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If you have any photographs of the entries in this blog that are not illustrated, or better pictures of those that are, and you are willing to let us have your minimum-res 800 x 600 pics, please contact us.
Gabriël’s Pass : Gabriël was by repute the postman who, in the late 19th / early 20th century would carry the post from the end of the road at Wupperthal over the mountain via this path to the Dwarsrivier, Kromrivier, Matjiesrivier farms, etc etc. The path crosses the mountain between Corridor Peak and Wolfberg
Gabriëlskloof : As above; the ravine ascended by Gabriël’s Pass

Galant se Gang at Kleinfontein

Galant se Gang : “Galant’s passage” [Afr]; a narrow rocky defile on the farm Kleinfontein, near Oupoort in the Agter-Pakhuis. Daanster Galant was a ne’er-do-well from Elizabethsfontein who abducted and killed a young girl in the area in the early 20th century.  Galant was hunted down by a Clanwilliam policeman and was eventually caught in this ravine. In a bizarre twist to this gruesome tale he was made to carry the dead child back to Clanwilliam, where he was tried, sentenced and executed ...
Gap See Ei : Meaning and language unknown, presumably from Khoi. This name appears on official maps at the nek in the Biedouw Mountains, close to Hoek se Berg, where the original ‘Biedouw’ or ‘milkbush pass’ crossed the mountains. Explanation, anyone?

The Gargoyles’ Tea Party

Gargoyles’ Tea Party  :  a prominent rocky outcrop north of the path near the Maltese Cross, on the Dwarsrivier side; appr0priately named by Peter Hart in 2007
Garskraal : “barley corral” [Afr]; the original name of the farm that is now known as Algeria, which was by repute established in about 1720 by either shipwrecked or mutinous sailors who came here from Lambert’s Bay, took Khoi wives, and farmed at a subsistence level until they discovered the cedar trees growing in the mountains above them, and logging of the trees began.
Gat se Kop : “the hill of the hole” [Afr]; a 987m hill east of Heuningvlei and north of the Heuningvleirivier; reason for the name unknown
Gat se Kraalkloof : “ravine of the kraal of the hole” [Afr]; kloof in the hills east of Keurbos farm in the Grootkloof; origin unknown – but ‘Gat’ may have been a person’s name
Gatdeurkop : “hole-through peak” [Afr]; a 1356m peak west of Middelberg North and looking down on the Grootkloof; its apparently-sheer western face can be easily ascended through a crack or hole that circumvents the cliff face

The Gaterivier runs between the cemetery, foreground, and the village of Heuningvlei. If you look carefully you can see the small concrete bridge where the path crosses the river

Gaterivier : “holes river” [Afr]; contrary to appearance, the name has nothing to do with the English word ‘gate’ but instead is Afrikaans and refers to the many potholes in the streambed; this is the small stream that runs down from the west, between Heuningvlei and the village cemetery, and should be pronounced as though it was spelt ‘gaa-te-rivier’

Bibron’s gecko (Pachydactylus bibronii): not a pretty sight for a moth!

Gecko Creek Private Nature Reserve : A small private reserve in the hills south of Kriedouw, and accessed from the bottom of Nieuwoudt’s Pass near the drift over the Olifant’s River; presumably named for Bibron’s gecko, Pachydactylus bibronii, the largest gecko species in South Africa and which is common throughout the more arid areas of the country
Gecko Creek Wilderness Lodge : As above, the tourist accommodation on the reserve

Geelgrot, near the Krakadouw blockhouse

Geelgrot : “yellow cave” [Afr]; a large cave a few hundred metres from the blockhouse on the Dwarsrivier near Krakadouwpoort. The cave was used by British soldiers who built and manned the fort during the South African War of 1899–1902 

The bushy growth-form of the Breede River yellowwood

Geelhoutkop : “yellowwood hill” [Afr]; a 341m hill close to and south west of the Kom Proe farmstall, presumably so named for the presence there of Breede River yellowwoods, Podocarpus elongatus

Geelhoutskloof: the Bo-Driffie amphitheatre

Geelhoutskloof : “yellowwood ravine” [Afr]; a ravine running down the northern flank of Gatdeurkop [see above], and north of Jamaka farm. It has many Breede River yellowwoods (Podocarpus elongatus) growing there, and there is a short day-walk up and down the ravine, through the trees. This was also the location where rooibos tea gatherers brought their crop to be cut, see ‘Bo-Driffie’ above
Geelhoutskloof Trail : As above, name of the footpath up the ravine
Geelhoutvlak : “yellowwood flats” [Afr]; a flat-topped hill west of the N7 near Kweekkraal farm; presumably so named for the presence there of Breede River yellowwoods, Podocarpus elongatus
Geelkloof : “yellow ravine” [Afr]; a deep ravine on the eastern boundary of the Bakkrans reserve, through which flows the Matjiesfonteinrivier
Geelkrans : “yellow cliff” [Afr]; a yellow-coloured cliff on the banks of the Boontjiesrivier, a few kilometres east of Citrusdal

