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The Needles, from the Uitkyk Pass

Needles : a rocky ridge of pinnacles north east of Algeria Peak and looking down on Die Gat

Nek of Names: there are hundreds!

Nek of Names : a bare patch of shales at the divide between Moordenaarsgat and Trekkloof on the Wupperthal-Matjiesrivier road, where for many years passing travellers have outlined their names with small stones, thus probably contributing to the ecological health of the area rather than the destruction, because the stones trap windblown topsoil and also provide havens for small animals
Nekkie : “little nek” [Afr]; a tiny gap through which passes the old footpath between Heiveldt and Biedouw
Nessieklip : “Nessie rock” [Afr]; a prominent rock at Tierhoek on Jan Zimri se Pad near Die Toring; origin unknown
Nieuwoudt se Kraal : “Nieuwoudt’s corral” [Afr]; a cattle kraal next to the Clanwilliam-Algeria road in the vicinity of Sandkraal

The summit of Nieuwoudt’s Pass, looking west

Nieuwoudt’s Pass : Pass between the N7 and Algeria, built in 1910 and paid for by Dr D. Neethling of Darling, it was originally known as the Cape Railway Sleeper Pass because its primary purpose was for the transportation of cedarwood sleepers from Algeria to the railhead at Eendekuil

Nineteen Degrees Stream

Nineteen Degrees Stream : A stream crossing behind Klein-Toring on Jan Zimri se Pad that falls exactly on the 19° East line of longitude
Nodeweë Dam : “necessary” or “necessary ways” [Afr]; a dam that occurs on the old Nodeweë farm, now part of Bushmans Kloof

Part of a map of the Clanwilliam area drawn up by the Intelligence Unit of the British Army in 1900. I have highlighted the names ‘Krakadow Pass’ and ‘Heuningvlei’, as well as the Noodpad. Note that no track is shown through the Krakadouw Pass, proof positive that the Noodpad was in use as the main road to Wupperthal more than 100 years ago ...

Noodpad: see Die Noodpad
Nooiensgat Waterfall : “maiden’s pool” + waterfall [Afr]; ‘nooiens-’ or ‘meide-’ seems to be almost a generic name for any large pool with a waterfall in this area; this one in on the Tra-Tra, just south of Grasvlei. We recently asked a woman in Eselbank for directions to the Ereboog; she told us to take the path along the river bank, and added (with a smile), ‘en pasop vir ons water-meide!’ [look out for our water maidens] – so that’s why ...
Nooitgedacht : “never thought of” [Ned]; a common farm name in the Cape; this one is a large, sophisticated farm off the N7 with a prominent airstrip and hangars next to the highway, between the Algeria turnoff and Clanwilliam
Noordkrans : “north cliff” [Afr]; a 951m peak in the Pakhuisberge, next to Cederhoutkop

A view across the Grootkloof from near the summit of the Noordpad; a sad tangle of old cedar trees

Noordpad : “north road” [Afr]; the northern loop of the waterval Day Walk from Algeria to Middelberg and back, that passes through old cedar plantations

Noordpoort, approaching Duiwelsgat from the south

Noordpoort : “north pass” [Afr]; 1290m high pass through which passes the path from Duiwelsgat to Sneeuberg

A snatch of the view of Heuningvlei from Nougang

Nougang : “narrow passage” [Afr]; a very narrow gap between boulders, through which passes the footpath between Heuningvlei village and the old Heuningvlei forest station
Nougangpoort : “narrow passage pass” [Afr]; a narrow gap between two peaks north of The Dome and south of Agter-Warmhoek; there is no road nor path there
Nuwedam : “new dam” [Afr]; site of an old farm in a dry, shallow valley north west of Lorraine

An old plough lying amongst the flowers at Nuwejaarsbos se Bult; the green bushes in the distance are sand olive trees

Nuwejaarsbos se Bult : “new year’s bush rise” [Afr]; a rise on the track to the Sevilla cottages, on Traveller’s Rest farm; according to Willem Beukes ‘nuwejaarsbos’ is a local name for the sand olive tree, Dodonaea viscosa, but I have not come across this usage elsewhere

Pieter Streicher’s magnificent pic of the view from Nuwejaarsgrot

Nuwejaarsgrot : “new year’s cave” [Afr]; a large cave on the northern slopes of Shadow Peak
Nuwejaarsrivier : “new year’s river” [Afr]; the river that arises near the cave above and flows down the Langkloof behind Tafelberg, to the Moordenaarsgat

View into the Breekkrans River valley from the Grootrivier Pass; Nuwerust is around the corner on the right

The old farm house at Nuwerust: look at the size of that vine!

