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Paardekop : “horses peak” [Ned]; a farm in the Olifants River Mountains north of Piekenierskloof; it’s probable that the ‘paarde’ refers to zebra rather than horses

Paddadam Cave

Paddadam Cave : “frog dam” + cave [Afr]; a useful cave in the Agter-Kruis Valley, about 2.5km south of Onder-Kruis and out of site below the footpath

Paddavlei

Paddavlei : “froggy marsh” [Afr]; a house at Elizabethsfontein, belonging to Traveller’s Rest and next door to the school

Pakhuis farm

Pakhuis : “warehouse” [Afr]; farm at the base of the Pakhuis Pass, on the Agter-Pakhuis side; it is one of the oldest farms in the region, dating from 1744. The origin of the name is slightly controversial; some hold that it refers to the stacks of rocks and boulders in the area that resemble the goods stacked in a warehouse; others say that the rocks resemble dry-packed stone walls, while there is also some evidence that the name may derive from Khoi words that mean ‘dassies’ place’

Pakhuis Pass: the view down to Kliphuis

Pakhuis Pass : as above + pass; the pass built by Bain in 1877 that links Clanwilliam with the interior, specifically Calvinia, which was an important beef-producing area in those days
Pakhuis Peak : as above + peak; a 1077m peak north of the Pakhuis Pass

A rare waterfall near the source of the Pakhuis River

Pakhuis River : as above + river; a tributary of the Brandewyn River that arises north of Pakhuis Peak and runs down to the north of the farm

Sheltering rocks on the Pakhuisberg Day Walk

Pakhuisberg Day Walk : “warehouse mountain” + day walk [Afr]; a day walk from Kliphuis into the hills north of the pass

Pakhuisberge, from the trail

Pakhuisberge : “warehouse mountains” [Afr]; the mountains north of the Pakhuis Pass are the Pakhuisberge, that eventually merge with the Nardouwsberge further north
Pakhuys Country Winery : a winery at Alpha Farm in the Agter-Pakhuis
Panorama : a farm near Clanwilliam off the R364, just before the Klawer turn off

Panorama Cave

Panorama Cave : a comfortable cave and nearby ‘annex’ cave that overlooks Driehoek farm, situated on the edge of the shale band below Tafelberg

Papkuilsfontein

Papkuilsfontein : “bulrush spring” [Afr]; a relatively common farm name in the area, this one refers to a farm off the R364 on the Doring River side of Klipfonteinrant farm
Paradise : a cottage a short distance downstream from Nuwerust farm
Park Rd : a street in Clanwilliam that runs south east from the Old Gaol and serves the oldest houses in the village
Pastoriekloof : “rectory ravine” [Afr]; a small ravine south west of Elandskloof that runs down past the rectory and church in that valley
Patattuin : “sweet potato garden” [Afr]; a small area west of Kromrivier farm that was presumably once used for the cultivation of sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are the tuberous roots of Ipomoea batatas, a plant in the Convolvulaceae family
Patrysberg : “partridge mountain” [Afr]; a farm and a 275m hill east of the Olifants River, and across the river from Kweekkraal
Patrysvlei : “partridge valley” [Afr]; a farm north east of Clanwilliam, at the base of the Pakhuis Pass
Paul de Villiers St : a major street in Citrusdal that leads from the N7 and exits town as the R303
Peerboom : “pear tree” [Afr]; 1. a cottage for hire, part of the CapeNature complex of cottages at Uitkyk, at the foot of the pass; 2. an old subsistence farm, now ruined, in the southern Cederberg, at the confluence of Diepkloof and Blomfonteinkloof

Peerboomspoort, looking across the Grootkloof to Vensterberg

Peerboomspoort : “pear tree pass” [Afr]; a pass between Grysbokpunt and Pyramid Peak that connects the Middelberg flats with Sas se Hoek; as far as we know there has never been a path there; presumably named for a long-gone pear tree
Pendoornkraal : “spike-thorn corral” [Afr]; a farm near the foot of Nieuwoudt’s Pass on the western side; spike thorn or pendoring is the common name for Gymnosporia heterophylla (was Maytenus), a common evergreen African shrub or small tree which makes a useful and impenetrable hedge or corral

The Pepper Pot

Pepper Pot : a rock pillar on the southern side of Welbedacht Cave; also known as the ‘Salt shaker’, and first climbed by Tony Dick and Roger Fuggle in 1969
Perdeberg : “horse mountain” [Afr]; a generic name given to many peaks and mountains in the western Cape, it usually denotes the historic presence of wild zebra or quagga there. This range of arid hills lies north of the Biedouw Valley at its eastern end, with a high point of 895m
Perdefontein Falls : “horse spring” + falls [Afr]; a waterfall on a tributary of the Kliphuisrivier, north east of Klein-Kliphuis

