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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.
Haarwegskloof : “right-hand ravine” [Afr]; a ravine on the road to Klein-Jongenskraal. The ‘left hand’ ravine is a farm, see ‘Hotwegskloof’ below.
Haasvlakte : “hare flats” [Afr]; a grassy area on the Rondegat river side of the concrete road, about halfway between Algeria and the Uitkyk cottages. Presumably named for the presence of the Cape hare, Lepus capensis, which is common there

Halfvelskop

Halfvelskop : “half-a-skin hill” [Afr]; origin unknown. It has been suggested that mapmakers have corrupted an original name, ‘Halveskop’ or ‘halweskop’, which could loosely translate as ‘the hill of [two] halves’, as the picture above also suggests. It’s a 1157m hillock just south of the Heuningvlei Hut
Hamerkop : “hammer hill” [Afr]; a 1528m peak about halfway between Arch Peak and Sandfontein Peak, in the southern Cederberg
Handneskloof : “hand-nest-ravine” [Afr]; another name which does not make any immediate sense; however, the ‘hand-nest’ could refer to a bee’s nest situated in that ravine and from which honey could be extracted by pushing one’s hand between two rocks. A better idea, anyone? – it's a small ravine on the western side of the Clanwilliam Boskloof, not far north of Agter-Warmhoek
Hanekom Family Memorial : A poignant memorial that overlooks the Kunje valley, outside the Sandfontein farm gate, to a branch of the Hanekom family who, father, mother, baby son, and their pilot, died in an aircraft crash some years ago

Hangklip

Hanglip : “hanging lip” [Afr]; a generic name for a large overhanging rock or rockface; this one is on Traveller’s Rest farm near the bouldering site known as Eight Days of Rain, and is visible as an overhanging lip from the Sevilla road

Hardegrondjie is on the right of the fence

Hardegrondjie : “hard little ground or field” [Afr]; a small field used for cultivation alongside the Heuningvlei road before it enters the village; so called because in summer the ground bakes rock hard and is difficult to plough before the first rains

[Top] An old photo of Hartvlak, labelled ‘Hardvlak’; the pic shows the Wagener family arriving for the winter grazing, probably in the 1920s.
[Bottom] The Hartvlak house as it was in 2008. We sincerely hope that Cape Nature do the right conservation thing and restore the cottage!
[Photos & info supplied by Ernst Hartwig]

Hartvlak : “hard flats” [Afr]; Ernst Hartwig tells me that the name is a ‘corruption’ of ‘hardvlak’, in this instance referring to the large flat pan there. The Wageners of Matjiesfontein moved to Hartvlak for better winter grazing for their livestock; it is now part of the Matjies Rivier Nature Reserve
Hartvlak se Kloof : “hard flats ravine” [Afr]; a ravine leading down east of the above
Hebron : A resort, farm and farmstall near the summit of the Piekenierskloof Pass, on the north side facing down to Citrusdal

Heiveldt

Heiveldt : “heath field” [Afr]; a tiny settlement of three or four houses off the Heuningvlei road from Wupperthal

Hekklippe

Hekklippe : “gate rocks” [Afr]; two prominent rock pillars that resemble a gateway and mark a shortcut between Heuningvlei and Oujaarsdag se Kloof; north of the old Heuningvlei Forest Station road and close to the village of Heuningvlei
Heks se Suil : “witch’s pillar” [Afr]; a prominent rock pillar on the flattish top of the mountain known as Wegwaai, east of the Heks River valley [see below]
Heksrivier : “witch’s river” [Afr]; river running from south to north east, originating south of Sneeuberg at Bakleikraal and eventually forming an important tributary of the Olifants River. The origin is unknown, but there are several ‘witch’s rivers’ or ‘Heks-/Hexriviere’ in the Western Cape, suggesting an association with a water legend, possibly of Khoi origin

Heksrivier Valley

Heksrivier Valley : “witch’s river valley” [Afr]; the south-to-north valley in which the Heks River runs; also known as Agter-Kruis Valley [see above]

Helsekloof

Helsekloof : “hell’s ravine” [Afr]; extremely dark, steep cleft in the mountainside above the waterfall, on the Algeria-Middelberg path

Cottages at Heuningvlei

Heuningvlei : “honey valley” [Afr]; tiny village of less than thirty families, the westernmost outrider of the Wupperthal Mission, only some 12 kilometres from the Pakhuis Pass. The nearby Forest Station had the same name, but it was mindlessly demolished by the Cape Nature Conservation Dept shortly after that body took over management of the Wilderness from the Forestry Dept in 1989.