Nuwerust : “new rest” [Afr]; a farm and resort on the Breekkrans River, a division of the old Vogelfontein farm since the late 1800s

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Oakdene : part of Gelukwaarts farm, north of Citrusdal

Buchu – Agathosma betulina – the highly aromatic leaves of this citrus-related species are much sought after for the essential oils which they contain. Buchu is traditionally used as a herbal remedy and as infusions in tea and brandy. It is also cultivated for use as a base in various perfumes

Old Buchu Gatherers’ Route : Path used by buchu gatherers from Elandskloof and further afield who would enter the Cederberg seasonally to gather buchu, with permission from the Forestry Department

A cedar plantation near Juriesberg; photographed in 1934 by Ken Howes-Howell

Old Cedar Plantation : there are several of these in the central and northern Cederberg, many of them dating to the late 19th Century and several with surviving cedar trees
Old Ceres Road : the old road from Middelpos farm (where Citrusdal was established) to Elandskloof, Koue Bokkeveld and Ceres

The Old Gaol in Clanwilliam, built in 1808 by the new British Government. Visit the cells and the collection of old wagons and vehicles behind the building

Old Gaol : the old Clanwilliam prison, now a very interesting museum; however, official Dept of Surveys maps as well as most Clanwilliam tourism websites consistently spell it as “Old Goal”, which is rather amusing really – more of an ‘own’ goal than an ‘old goal’, I would say
Old Jeep Track : see Jeep Track above; not really a name, but it is included here because several of what were once official vehicle access routes have been converted to single-track footpaths
Old Kalkoenfontein : the ruins of the original Kalkoenfontein, which see above
Old Leopard Trap : see Leopard Traps above

Old Perdekloof oak trees, beyond the Driefontein south-drift; not the best of pics

Old Perdekloof : the ruins of the original Perdekloof farm; see Perdekloof below
Old Powder Magazine : a ruined building on Bain’s Old Cape Road between Kriedouw and Rondegat, which was the explosives store during construction of the road in the 1860s
Old Road : generic name for many stretches of old tracks where the present  road has been realigned

Old Uitkyk Pass, zigzagging up the opposite slope

Old Uitkyk Pass : the old pass between the Uitkyk cottages and the summit of the present Uitkyk Pass, but on the other side of the valley. Originally not much more that a track for sledges, it was improved by Maans Esterhuysen of Nuwerus farm in the 1930s, and replaced by the present pass in 1958

The Old Wagon Road through Rocklands

Old Wagon Road : the old wagon route through Rocklands that was replaced by the Pakhuis Pass, built by Thomas Bain in 1877; there are places near the Pakhuis summit where there is evidence of stonemasonry

Many rock paintings in the Cederberg area feature elephants; these copies are from different sites

Olifants River : “elephants river” [Afr]; so named by Jan Danckaert on the first Dutch exploratory expedition to the area, in 1660, for the herds of elephants they encountered. The Khoi name for the river was ‘/kora-//gami’, interpreted by the Dutch as ‘Tharakamma’ and meaning ‘rugged -’, ‘sharp reed -’ or ‘bushy river’; the historic presence of elephant (Loxodonta africana) in the area is well-attested by the large number of rock paintings that feature these huge pachyderms
Olifants River Mountains : the range of hills to the west of the Olifants River, roughly from the Dasklip Pass near Porterville to the end of the range in the north. The ranges to the east of the river are the Skurweberge (near Ceres), the Koue Bokkeveldberge and, of course, the Cederberg. Northwards the Cederberg become the Pakhuisberge and Nardouwsberge before terminating in the Matsikamma.
Olifantskop : “elephants hill” [Afr]; a 916m peak in the broken foothills west of the Cederberg and east of Arbeidsgenot farm

The Oliphants site on Bushmans Kloof, visible from the Wupperthal road

Oliphants : a rock art site on the Bushmanskloof Reserve, near the Englishman’s Grave

Eland at the end of the Olive Tree Walk

Olive Tree Walk : a short 45-minute stroll through unspoiled indigenous kloof vegetation, near the Sevilla cottages at Travellers Rest
Olivier se Kop : “Olivier’s Peak” [Afr]; a 992m peak north of Oompie se Berg and east of Pakhuis

Part of the high rocks at Omdraaikrans

Omdraaikrans : ‘turn around cliff” [Afr]; a amall rocky amphitheatre south of Heuningvlei, which was the furthest point that motor vehicles could reach from the Heuningvlei Forest Station. It was to this point that the produce of the villagers – principally rooibos tea, buchu and klipboom bark for tanning – had to be carried by them for barter with the buyers
Omega : an abandoned and ruined farm on the west bank of the Clanwilliam Dam, north of Melkboomfontein
On-your-back : a rock art site at Bushmans Kloof where the painting are on the very low roof of the cave, and are only visible when lying on your back. The paintings of human figures are most unusually large, almost life-size in fact

