M

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.

Maalgat

Maalgat : “whirlpool” [Afr]; a large pool in the Sandrivier, a short distance downstream from Sanddrif, that is a popular walk and swimming place

Maanman

Maanman : “moon man” [Afr]; a huge rock next to the path at the Heuningvlei end of Groot-Koupoort
Maanskyngrot : “moonshine cave” [Afr]; a popular cave near Apollo and Luna Peaks in the Kromrivierrug, west of Kromrivier
Maanskynkop : “moonshine peak” [Afr]; a 1622m peak a few hundred metres due south of the above

The Machine Gun; photo by Ken Howes-Howell, 1931

Machine Gun : the rock formation resembling a machine gun that gives its name to the ridge below

Machine Gun Ridge, 2011

Machine Gun Ridge : the ridge west of Middelberg North that is surmounted by the rock formation above, that is visible from afar

The famous line of antelope at Maiden’s cave rock art site; they resemble blesbok but are probably springbok, as the former did not historically occur here

Maiden’s : a rock art site on the Bushmans Kloof reserve; this one is downstream of the Meidegat waterfall
Main Dam : the largest and principle dam of the Bushmans Kloof reserve, on the Boontjiesrivier
Main Street : a generic term for the principal street of a town or city, this one is in Clanwilliam

Maytenus trees at Malkop se Kraal

Malkop se Kraal : “crackpot’s -” or “tomboy’s corral” [Afr]; a grove of Heeria and Maytenus trees straddling the Algeria-Dwarsrivier road, a kilometre or so east of the summit of the Uitkyk Pass; ‘Malkop’ may have been the name of a donkey or an ox. Malkopsvlei at Betty’s Bay is believed to be named after an ox that drowned there
Malmesbury : a town on the N7 road to the north, between Cape Town and Moorreesburg; named in 1829 by Governor Sir Lowry Cole after his father-in-law, the Duke of Malmesbury (why, pray tell, Sir Lowry, was the duke so important?)

Maltese Cross; the western side

Maltese Cross : a very tall rock pillar that supposedly resembles a giant Maltese Cross, on the plateau east of Sneeuberg. It is a challenging climb; the first man to climb it is reputed to be Roy Goodwin in 1949; the first woman to climb the Cross was Jeanne Ward in 1961
Mangaanmyn : “manganese mine” [Afr]; an area south of Meulsteenkop, south of the R303; attempts were made to mine manganese at various places in the Western Cape, and this was one of them

The mannetjie of Mannetjies se Kloof

Mannetjies se Kloof : “little man’s ravine” [Afr]; a prominent ravine in the northern part of the Bakkrans reserve, it is named after a prominent rock painting of a man, that is on the side of a free-standing boulder there

The Mannetjiesklip

Mannetjiesklip : “little man’s rock” [Afr]; as above, the rock upon which the painting appears
Maraisberg : “Marais’s mountain” [Afr]; Marais is a common Afrikaans surname; the name relates to a ridge of hills, the highest point of which is 1255m, to the west of the Agter-Kruis Valley, between the Cederberg and the N7
Marcuskraal : “Marcus’s corral” [Afr]; Marcus is probably a first-name; this is a farm just off the N7, near Arbeidsgenot

Martha, an imposing lady ...

Martha : see Arthur above. Martha is the prominent rock pillar in view as you ascend Krakadouwpoort from the Heuningvlei side. However, the pillar that marks the actual summit is Arthur. When you see Arthur you might not be sure whether it’s Martha or Arthur, and vice versa
Martiensrus : “Martin’s rest” [Afr]; a very isolated farmstead at the bottom of the deep Moordenaarsgat ravine than runs south from Wupperthal to Langkloof and beyond
Matjies River : see Matjiesrivier below
Matjies Rivier Nature Reserve : “rushes river +” [Afr]; the name of the nature reserve donated to CapeNature by the Rembrandt Foundation, who had bought the old Matjiesrivier farm. The title deeds spell the name, incorrectly, as ‘Matjies Rivier’, so that name stands as two separate words
Matjiesfonteinrivier : “rushes spring river” [Afr]; a normally-dry river to the east of the Bakkrans reserve, in the Red Cederberg
Matjiesgoedkloof : “rushes ravine” [Afr]; both ‘matjies’ and ‘matjiesgoed’ can mean bulrushes or reeds, as is the case here; a small ravine that crosses the Kouberg Pass, outside Wupperthal
Matjieskloof : “rushes ravine” [Afr]; a small ravine south of the Matjiesrivier, it joins that river’s canyon at Visgat