The old ‘Rooidakhuis’ at the Heuningvlei Forest Station;Photo: Stephen Penso, May 1998

The old ‘Rooidakhuis’ at the Heuningvlei Forest Station;
pic by Annette Mason, 1989

Heuningvlei–Biedouw Day Walk : a walk between Heuningvlei and the Biedouw Jeugkamp, which more-or-less follows the Heuningvlei/Biedouw river

Heuningvlei Hut

Heuningvlei Hut : As above; the ‘donkey hut’ of the demolished Heuningvlei Forest Station that was left to act as a hut or shelter for hikers or officials
Heuningvlei Peak : As above, 1231m peak immediately north of the Krakadouwpoort path, on the Heuningvlei side
Heuningvlei River : As above, river that runs from Heuningvlei village eastwards and becomes the Biedouw where it emerges into the valley of that name

Heuningvlei drivers, donkeys, and carts

Heuningvlei Walk & Donkey Cart Ride : As above, a popular walk and donkey-cart ride, the latter managed by the residents of Heuningvlei
Heuwelsig : “hill view” [Afr]; a suburb of Citrusdal
Hexrivier : see ‘Heksrivier’ above

Hindenburg

Hindenburg : a large rock pillar on the slopes of Frustration Peak in the southern Cederberg that is said to resemble the large, frowning head of Field-Marshall Hindenburg, the last President of Germany before Hitler assumed power; the position of the feature on the ‘Hike the Cederberg’ map (first edition) may be incorrect

Hoedvol Drift

Hoedvol Drift : “hat-full drift” [Afr]; a drift on the track out of Heuningvlei on the northern side that by repute is sometimes so deep that it could fill your hat ...

Hoek se Berg Pass, with Welbedacht farm in the foreground

Hoek se Berg Pass : “the mountain of the corner pass” [Afr]; mountain pass that descends into the Biedouw Valley, on the Wupperthal road south of Kliprant. The rather strange name is easily explained: Welbedacht farm in the Biedouw Valley was originally known as ‘Die Hoek’ (‘the corner’) because it is situated in the western corner of the valley. The mountain opposite the farm and down which the road descends was known as ‘Die Hoek se Berg’; the mountain name has persisted, even though the farm name has changed

On Hoek se Berg pass

Hoek se Berg : as above
Hoek se Kloof : “the corner’s ravine” [Afr]; a ravine south west of Meulsteenkop, in the southern Cederberg, through which flows the Boontjiesrivier

Cottage at Hoek-sonder-koffie

Hoek-sonder-koffie : “corner without coffee” [Afr]; in the early days shepherds were sent out for days at a time with their flocks. Each had his favourite camping place and often built a small reed shelter there. Hoek-sonder-koffie was such a place where, by repute, an unfortunate shepherd lost his supply of coffee and had to do without for several days. It is now a cottage for hire on Traveller’s Rest farm
Hoekie se Kloof : “little corner’s ravine” [Afr]; a tiny ravine south of Witwater and west of Lêkop
Hoeksonderkoffie : see ‘Hoek-sonder-koffie’ above
Hoenderfontein : “chicken spring” [Afr]; a small cultivated area near the summit of the Kouberg Pass, on the northern side; the origin is unknown
Hoenderfonteinleegte : “chicken spring valley” [Afr]; a shallow valley running northwards to the farm Eensaamheid, north of Klipfonteinrant, not in any way connected with the name above

Holland se Bos, now Karukareb

Holland se Bos : “Holland’s bush” [Afr]; the farm at the end of the road up the Clanwilliam Boskloof, now a resort known as Karukareb; origin unknown

The summit of Hondverbrand; Koue Bokkeveld Sneeukop in the distance on the left;
Tafelberg in the centre. The figure on the left is Olive Nieuwoudt.
Pic by Ken Howes-Howell, October 1952

Hondverbrand : “dog burnt” [Afr]; an intriguing and peculiar name, it may refer to the loss of a shepherd’s faithful companion in a veld fire; it is an area and a 1493m peak in the southern Cederberg, north east of Sandfontein Peak