Old cedar plantation at Geelvlei

Geelvlei : “yellow marsh” [Afr]; 1. a wet area with restioid vegetation near Cathedral Rocks on the Middelberg; it was the site of a cedar-planting experiment in the 1950s; some of the edars have survived; 2. a shallow, clayey pan in the hills north west of Bakkrans known for its turgid yellow water

Geelwal: Leucadendron salignum

Geelwal : “yellow wall” [Afr]; name given by the residents of Heuningvlei to the ‘wall’ of yellow conebushes (Leucadendron salignum) that flanks the track that leads northwards out of the village towards Die Noodpad
Gelukwaarts : “towards happiness” [Afr]; a farm close to Citrusdal, on the northern side

Gemsbok grazing at Bushmans Kloof

Gemsbok Cottage : a cottage for hire on the Cedar Rock Private Reserve, in the eastern Red Cederberg, named after the gemsbok or oryx, Oryx gazella
Gerrit Nieuwoudt se Pad : “Gerrit Nieuwoudt’s road” [Afr]; reputed to be the route taken by Gerrit Nieuwoudt from Boskloof into the Grootkloof and the Rondegat river, in the early 1800s

Gertjie cottage

Gertjie : “little Gert” [Afr]; a cottage for hire at Traveller’s Rest, in the Agter-Pakhuis
Ghôboom : “bitter almond tree” [Khoi+Afr]; a subsistence farm on the track between Heuningvlei and Witwater, so named for the presence there of ‘bitter almonds’, the proteaceous Brabejum stellatifolium
Giant Yellowwood : An extremely large and certainly very old Breede River yellowwood (Podocarpus elongatus) growing in the Brandewyn River valley near the Groentuin weir, in the area named Studenthof
Gideonskop : “Gideon’s Peak” [Afr]; a 1650m peak in the extreme southern Cederberg, east of Sandfontein

A part of Giel se Knik at Witwater

Giel se Knik : “Giel’s dip” [Afr]; a sharp dip in the track into Witwater on the northern side, where a water furrow built by Giel leads water from a fresh spring to the cottages there
Goeweneurskoppe : “governor’s hills” [Afr]; hills east of Citrusdal and north of the R303, we would all like to know the origin of this name, please
Goewermenthuis se Hoogte : “government house’s rise” [Afr]; a steep hill on the Clanwilliam-Algeria road, just after the road crosses the narrow Rondegat River bridge near Algeria. Above the road on the hillside used to stand a wooden building used as a dormitory for migrant workers hired by the State Forestry Dept, and known locally as the ‘goewermenthuis’

Gonna in flower (Passerina sp.)

Gonnafontein : “gonna spring” [Khoi+Afr]; ‘gonna’ is the Khoi name for plants of the Passerina genus, which are known for their tough, stringy bark that can be twisted into short ropes or twines; Gonnafontein was once a part of Kromrivier farm and is now the site of several private houses

Gorgeous Rocks: lovely legs

Gorgeous Rocks : Impressive and interesting outcrop of large boulders just below the Sneeuberg Hut on the Hoogvertoon Road; we presume the name is based on the many elegant, leggy rock pillars in the outcrop ...
Gousblomkraal se Kloof : “the ravine of the yellow-daisy corral” [Afr]; a long, shallow ravine that leads down to the Citrusdal Boschkloof, west of the 1330m Witberg and close to Grootfontein farm
Grashoogte : “grassy rise” [Afr]; a steep place on the Karoobergpad from Matjiesrivier to Bakkrans and Cedar Rock
Graskop : “grassy hill” [Afr]; a 745m grassy hill west of Grootberg and south of Nieuwoudt’s Pass on the western side

Cottage at Grasvlei

Grasvlei : “grassy marsh or valley” [Afr]; a tiny settlement of four or five cottages, an outlier of Wupperthal on the road between Brugkraal and Kleinvlei

Grave of C Louis Leipoldt after the fire of December 2012: pic by Charité van Rijswijk

Grave of C Louis Leipoldt : Grave of the famous poet, paediatrician, writer, botaniser, etc etc C. Louis Leipoldt; the son of one of the early Wupperthal missionaries, he asked to be buried here in sight of his beloved Pakhuis mountains, in particular the peaks Faith, Hope and Charity, which he had named