Matjiesrivier Farm

Matjiesrivier : “rushes river” [Afr]; 1. the river that starts out as the Driehoekrivier, then morphs into the Sandrivier, and ends up as the Matjiesrivier, which joins the Krom and flows along the southern boundary of the eponymous nature reserve before joining the Riet and the Doring at Die Mond, on the edge of the Tanqua; and of course 2. the farmstead which is named after the river, and now the headquarters of the Nature Reserve and of the Cape Leopard Trust Research and Environmental Education Centre

The Meidedrif is at the bottom of the Old Wagon road that runs from bottom left to top right in this pic, and is the old road from the Grootkloof to Kriedouwkrans

Meidedrif : “maiden’s drift” [Afr]; a drift where the old wagon road crossed the Rondegat River, now on Jamaka farm and the access to the upper campsite at Prik se Vlei. Why ‘maiden’s drift’ is unknown
Meidedrif se Vlak : “maiden’s drift flats” [Afr]; a flattish area next to the Algeria-Clanwilliam road, adjoining the Jamaka farm buildings, and named for the drift across the river below – see above

The Meidegat Falls and mysterious pool; for scale, note the human figure on the right

Meidegat Pool : “maidens pool” + pool [Afr]; another tautologous name. A very large, deep pool at the base of the waterfall (see below), on the Boontjiesrivier on the Bushmans Kloof reserve. The present owners use the name ‘Maidens’ Pool’ which is historically incorrect, and we do not know who the maidens were. There are shallow caves with rock art nearby and, of course, the usual rumours that Something Lives in the Water
Meidegat Waterfall : As above, the very large waterfall that falls into the pool; it is particularly impressive in winter after rains

The Melkboom or rock fig, Ficus cordata

Melkboomfontein : “milk tree spring” [Afr]; a farm on the Olifants River, off the N7 and north of Kriedouwkrans; the name usually refers to the rock fig tree, Ficus cordata
Menskraal : “people corral” [Afr]; a small settlement in the Wupperthal mission lands, north of Kouberg

The bellows in the old smithy at Mertenhof

Mertenhof : “Merten’s garden” [Afr]; an historic farm at the western end of the Biedouw Valley, built in 1830 and housing the ninth generation of the Lubbe family; the farm Biedouw was granted to the first Lubbe in 1750. It has accommodation, various trails, rock art and an historic old mill and a smithy; it was also for many years an important meteorological station, and housed the old Biedouw Valley post office
Meulkloof : “mill ravine” [Afr]; a small ravine that runs down the western slopes of Maraisberg to Klein-Jongensfontein
Meulsteenkop : “millstone peak” [Afr]; a 1224m peak south of the R303, west of Elandskloof
Middelberg : “middle mountain” [Afr]; a small range of mountains of which the Middelberg Peak is the highest point at 1565m, that separates Elandskloof from the Kunje valley, and is crossed by the R303 over the Middelberg Pass. Not to be confused with the Middelberg complex in the central Cederberg, above Algeria
Middelberg Central : “middle mountain” + central [Afr]; a 1586m peak in the Middleberg complex, west of the upper Clanwilliam Boskloof

The Middelberg Huts, from the oak trees; the ruins of the burned down hut are just visible on the right

Middelberg Hut : as above + hut; an old loggers’ hut high above Algeria, in the centre of the Middelberg complex; it used to be two huts but one was burned down and is now a ruin