Hoogvertoon ruins (foreground); Tafelberg in the distance.
The grassy area is the site of the old vegetable and fruit gardens

Hoogvertoon : “high showing” or perhaps “lofty place” [Afr]; the ruined footings and an old dam are all that remain of this old subsistence farm high above Eikeboom, and accessed via Cederhoutskloof. The name is also applied to the highest peak in the Koerasieberg (1631m). Hoogvertoon was originally a part of Driehoek, and was farmed by one Gerrit du Toit for many years from about 1860. He planted many oak trees, and had a fruit orchard and garden at Hoogvertoon. After he died the farm was abandoned, but the oaks remained as welcome shade for hikers and climbers for many years. The last traces of Gerrit’s farm disappeared after the huge veld fire of January 1999

Hoogvertoon Peak on the left; Middelberg behind and Sneeukop on the far right.
Pic by Torben Wiborg

Hoogvertoon Peak : see above; the highest peak in the Koerasieberg, 1631m

Faith, Hope and Charity, from the Heuningvlei Noodpad. Some dispute that Bain built this path at the time he built the Pakhuis Pass in 1877, maintaining that before the Noodpad was built in the 1950s there was no route. However, C. Louis Leipoldt hailed from Wupperthal as a young man; he named the three Pakhuis Peaks Faith, Hope and Charity because from this point on the Noodpad they look almost identical to each other. There is no other similar view of these three peaks ... therefore Leipoldt (born 1880) must have ridden this way as a young man, ergo the path already existed by the time C. Louis could ride ... I rest my case. EXCITING NEWS FLASH: the route is clearly shown on the 1900 Clanwilliam Farm Survey map drawn up by the Field Intelligence Dept of the British Government!

Hope : One of three peaks north of the summit of the Pakhuis Pass, the others being Faith and Charity, and named by C. Louis Leipoldt. Contrary to popular belief the peaks are not named after three local sisters

Horlosiekop

Horlosiekop : “clock hill” [Afr]; a peak of 653m that acts as a natural sundial in the ridge of hills between De Pakhuys and Bushmans Kloof, in the Agter-Pakhuis

Horsey Rock

Horsey Rock : actually two similar rocks, side by side, that resemble racing horses; at the top of Groot-Hartseer on the Uilsgat-Crystal Pool path. Some know them as Brumbie Rocks, a name hardly favoured by South African rugby fans
Hottentotsvlakte : “Hottentot’s flats” [Afr]; a flat area near caves that have rock art, near Keurbos farm in the Grootkloof, on the Clanwilliam-Algeria road. The word ‘Hottentot’ is regarded as unacceptable in some quarters today, but in this context probably refers (in ignorance) to the presence of the rock art. This was more likely to have been produced by the San (‘Bushmen’) than the Khoi (‘Hottentots’)
Hotwegskloof : “left-hand ravine” [Afr]; a farm east of the farm Brakfontein on the Orange River; see also Haarwegskloof, which is nearby
Houtkappersgrot : “woodcutters’ cave” [Afr]; a cave at Eselbank se Hoek, just below the shale band near Sneeukop, simply named for the people who used it

Houtveld; near the Oupad turnoff to Witwater

Houtveld : “wood veld” [Afr]; a flat area on the eastern side of the hamlet of Witwater, where firewood was traditionally gathered
Huishout se Gang : lit. “house-wood’s passage” [Afr]; a rather curious name with historical connotations: it is a small pass between Heuningvlei and Heiveldt once known for its stands of wild olive (Olea europaea subsp. africana). Lathes of olive saplings were collected here to form the frames for reed houses [‘riethuise’], hence ‘house wood’
Huisklip : “house rock” [Afr]; a large, house-shaped rock west of the Katstertrivier and due south of the village of Kleinvlei

I

The Ice Cave on The Pup, winter 1971

Ice Cave : A cave on the south western flank of The Pup where wonderful ice-stalactites form in winter
Imax : A rock art site at Bushmans Kloof, overlooking the Biedouw River upstream of Mertenhof, so called because there is not much of an overhang but rather a very high curved rock wall, resembling the screen of an Imax cinema. The site is interesting in that it can be accessed by climbing through a crack that descends from at least 100m above the floor of the site
Isaks : a cottage for hire at Traveller’s Rest, named for Isak, the man who originally lived there

