the valley we have to cross a rocky section to be able to climb up to the top of the wier or small dam.   From there we walk on  a narrow pathway to the open rocks where the water pipe has been laid.   

The next section of the walk takes us up to the top of the hill overlooking the main dam.   The aloes and other indigenous fynbos is looking great with lots of colour.   Over the top of this hill we again descend to the valley which would lead us into the dam if we took that pathway.   From this foot path we are able to see the pathway leading down from Crossways paths to where we find the marker showing the V Stadens Dam hike.   We walk up stream for a short while before settling down for a short snack break. 

The return hike is back along the same pathways all the way to the bottom weir and then up the concrete road.    

This hike has a couple of longish hills and a few sections where you require a sure footing so medium fitness is required.   Allow 3 hours to enjoy the hike.  

Van Stadens Rail bridge. 

Walking down the concrete sloot / road. 

At the first dam / Wier

Exploring a little bit further to try to find the waterfall.  No success. 

Panoramic view of the bigger dam. 

The group --  Ally takes the pic;  Aletheia; Johan and Leonie;  Belinda; Sonja and Lila; Bilue; Joseph and Rueben;  Fay; Gay; Gillian and Sehlon;  Glynette and Wessel; Janice;  Myles;  Pat and Ronel;  Wendy; Chris and Liam;  Zoleka;  Sally K;  Lolo;  Ren and John.  29 of us alltogether.   

The van Stadens Rail bridge

On the trail.   Amazing views

Walking back up the concrete road. 

Pat and Ronel.   

Our group ---- Gillian;  Ally;  Grandad; Faye; Sally K;  Sehlon

Ally and I are on the way up. 

Krans Aloe   Rocket  Aloe

Krans Aloe   Rocket  Aloe

Views of the valley below

The van Stadens Rail bridge

The old disused rail line. The Avontuur Railway is a closed railway line between Port Elizabeth and the town of Avontuur in the Western and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa. It is the longest 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge route in the world at a length of 285 kilometres (177 mi).^[1] "Avontuur" is the Afrikaans and Dutch word for "adventure".

The railway was built by the government of the Cape Colony between 1890 and 1906, to connect the Langkloof fruit growing industry with the new port at Port Elizabeth.^[2] The section of line between Humewood Road and Humansdorp was opened for public traffic on 1 November 1905.^[3]

In 1903 a request was laid before the then government in order to add a branch line to Patensie. This branch was commissioned on 3 April 1914.^[4]

In 1906 a branch line was opened to the Port Elizabeth's suburb Walmer and in 1928 a twelve mile long private branch was constructed to the Eastern Province Cement Company (EPCC).^[5]

Apple Express[edit]

The line was best known for its tourist train, the Apple Express, which commenced operations in 1965 to Loerie, later to Thornhill or Van Stadens River, the highest two-foot narrow-gauge railway bridge in the world. The motive power for the Apple Express was retained as steam, normally a SAR NGG16 Class Garratt. The Apple Express ceased operations in 2011.

Today, there is a new effort to restore a partial, limited, service in 2016 / 2017 from Port Elizabeth to Van Stadens Station – if not Thornhill - with two NG/G15 and one NG/G16 Garratt along with a fleet of passenger cars under restoration inside the former Humewood Road narrow Gauge diesel depot in Port Elizabeth.

Cape Spray.  

Evening Cape Spray

Peter Giddy's hiking and tours group..... To enjoy the outdoors and to discover and explore places you have never seen or experienced.  Meet people and make new friends.  I understand that not everyone is at the same level of fitness and ability.   So I accommodate everyone but providing hikes to suite the individual.   No one is left behind.   

SA Guided Tours and Peter Giddy Guided Tours -- Shore Excursions -- Addo Elephant and other Wildlife Reserves -- Garden Route.  Flowers of Namaqualand -- 

0027 (0) 82 55 03 714    Whatsup
peter.giddy@gmail.com
Addo Elephant Park Day Visit and Night drive. 

• Kragga Kamma Wildlife Reserve
• Daniel Cheetah Project
• Pumba; Shamwari; Amakhala; Kariega -- Day trips Private Reserves.
• Three day tour of Mountain Zebra Park. Graaff Reinet, Nieu Bethesda and Addo. 
• City Historical and Cultural Tours, 
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• Garden Route Adventure Tours (Zip Lines; Segway  in the Forest; Adventure Quad Biking; Bridge Walks; Bungy Jump; Knysna Elephant Park; Monkey Land and Birds of Eden; Big Cats Sanctuary; Oudtshoorn Cango Caves and Ostrich farms)
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• Transfers. Airport; Hotel and Wildlife Reserve.
• Flowers of Namaqualand.  Seven days of adventure and exploring places and sights you never even knew existed.  History and natural beauty of the South West of South Africa
• Karoo to Garden Route. Six days of fun and activities.  Prince Albert; Swartberg Pass; Die Hell; Oudtshoorn; Prince Alfred pass; Plett and Tsitsikamma. 

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For tours and bookings.. email me at.    peter.giddy@gmail.com
Contact me on Whatsup....  0027 082 550 3174