Ascending Middelberg North; photo by Graham Bellairs

Middelberg North : as above + north; a 1516m peak north of the Middleberg Hut and west of the upper Clanwilliam Boskloof

The Buffelshoek side of the Middelberg Pass

Middelberg Pass : as above + pass; the pass that carries the R303 over the southern Middelberg range – see above. The eastern side of the pass is sometimes known as the Buffelshoek Pass, after a local farm
Middelberg Peak : as above + peak; a 1565m peak that is the highest point in the southern Middelberg range
Middelberg South : as above + south; a 1623m peak north east of the summit of the Uitkyk Pass, in the central Cederberg
Middelberg West : as above + west; a 1462m peak directly due south of the Middelberg Hut

Middelbergvlakte, looking south from Five Way View

Middelbergvlakte : “middle mountain flats” [Afr]; a large valley between Middelberg West and Middelberg North, and overlooked by the Middelberg Hut
Middeldeurrivier : “through-the-middle river” [Afr]; the river that runs through the farm of Kunje and joins the Suurvlakrivier, before becoming a tributary of the Grootrivier
Middelkop : “middle hill” [Afr]; a 938m hill north west of the village of Kleinvlei
Middelkraal : “middle corral” [Afr]; a reservoir serving a complex of holiday cottages in the Clanwilliam Boskloof, south east of Karukareb
Middelkraalkloof : as above + “ravine” [Afr]; the ravine running down from the Krakadouw peaks, behind Middelkraal
Middelpos : “middle post” [Afr]; not to be confused with the town of Middelpos, in the Roggeveld Mountains, this one is a farm just south of Citrusdal, and upon a portion of which the present town of Citrusdal was laid out
Middelwerf : “middle farmstead” [Afr]; name given to an old kraal and small dam in the Kromrivier valley, not far west of the farm itself
Middle Krakadouw : middle + “stony pass” [Khoi]; a 1650m peak north of Groot-Krakadouw [peak] that has taken its name from the pass to the north

Mied se Berg, centre of pic, dead ahead

Mied se Berg : “Mied’s mountain” [Afr]; a 1331m peak south east of Middelberg South. The name is controversial: ‘Mied’ is an [uncommon] German surname, but some have suggested that this is an old cartographer’s typographical error and that it should be ‘Meid se Berg’ [‘maid’s mountain’]. This is based on a rumour that once upon a time, when wild fires were raging throughout the Cederberg, there were no men left to fight the blazes, so women were called in to fight a fire here ... but I cannot confirm this

Mied se Kop is the dark, foremost peak behind the powerlines on the right in this pic of the central Cederberg road

Mied se Kop : “Mied’s hill” [Afr]; a 1345m hill immediately south east of the above, with the same story. The controversy has not been helped by some maps that spell one hill ‘mied’ and the other one ‘meid’ ...

Mike’s: bleeding dassie on left, anthropomorphic baboon on right

Mike’s : a rock art site at Bushmans Kloof, unique in South African rock art for its depiction (a) of a couple of dassies, (b) what appears to be a burning fire, and more importantly (c) a figure that is clearly a baboon but is holding a bow and arrow in a most human way ...

Minnie se Gang

Minnie se Gang : “Minnie’s passage” [Afr]; a rocky defile traversed by the Heuningvlei Noodpad and apparently so named after a donkey; however, we prefer to remember it for Minnie, an affectionate K9 of indeterminate breed, who once chased dassies here (illegally) and who achieved a level of immortality as the Fat Dog in a book that described some easier Western Cape walks ...