Perdehoek cottage

Perdehoek : “horse corner” [Afr]; an old farm and now a cottage for hire on Traveller’s Rest farm, near Hoeksonderkoffie; the area was reputedly once used to isolate horses during outbreaks of horse sickness on surrounding farms
Perdehoek Dam : as above + dam [Afr]; a large dam near the above, which provides water to the Elizabethsfontein farmlands 
Perdekloof : “horse ravine” [Afr]; the ruins of an old farm dating to 1862, on the Driehoeksrivier. The farm was sold to the Dept of Forestry in 1964 and the old house was demolished. In the meantime the Nieuwoudts of Dwarsrivier had built the modern house that stands next to the drift on the main road; it is in private ownership. The shallow ravine running down the hills west of the house is also Perdekloof

Perdekop rock

Perdekop : “horse’s head” [Afr]; a large rock pillar in the shape of a horse’s head, west of Heuningvlei and up the Gaterivier Valley. Of interest is that the proteaceous pincushion Leucospermum reflexum, originally first collected at Heuningvlei, is commonly called a ‘perdekop’; can these names be related?
Perdekraal River : “horse corral” + river [Afr]; this river runs northwards through the Wupperthal commonage, eventually traversing Bushmans Kloof where its ravine houses many of the rock art shelters. It passes through the Main Dam, and with the Boontjieskloofrivier forms a tributary of the Brandewyn
Perdekraalkloof : “horse corral ravine” [Afr]; the ravine through which runs the river above
Perdevlei : “horses marsh” [Afr]; a vlei on the eastern plateau of the Maraisberg; also the ruins of an abandoned farm there that once lay on the route of the buchu gatherers, on their way to Duiwelsgat; the stone walls surrounding the farmyard are still extant
Perdewater : “horse water/stream” [Afr]; an old subsistence farm in the Matjies Rivier Nature Reserve; the buildings are still extant and are clearly visible from the Karoobergpad, but are not open to public access
Perskeboomkloof : “peach tree ravine” [Afr]; a short but deep ravine south of Swiet se Graf, that forms a tributary of the Citrusdal Boschkloof
Petersfield : a farm and popular resort west of the N7 and opposite Sonop Motors; also a farm just north of Citrusdal; the farms are owned by the Peter family
Petersfield Mountain Cottages : the cottages for hire on the farm above
Picnic Rock : a comfortable and shady rock formation on the Old Wagon Road in Rocklands
Piekenierskloof : “pikeman’s ravine” [Afr]; a ravine on the Piquetberg side of the Olifants River Mountains that is now partly traversed by the N7; in 1675 a Khoi chief named Gonoma attacked the Khoi allies of the Dutch colonists. A party of pikemen and musketeers were sent from Piquetberg to avenge the attack; Gonoma was forced to flee through this ravine, pursued by the pikemen – hence the name
Piekenierskloof Mountain Lodge : see below + mountain lodge; a large resort at the summit of the Piekenierskloof Pass
Piekenierskloof Pass : “pikeman’s ravine” + pass [Afr]; pass built in the 1950s to replace the old Grey’s Pass built by Bain nearly a century earlier; it was substantially upgraded in 2011
Piekniekklip : “picnic rock” [Afr]; once a popular picnic place for Clanwilliam residents off the Pakhuis Pass near Klein-Kliphuis, it was recently fenced off by the owner; this is a good thing because the area was not maintained and was filthy with litter

The dramatic rock formations at Pienaarsvlakte

Pienaarsvlakte : “Pienaar’s flats” [Afr]; the flats on both sides of the Dwarsrivier-Matjiesrivier road, and extending to the Stadsaal, are known as Pienaarsvlakte. The Pienaars were a bywoner family who farmed on the Matjiesrivier side of the road; the entire family of five died in the Spanish Influenza epidemic of 1918 and were buried in the rocky outcrop where the famous elephant rock paintings are. The graves are still visible; the farmhouse and yard have disappeared without trace

The Pienaarsvlakte elephant painting

Pierre se Werf : “Pierre’s farmstead” [Afr]; an abandoned and ruined farm in the southern Cederberg, south of Zuurvlakte; who Pierre was is unknown