Onder-Kruis, where the path from Algeria emerges

Onder-Kruis : “below the crossing” [Afr]; the western end of the Kruispad and its intersection with the Heks River Valley path

The lonely cottage at Onder-Rietvlei

Onder-Rietvlei : “below reed-valley” [Afr]; a lonely dwelling at a small drift on the Matjiesrivier-Wupperthal road, between Rietvlei and Langkloof
Onderbaadjie se Draai : “waistcoat’s corner” [Afr]; a sharp turn in the R364 as it ascends the Klipfonteinrant just beyond the entrance to Bushmans Kloof, possibly named for a donkey of that name. The corner was eased when the road was tarred in 2012
Onderhuis : “bottom house” [Afr]; the lower house at Keurbosfontein farm, in the Trekkloof; the house has been beautifully restored and is now for hire to visitors
Oom Piet se Dam : “Uncle Piet’s dam” [Afr]; a large dam next to the track to the Sevilla cottages at Traveller’s Rest; built by Oom Piet Olivier, it leaks and never fills

Oompie se Kop, seen through Boontjiespoort

Oompie se Kop : “little uncle’s peak” [Afr]; an 1180m peak between the Pakhuis valley and Heuningvlei and so-called by the residents on the Pakhuis side, though we do not know who Oompie was. The Heuningvlei residents, who have the opposite view of the peak, know it as Grootsteil se Kop
Op-die-Berg : “on the mountain” [Afr]; controversially named after a ‘public’ (whites only) vote in about 1950. The agreed name had been ‘Koue Bokkeveld’ (which is still the official postal address) but religious objections to this unique and historic name resulted in the present dull and inaccurate name – the town stands on a plain, not on a mountain. The name comes from Genesis 22:14 “on the mountain He provides ...”. Nearly sixty-five years later the majority population still call it simply ‘Nuwedorp’ [= ‘new town’], so what was the fuss about?

Orange Dump: a feast for baboons

Orange Dump : a place next to the Grootrivier Pass, on the northern side as it descends to the Breekkrans River, where surplus and windfall oranges are dumped by local farmers in a bid to encourage baboon to feed there, and to stay out of the orchards, where they cause considerable damage. There is a similar dump on Patrysvlei farm off the western end of the Pakhuis Pass, near Clanwilliam. The effect of this largesse on the local baboon population is not known ...
Oranjeville : “orange+ville” [Afr+]; a suburb of Citrusdal

Organ Pipes or Cathedral Rock, photographed in 1934 by Ken Howes-Howell

Organ Pipes : a rock formation on the high plateau between the Middleberg Hut and Grootland se Kop, this is an alternative name for Cathedral Rocks
Oshoek : “ox corner” [Afr]; an old kraal at the head of the Kromrivier valley, near Bakleikraal

The Ou Bakke at Bakkrans; unfortunately we could only photograph them empty

Ou Bakke : “old basins” [Afr]; extraordinarily-deep weathered hollows in a rocky ridge at the Bakkrans Reserve that hold a considerable quantity of water after rain, natural reservoirs that were of great use to the old subsistence farmers in this often-arid area
Ou de Boord : “old orchard” [Ned/Afr]; a cottage for hire at Boschkloof farm near Citrusdal
Ou Jottie se Grot : “old Jottie’s cave” [Afr]; ‘Jottie’ appears to have been the nickname of the farmer at Rietvlei on the Clanwilliam-Algeria road; the name is synonymous with ‘Die Oornaggrot’ (see above)

The Ou Kaapseweg in the Breekkrans valley; photo by Rudolf Andrag

Ou Kaapseweg : “old Cape road” [Afr]; almost a generic name for any old road or wagon track that connected farms to more major routes in the early days; however, in this instance it is recognised that this old track from Sandfontein and through the Breekkrans valley was indeed an historic route into the interior. It seems almost incredible now, but it seems that the track ascended the old Cardouw Pass south of Citrusdal, climbing out into the Elandskloof. From there it turned south into the Koue Bokkeveld, then turned north through the long plain towards Kunje, then swung through Sandfontein and Zuurvlakte to the Breekkrans valley. Emerging at Vogelfontein or crossing into the Kromrivier valley, past the Stadsaal, it turned north to Matjiesrivier, then took the Karoobergpad over the Red Cederberg to the Doring. It crossed the Doring and headed off across the Tanqua in the general direction of Calvinia and ... into Africa
Ou-Karklip : “old car rock” [Afr]; a rock resembling an old car and known locally as such, in the Mooibergvlakte at the Bakkrans reserve
Ou Kwarrie : “old quarry” [Afr]; an old roadside quarry near Wolfdrif, beyond Elizabethsfontein; it fills with water in winter and is a useful watering hole for sheep as a result

Ou Langkloof: top is a house built into the rocks;
below: love that loo!