Minor Arch

Minor Arch : a very small rock arch on the slopes of Skerpioensberg, visible from the path through Vogelgesangvallei

Modderboskop is the tiny rise with the thorn tree, not the tall hill behind

Modderboskop : “muddy bush hill” [Afr]; a very low hill of 321m at the southern end of the Lorraine private airstrip, in the Agter-Pakhuis
Modderfontein Dam : “muddy spring” + dam [Afr]; a dam off Grey’s Pass near the village below
Modderfontein Old Village : as above, a commercialised ‘historic village’ with eateries and accommodation, at the foot of Grey’s Pass on the Citrusdal side
Moedersielshoek : “lonely corner” [Afr]; the translation is loose; ‘moedersielalleen’ means ‘quite alone’. A corner south of the Heuningvlei Hut, at the base of the ravine that leads up Groot-Krakadouw
Moerkop : “dross, ordure or faeces hill” [Afr]; a 697m hill not far from the Wupperthal road turn-off from the R364; further explanation may not be necessary
Mon Desir : “my desire” [Fr]; a farm west of the N7, north of Sonop Motors
Mooiberg : “pretty mountain” [Afr]; a 1005m hill on the northern side of the Bakkrans reserve

Mooibergvlakte at Bakkrans, with Tafelberg in the distance; photo by David Slingsby

Mooibergvlakte : “pretty mountain flats” [Afr];  the large shallow valley between the bakkrans itself and the Mooiberg

Mooiweerspoort on a misty day, when the weather was not quite so mooi

Mooiweerspoort : “nice weather pass” [Afr]; a shallow gap in the hills west of Kroneberg and the Oupad between Wupperthal and Heuningvlei

Moordenaarsgat at its southern end

Moordenaarsgat : “murderer’s hole” [Afr]; a deep ravine that runs from Wupperthal on the ecotone between the sandstone mountains to the west and the Bokkeveld shales to the east, south to the Nek of Names; the reason for the name is obscure
Moordhoek : “murder corner” [Afr]; a lonely corner in the hills on the north bank of the Sandrivier, where in the early 1900s a Matjiesrivier farm worker murdered his girlfriend, apparently because he had his eye on another ... he was arrested here after he was followed when he returned to the scene of his crime. The unfortunate girl is, of course, reputed to haunt the Maalgat area on moonless nights ...
Moorrees Peak : Moorrees is an uncommon Afrikaans surname; who this Moorrees was is unknown, but we have wondered whether the name ‘Murraysberg’, on the next ridge to the north, and the name of this peak share a common origin ...
Moorreesburg : “Moorrees town” [Afr]; originally ‘Hooikraal’ [hay corral], this Swartland town was renamed in 1880 in honour of the local dominee, Rev. Jahannes Carolus Moorrees

The Moravian Church at Wupperthal

Moravian Church : The church building at Wupperthal was built in 1834, at that time by Rhenish missionaries; the Moravian Church took over the mission in the mid-1900s

Môrehoog, on the Heuningvlei Noodpad

Môrehoog : “morning rise” [Afr]; a rise on the Heuningvlei Noodpad where, as it approaches the Pakhuis Pass, it catches the morning sun
Môreson : “morning sun” [Afr]; a farm south of the R303, near the turn-off to Elandskloof

Mount Ceder, with the Blinkberg behind

Mount Ceder : A resort on the Grootrivier, at the farm of that name
Mountain Club Path : A well-known short cut over the Kromrivierrug, from Kromrivier farm to the Breekkrans valley

Moutonsklip

Moutonsklip : “Mouton’s rock” [Afr]; a large, free-standing boulder near the turn-off to Driehoek, on the Dwarsrivier-Algeria road. Who was Mouton?

View towards Grootlandvlakte and Twin Rocks; Muller se Water is the stream running across the plain on the right

Muller se Water : “Muller’s water (stream)” [Afr]; a small stream that cross the Grootlandsvlakte before it joins other streams to become the Jan Disselsrivier; Muller may have been one of the early subsistence farmers evicted from the mountains by the Cape Government in the 1890s
Muller Street : a street in Citrusdal that leads eastwards out of town to Boschkloof
Mullershoek : “Muller’s corner” [Afr]; a farm near Wupperthal, north of the Bakkrans reserve

View from the summit of Murraysberg north-east to the distant Wolfberg; photo by Trevor Rennison

Murraysberg : “Murray’s mountain” [Afr]; a 1649m peak in the Kromrivierrug. Who was Murray?