ballies
Race Dog
Ryperd invited me to join him on a Memel trip Sunday. I was very keen but decided to use the weekend to the full.
Trip stats
Ave speed gps: 70km/h
Top speed gps: 141km/h
Duration of route 11 hours and some minutes
Distance gps:1150 km
I left Pretoria 09h30 on Saturday.
After I left Pretoria I drove through Brits and got some nice gravel halfway to Thabazimbi. I then continued on the Ellisras road and made a right turn to Diamant. This was an awesome gravel road. It had rock,sand,deep sand, good surface, up hill and down hill. I basically traveled on the border of one of the big Waterberg reserves. I ended my gravel when I met the tar on the Vaalwater/Ellisras road . I decided to overnight outside Ellisras at a campsite. I met some interesting locals and reps there.
The next morning I left for the border. It was another 100km to the borderpost (Groblersbrug). On my arrival I checked in and out in no time. No one gave me any sh##t and all the official were friendly.
I stopped at the Caltex garage in Botswana where Clinton van Vuurens "Kwa Nokeng Offroad Adventures" is based. I met him while filling up and he offered to help me take a good route through the Tuliblock. My I add what a fine gentleman. He really gave me good information. I left Sherwood and made a right (east) to the block. There was a 80km gravel road that was out of this world. Unfortunately there was'nt much wildlife at that time of day and it is very hot and dry in that region. I momentarily stopped at Tsetsejwe ,but was chased by drunken locals and could not refuel. I drove back to Zanzibar and continued east for another 30km. I decided to turn back because my fueltank was now half. I backtracked my route to Kwa Nokeng and slept there in a nice tented room.
The next morning I left the border at 6 30 and returned to Pretoria via Ellisras/Vaalwater/Nylstroom on tar.
All in all a very good ride and will do it again and hopefully do the whole of south-east Botswana.
;D ;D ;D
Trip stats
Ave speed gps: 70km/h
Top speed gps: 141km/h
Duration of route 11 hours and some minutes
Distance gps:1150 km
I left Pretoria 09h30 on Saturday.
After I left Pretoria I drove through Brits and got some nice gravel halfway to Thabazimbi. I then continued on the Ellisras road and made a right turn to Diamant. This was an awesome gravel road. It had rock,sand,deep sand, good surface, up hill and down hill. I basically traveled on the border of one of the big Waterberg reserves. I ended my gravel when I met the tar on the Vaalwater/Ellisras road . I decided to overnight outside Ellisras at a campsite. I met some interesting locals and reps there.
The next morning I left for the border. It was another 100km to the borderpost (Groblersbrug). On my arrival I checked in and out in no time. No one gave me any sh##t and all the official were friendly.
I stopped at the Caltex garage in Botswana where Clinton van Vuurens "Kwa Nokeng Offroad Adventures" is based. I met him while filling up and he offered to help me take a good route through the Tuliblock. My I add what a fine gentleman. He really gave me good information. I left Sherwood and made a right (east) to the block. There was a 80km gravel road that was out of this world. Unfortunately there was'nt much wildlife at that time of day and it is very hot and dry in that region. I momentarily stopped at Tsetsejwe ,but was chased by drunken locals and could not refuel. I drove back to Zanzibar and continued east for another 30km. I decided to turn back because my fueltank was now half. I backtracked my route to Kwa Nokeng and slept there in a nice tented room.
The next morning I left the border at 6 30 and returned to Pretoria via Ellisras/Vaalwater/Nylstroom on tar.
All in all a very good ride and will do it again and hopefully do the whole of south-east Botswana.
;D ;D ;D