J

Jakkalskop : “jackal hill” [Afr]; low hills (985m) east of the village of Eselbank

Jamaka, from Nieuwoudt’s Pass

Jamaka : A farm and resort in the Grootkloof, just north of Algeria and the Bosdorp; farmed by Jannie and Katrien Nieuwoudt, the name is a contraction of their names [and that of their daughter? Son?]
Jan Disselsrivier : “Jan Dissels river” [Afr]; the river that runs down the Clanwilliam Boskloof to its confluence with the Olifants River, north of Clanwilliam, and originally known as the Seekoeirivier [= hippopotamus river] to the Dutch settlers. It later came to be known by its present name, see below
Jan Disselsvlei : “Jan Dissels valley” [Afr]; Jan Dissel was the first colonial farmer to farm in this area (1726), the name ‘Dissel’ possibly being the forerunner to the modern surname ‘Deysel’. The area around his farmhouse, near the confluence of the Olifants and Seekoei rivers, came to be known as Jan Disselsvlei, and the house was bought by the new British government in 1808 to serve as the seat for the newly-created sub-drostdy that was part of Tulbagh. The small settlement that grew up at Jan Disselsvlei was renamed ‘Clanwilliam’ by Governor Sir John Cradock in 1814, in honour of his father-in-law, the Duke of Clanwilliam (but why was John so keen to butter up his father-in-law who, after all, had nothing to do with the place?)

Jan Zimri se Pad, with Klein-Toring (left) and Die Toring (right) to the west

Jan Zimri se Pad : “Jan Zimri’s path” [Afr]; Jan Zimri was for many years a prominent forestry worker at Algeria, and widely respected as one of the best pathbuilders in the Cederberg. He and James Joubert (see Joubert se Voetpad below) rerouted and rebuilt the path from the Clanwilliam Boskloof at Krakadouw farm to Amon se Poort, and the path has been so named in recognition of his work
Jantjiesfontein : “little John’s spring” [Afr]; a spring south of Bergsoom farm, off the Baths road south of Citrusdal; not to be confused with Groot-Jantjiesfontein, a quite different place near Sanddrif

The Jeep Track near Sleepad Hut

Jeep Track : Not really a name, but it is included here because the rough track that runs all the way from Sanddrif along the shale band to the Sneeukop hut is what is usually referred to as ‘the Jeep Track’, in the Cederberg area
Joey se Val : “Joey’s waterfall” [Afr]; a small waterfall in Fortuinskloof, above Die Noodpad between Heuningvlei and Pakhuis Pass; it may refer to Joey Ockhuis, who is well-known in the area
Johnny se Poort : “Johnny’s pass” [Afr]; a steep pass in the Vaalheuningberg south east of Wupperthal; ‘Johnny’ is unknown

Sewejaartjies on Jongskop

Jongskop : “youth’s hill” [Afr]; a rocky hillock off the jeep track, west of Heuningvlei, reputedly frequented by young men gathering floral gifts, especially sewejaartjies (Syncarpha canescens), which grow prolifically there, as an aid to courtship
Joseph Malbos : a bouldering site at Rocklands; Joseph Malbos was a French climber who opened many of the climbing lines in that area. He tragically died in a diving accident during a road trip to the Eastern Cape in 2002 and the area was named after him by fellow climbers [info from Matthys Kruger, De Pakhuys]

Joubert se Voetpad descending towards Langkloof; the Citadel is visible in the distance, top left

Joubert se Voetpad : “Joubert’s footpath” [Afr]; this footpath leads from the Wolfberg Arch to the Matjiesrivier-Wupperthal road near Langkloof, and was laid out and built by Jan Zimri (see above) and James Joubert, a fellow forestry worker. James’s path building skills are also legendary and this path has been named in his honour for that reason

Jungle Crossing, near Sas se Hoek

Jungle Crossing : a densely-overgrown stream crossing on the footpath to Sas se Hoek
Jurie se Berg : “Jurie’s mountain” [Afr]; a peak of 1525m in the Middelberg complex, south of Middelberg Central; who Jurie was is unknown

Jurieskloof is running down to the left; Sneeukop and Twin Rocks in the distance

Jurieskloof : “Jurie’s ravine” [Afr]; a ravine leading north-east off the peak above, in the upper reaches of the Clanwilliam Boskloof