Grey’s Pass on the Piquetberg side: about 1920, photographer unknown

Grey’s Pass : the original pass over the Olifants River Mountains, built by Thomas Bain in 1857-58, was named in honour of the Governor of the day, Sir George Grey; it remained in use until the modern Piekenierskloof Pass was completed in 1958 

Groenberg is the dark hill in the centre of the pic (with Groot Krakadouw top right); photo taken from Wolfdrif in the Agter-Pakhuis

Groenberg : “green mountain” [Afr]; 1. name given by the residents of Agter-Pakhuis to the 1063m hill that lies to the west of Heuningvlei; it is a shale hill without rocks and so generally appears smooth and green. The residents of Heuningvlei, however, call it ‘Agterstekop’, or ‘hindmost hill’; 2. a 292m hill west of the old road north of Citrusdal, opposite Grootkop
Groenbos : “green bush” [Afr]; a small scree-forest on the mountain slopes just south of Jamaka, off the Clanwilliam-Algeria road
Groendraai : “green corner” [Afr]; a turn in the road through thick bush on the track from the R364 to the Sevilla cottages

Groenpoort

Groenpoort : “green pass” [Afr]; a deep gap in the Pakhuisberg, due north of Pakhuis farm
Groenvlei Oorkanstedam : “green valley’s dam on the other side” [Afr]; a dam serving Groenvlei farm but which lies across the Olifants River Valley, south of Citrusdal

Baboons (Papio ursinus)

Groot-Bobbejaankop : “greater baboon hill” [Afr]; one of two large rocky outcrops [see also ‘Klein-Bobbejaankop’] of equal height [382m] that lie on the western side of the Rondegat River, and north west of Wolfberg. The common Cape monkey is known as the Chacma Baboon. This is a tautology, as ‘chacma’ is derived from the Khoi for ‘baboon’, so ‘chacma baboon’ means ‘baboon baboon’ (is that silly or what?). The scientific name Papio ursinus, on the other hand, means ‘baboon like a she-bear’, which is just as silly – anything less like a she-bear or a he-bear would be hard to imagine ... most sensible people just call them babs
Groot Gang : “great passage” [Afr]; a deep ravine through which flows the Heuningvlei or Biedouw River, before the river emerges into the Biedouw Valley
Groot Gang se Kop : “great passage’s hill” [Afr]; a hill of 1032m that lies to the south of Groot Gang, near Heuningvlei
Groot Gat se Hoogte : “large hole’s heights” [Afr]; an 887m hill in the Tra-Tra mountains, due north of the village of Beukeskraal
Groot Gatkloof : “large hole ravine” [Afr]; the ravine that runs from west to east, south of the above and exiting at Beukeskraal. The name ‘groot gat’ may refer to the size and depth of the ravine

Hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus) amongst the klapperbos

Groot-Hartbeeskloof  : “large hartebeest ravine” [Afr]; a shallow ravine south east of Driehoek that leads down from Die Rif to the Sandrivier; the name reflects the once-upon-a-time presence of these antelope, Alcelaphus buselaphus, now extinct in the wild in this area

On the path at Groot-Hartseer

Groot-Hartseer : “greater heart-ache” [Afr]; a steep and tiring ascent on the path between Uilsgat and Crystal Pool

Groot Heiveldt

Groot-Heiveldt : “greater heathlands” [Afr]; an open, heath-covered area south of the Oupad between Heuningvlei and Wupperthal, and east of Lêkop

Groot-Jantjieshoek

Groot-Jantjieshoek : “greater little John’s corner” [Afr]; a deep indentation on the shaleband below Wolfberg and above Sanddrif; who Jantjie was is unknown

Huge boulder in the nek at Groot-Koupoort

Groot-Koupoort : “greater cold or steep pass” [Afr or Khoi+Afr]; the origin is lost in the mists of time, but the meaning could either be ‘cold pass’ as a shortening of the Afrikaans ‘koue poort’, or ‘steep pass’, the Khoi word for ‘steep’ being ‘kou’. ‘Kou’ also means ‘chew’ in Afrikaans but this seems an unlikely explanation here

Sunset on the summit of Groot-Krakadouw

Groot-Krakadouw : “greater stony pass” [Afr+Khoi]; the highest of the Krakadouw peaks [1744m]; it is distinguished by the intriguing network of deep ‘corridors’ on the summit. The Khoi name ‘krakadouw’ actually refers to the pass or poort that once formed the only route to Wupperthal from Clanwilliam, but has been transferred in modern usage to the cluster of high peaks south of the pass
Groot Lemoen : “big orange” [Afr]; farm stall at Korhaanshoogte farm, on the N7 north of Citrusdal
Groot Patrysvlei : “greater partridge valley” [Afr]; a farm north east of Clanwilliam
Groot Waterval : “big waterfall” [Afr]; a waterfall in the hills south of the settlement of Kleinvlei which is impressive after rain