Donkeys at Pietieskraal se Hek

Pietieskraal se Hek : “Pietie’s corral gate” [Afr]; this is the gate on the old jeeptrack to the Heuningvlei forest station, that leads off the Witwater Road near Ghôboom; Pietie is unknown
Pietieskraalrivier : “Pietie’s corral river” [Afr]; stream that arises between Middel- and Groot-Krakadouw and joins the Heuningvlei river near Ghôboom
Piketberg : = “Piquetberg” [Afr]; the Akrikaans spelling is the most common these days. This island-mountain is where the Dutch posted a picket of soldiers in 1685, to guard the district against the Gonnema Khoi
Pilaarsberg : “pillars mountain” [Afr]; a 1002m peak in the Pakhuisberge, presumably named for the large number of rock pillars there

The Pillar Box: photo by Ken Howes-Howell in 1934

Pillar Box : a very large, block-like rock on the eastern slopes of the Tafelberg that effectively marks the starting point for the ‘easiest’ final ascent of that mountain

A dramatic view of the Pillar Box peeping out between Tafelberg and The Spout; taken from near Kalkoenfontein

Pinnacle Ridge : a ridge between the Taaiboskraalkloof and Tierhoek off Jan Zimri’s footpath, known for its array of pinnacles

The giant pinecones of Coulter’s pine

Pinus coulteri : “Coulter’s pine” [Lat]; not really a place name, but included here because many visitors to the Middelberg Hut will be familiar with the pine trees there, with their enormous cones. These are Coulter’s pine, a native of the coastal mountains of Southern California and northern Baja California, and even though they are no more indigenous than the Cederberg’s oaks or the bluegums at Algeria, we do hope that they are allowed to stand, as they are certainly not invasive

The Pinus coulteri trees at Middelberg

Platberg : “flat mountain” [Afr]; a 531m hill due south of Gecko Creek Reserve
Platdrif : “flat drift” [Afr]; a narrow bridge across the Suurvleirivier, on the road that leads from the R303 to Sandfontein and Suikerbossie
Platrug : “flat ridge” [Afr]; a rocky ridge between the village of Kleinvlei and the Kerskop Pass

Pocked cliffs off the path near Grasvlei

Pocked Cliffs : notably weathered cliffs on both sides of the path from Grasvlei to Boontjieskloof Hut
Poepkloof : “defecate ravine” [Afr]; a very small ravine south of the Algeria offices that is discreetly out of site from most directions; used for many years by plantation workers at Algeria who were not provided with toilet facilities
Poon se Val : “Poon’s falls” [Afr]; a high waterfall north of the small farm of Taaibosrug, on a tributary of the Klein-Doring River in the western Tra-Tra mountains; mentioned in ‘Witwater se Mense’ as made strictly out of bounds to her children by Poon’s mother, without any effect ...

Populierbos, on the slopes of The Pup

Populierbos : “poplar woods” [Afr]; also known to generations of mountain climbers as the ‘Poplar Grove’, a grove of poplar trees (Populus sp.) On the south eastern slopes of The Pup, above the Kromrivier valley

Ken Howes-Howell’s 1949 pic of the potholes in the Elandskloof river

Potholes : There are significantly large potholes in several rivers in the Cederberg area; some of the best known are on the Heuningvlei/Biedouw River, near the Biedouw Jeugkamp
Potlepelklip : “ladle rock” [Afr]; a rock of that shape in the Katstertrivier valley, south of Kleinvlei village

Potloodbank, on the Noodpad

Potloodbank : “pencil bank” [Afr]; a level stretch of road on the Noodpad from Heuningvlei to Pakhuis, probably so called after a donkey named Potlood
Prik se Vlei : “Prik’s valley” [Afr]; the area occupied by the ‘new’ or southernmost campsite at Jamaka farm, on the Rondegat River
Prik-se-Werf : “Prik’s farmstead” [Afr]; a cottage for hire at CapeNature’s Uitkyk complex; we assume that ‘Prik’ is the same person as in the entry above

Protea magnifica: photo by Graham Bellairs

Protea Peak : a 1482m peak that looks down on Algeria from the east, and which used to be the site of a radio mast used by the Forestry Dept; known for its population of Protea magnifica

Protea Valley, near Sanddrif

Protea Valley : a valley on the mountain bike track between Sanddrif and the Shaleband known for its great variety of impressive proteas of many different kinds

Pulpit Peak: the northern limit for Cederberg cedars

Pulpit Peak : a 1028m peak in the Pakhuisberge, a few hundred metres off the Pakhuisberg Day Walk
Puntjie : “point” [Afr]; an old abandoned subsistence farmstead on the Matjiesrivier, downstream of the drift over the Ceres road that marks the confluence of the Matjies and the Krom

Pyramid rock

Pyramid : a prominent pyramid-shaped rock on the Old Wagon Road through Rocklands

Pyramid Peak near Middelberg Hut, with a magnificent old cedar tree

Pyramid Peak : a 1423m peak between the Middelberg Hut and the upper Clanwilliam Boskloof at Sas se Hoek