Ou Langkloof : “old long ravine” [Afr]; the original settlement of Langkloof, across the Nuwejaars river from the present position; a few stone, thatched cottages built literally into the rocks still survive there
Ou Meul Restaurant : “old mill” + restaurant [Afr]; restaurant at Mount Ceder, next to the restored old watermill
Ou Skietbaan : “old shooting range” [Afr]; site of an old shooting range, at Pienaarsvlakte in the Matjies Rivier nature reserve
Ou Sleepad : “old sled road” [Afr]; the remains of the old sled road from Eselbank to Wupperthal, in use before the present Kerskop Pass, and still faintly visible on the hillside
Ou Stasie : “old station” [Afr]; the old railway bus stop at the intersection of the Algeria road with Bain’s Old Cape Road; the intersection is still locally known by this name, even though railway buses have long since disappeared; see Die Set above
Ou Werf : “old farmstead” [Afr]; a unique set of cottages for hire, built in the style of the old subsistence farms; on the western slopes of the Grootberge, overlooking Moordenaarsgat to the cottage and kraal at Rietvlei

The Ou Winkel at Vleituin; the peak in the background is Langkop (see above)

Ou Winkel : “old shop” [Afr]; originally Tante Emma Laden se Winkel, the old shop (now closed) still stands at Vleituin farm in the Grootkloof
Oujaarsdag se Kloof : “old year’s day ravine” [Afr]; a ravine north west of Heuningvlei where, by repute, an over-zealous Forestry foreman refused to let his labour go home early on Old Year’s Day, but kept them working until the normal knock off time. The year is unknown ...

Cottages in Oukamp, 1991; pic by Allistair Drummond

Oukamp : “old camp” [Afr]; a suburb of Clanwilliam, also known as ‘Die Kamp’; dating from about 1850, this was the original ‘Coloured’ residential area, with thatched cottages very much in the Wupperthal mission style, although many of these have been replaced by more modern houses
Oukraal se Hoogte : “old corral’s heights” [Afr]; a high point on the Grootkloof road, just north of Dirk Ligter se Hoog
Oukraal se Kloof : “old corral’s ravine” [Afr]; a ravine just north of the above, that runs down from Spaansrietkop into the Grootkloof
Ouma’s House : “granny’s house” [Afr]; a cottage for hire at Ysterplaat farm, near Kunje
Oupa Wa se Pad : “granddad wagon’s road” [Afr]; a rather odd name, unless ‘Wa’ was actually granddad’s name ... a steep track leading into the Tra-Tra mountains, from near the summit of the Kouberg Pass
Oupad : “old road” [Afr]; this prosaic name refers to the road from Heuningvlei to Wupperthal. There are two reasons why this is the ‘old road’. Originally the only route from Clanwilliam to Wupperthal was via Krakadouwpoort; the track crossing the Heuningvlei river more-or-less where the present low-level bridge crosses. However, when Bain completed the Pakhuis Pass in 1877 he also built a track for track donkeys that linked Heuningvlei to the Pass very much on the route of the present ‘Noodpad’; the ‘Oupad’ was thus linked to the Pakhuis Pass. See ‘Faith’ above
Oupad se Brug : “old road’s bridge” [Afr]; bridge across the Heuningvlei river that links the village to the outside world; it was continually being washed away until 2010, when a new, low-level bridge was built that ought to survive most floods ...
Oupad se Vlak : “old road’s flats” [Afr]; a broad plain north of Jakkalskop on the Oupad near Heuningvlei, where there are extensive rooibos tea lands

The blind rise on Oupoort near Kouberg, where it nearly all came unstuck

Oupoort : “old pass” [Afr]; 1. A short pass through a rocky gully, on the R364 in the After-Pakhuis; also known as Rooipoort [‘red pass’] for the colour of its rocks, especially at sunset; and, more romantically, as Spookpoort [‘ghost pass’] (see Spookpoort below for more details); 2. A short, very steep pass where the Oupad from Heuningvlei descends via a single-lane concrete strip towards Kouberg and the Wupperthal Road. Extreme caution is needed here; this author nearly collected a cart and team of six donkeys that came hurtling over the (completely blind) rise towards him as he approached in his car at the bottom end. Only skilful avoidance routines avoided a very nasty moment ...
Overhang Shelters : just south of the intersection of the Vanzylsgatpoort path with the Crystal Pool path there is a small rocky hill known for its useful small overhanging shelters in wet weather. The Anvil and the Swemgat are nearby