Grootberg near Wupperthal; a part of Agterstevlei is in the foreground

Grootberg : “big mountain” [Afr]; 1. 1303m peak west of Algeria, between the Grootkloof and the Olifants River valley 2. 893m peak between Wupperthal and Kleinvlei
Grootberge : “big mountains” [Afr]; 1300m to 1400m hills east of the Trekkloof; this kloof separates the Cederberg from the Red Cederberg;
Grootfontein : “large spring” [Afr]; a farm north of the R303, east of and close to Citrusdal
Grootfonteinkloof : “large spring ravine” [Afr]; a shallow ravine west of Klein-Jongensfontein farm, unrelated to the above
Groothoek : “large corner” [Afr]; a wide valley west of the Heuningvlei Hut and east of Klein-Krakadouw, where there was once a substantial plantation of cedar trees; there still a few trees there
Groothoekkloof : “large corner ravine” [Afr]; a ravine below Groothoekpoort, on the western side of Die Venster
Groothoekpoort : “large corner pass” [Afr]; the gap at Die Venster, the huge divide between Grootberg and Vensterberg north, is also known as Groothoekpoort. If you are looking for a pass, we don’t recommend this one ...
Grootklip : “big rock” [Afr]; a large boulder on the eastern side of the Algeria-Clanwilliam road, just north of Grootrivier farm; it is a landmark and meeting place for foot-travellers in particular
Grootklip se Holte : “big rock’s hollow” [Afr]; a notable dip in the road just north of Grootklip; see above

Grootkloof Farm, from Nieuwoudt’s Pass

Grootkloof : “large ravine” [Afr]; the very long ravine or valley within which runs the Rondegat River, and stretching from Uitkyk in the south to Rietvlei farm in the north; also the name of the Nieuwoudt family’s farm that once included most of the valley
Grootkloof Primary : as above; the primary school at Bosdorp, near Algeria
Grootkloof se Drif : “large ravine’s drift” [Afr]; the drift in the Clanwilliam-Algeria road at Grootkloof farm

Grootkop at Heuningvlei, on the right

Grootkop : “large hill” [Afr]; 1. a 335m hill east of the old road north of Citrusdal, opposite Groenberg; 2. a 1050m peak due east of Heuningvlei
Grootland : “large land or field” [Afr]; a cultivated area north of Uilsgat, on the path between Middelberg and Crystal Pool, where a cedar plantation was established in the early 1900s; Alex Basson reports finding the remains of an old horse-drawn plough there
Grootlandskop : “hill of the large field” [Afr]; 1524m peak south west of Grootlandsvlakte
Grootlandsvlakte : “flats of the large field” [Afr]; the flats around the Grootland [see above]

The old drift at Grootrivier: photo by Ken Howes-Howell, October 1949

Grootrivier : “large river” [Afr]; 1. where it rises in the Koue Bokkeveld this river is known as the ‘Leeurivier’ or ‘lion river’, but from the point where it begins to break through the mountains to the east, to its eventual confluence with the Rietrivier, it is known as the Grootrivier, and is generally accepted to be the geographical southern boundary of the Cederberg. 2. It is also the name of the farm where the Matjiesrivier-Ceres road crosses the Grootrivier, and which is now better known as the resort named Mount Ceder

Grootrivier Farm

Grootrivier Pass : “large river pass” [Afr]; pass on the northern side of Grootrivier farm, where the road crosses the Klipbokberg before descending into the Breekkrans River valley

Grootrivierhoogte, looking south

Grootrivierhoogte : “large river rise” [Afr]; very steep section of the above, just before the summit
Grootsteil se Kop : “big steep-place’s hill” [Afr]; from the Agter-Pakhuis side they call it Oompie se Kop; from the Heuningvlei side, Grootsteil se Kop. Either way it’s the same 1180m peak
Grysbokpunt : “grysbok point” [Afr]; a low, 1333m peak in the Middleberg complex that looks down on Boskloof. A grysbok, lit. ‘grizzled buck’, is a small antelope confined to the Cape fynbos, with a reddish coat flecked with grey (Raphicerus melanotis)
Gryskop : “grizzled or grey hill” [Afr]; a 653m high point south west of the Wupperthal road, a kilometre or two after it has left the R364
Gulpoopmaak : “open your fly” [Afr]; a ravine between Pyramid Peak and Middelberg Central in the Middelberg area that runs down into the upper Clanwilliam Boskloof; the reason for the name can only be imagined
Gun Peak : a peak of 1514m in the southern Cederberg, so called because it is surmounted by a large, gun-shaped boulder