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Waboom: Protea nitida

Waboomkop : “wagon-tree hill” [Afr]; an 891m hill and adjoining farm in the Tra-Tra mountains, just north of Citadel Kop. The wagon tree is Protea nitida, a widespread member of the Proteaceae; growing to 5m tall or more, the hard but easily-worked wood was excellent for the curved rims of wagon wheels as well as brake blocks, hence the common name
Waboomrug : “wagon-tree ridge” [Afr]; a ridge surmounted by a telephone relay mast, immediately north of the Kouberg Pass and a few hundred metres from Voorstehoogte (1013m)
Waboomskloof : “wagon-tree ravine” [Afr]; a small ravine running north from the Langkloof and crossed by the Agter-Tafelbergpad

Waboomskraal, in the Breekkrans valley

Waboomskraal : “wagon-tree corral” [Afr]; an old subsistence farm in the Breekkrans valley, on the Ou Kaapseweg; there are but faint traces there now

The Waboomsrivier valley (centre below), from the Boschkloof-Syferfontein path

Waboomsrivier : “wagon-tree river” [Afr]; a tributary of the Citrusdal Boskloofsrivier that runs southwards from Vlakpoort and past Syferfontein

Waenhuis, a CapeNature cottage for hire at Uitkyk

Waenhuis : “wagon house” [Afr]; a generic name for any building that once housed wagons; most farms probably have one. In this instance, however, it is 1. a Cape Nature cottage for hire at Uitkyk; 2. a cottage for hire on Patrysvlei farm near Clanwilliam

Waenhuis, a cottage for hire at Patrysvlei

Warmhoek : “hot corner” [Afr]; an area and old farm south of Clanwilliam on a considerable bend in the Jan Disselsrivier. It is also the general name of an area east of Grootkloof farm, but is not used there for any specific place – at that point there is a ‘Voor-Warmhoek’ and ‘Agter-Warmhoek’ instead
Warmhoek Falls : as above + falls; a prominent waterfall in the Agter-Warmhoek corner of the Clanwilliam Boskloof
Warmhoek Rock Art Sites : as above + rock art sites; rock art sites accessible via guided tours by the Living Landscapes project of the University of Cape Town, based in Clanwilliam
Warmhoekkloof : “hot corner ravine” [Afr]; the ravine in the Agter-Warmhoek which is traversed by the Grootkloof-Koupoort path, and in which the Warmhoek Falls are found
Warmhoekkop : “hot corner hill” [Afr]; a 1131m peak due west of the Warmhoek Falls, in the Agter-Warmhoek
Warmkloof : “hot ravine” [Afr]; a small ravine that runs parallel to Dikrug, east of Bushmans Kloof and east of the Wupperthal road
Warmwatertjie : “little hot water” [Afr]; possibly the only hot water spring in the Cederberg (the Citrusdal Baths are in the Olifants River Mountains), this is a small and hard-to-find pool off the Algeria-Uitkyk road, between Rooihoog se Kloof and Spoelkloof, where there is a reliable supply of warm to hot water, which was used by the forestry plantation workers in the old days to clean up at the end of the day’s work

One of the impressive waterfalls near Waterfall Camp

Waterfall Camp : an open campsite with no facilities, east of Langkloof and near the Langkloof waterfalls
Waterfall Trail : a 5.5km trail to and from the waterfall south of Nuwerust
Waterkloof : “water ravine” [Afr]; a generic name for a ravine from which a farm may get its water supply; 1. a small ravine north east of Driehoek and in which the Driehoek waterfall is situated; 2. two ravines east of Brakfontein, near Citrusdal, on the northern side of Duiwelskop; 3. a long ravine that originates as Sewegat se Kloof west of Vensterberg and ends near Kriedouwkrans; 4. a ravine in the south western Cederberg that originates near Baadjieskraal and joins the Olifants River valley south of Citrusdal; 5. a ravine in the Voor-Warmhoek valley, east of Grootkloof farm

The Swemgat on the Waterval Day Walk, above Algeria

Waterval Day Walk : “waterfall” + day walk [Afr]; a circular walk from Algeria that ascends Middelberg via the waterfall and descends via the Noordpad
Watervalrivier : “waterfall river” [Afr]; river in the Waterkloof, east of the Gecko Nature Reserve

Wegwaai in the mist: photo courtesy of Graham Bellairs

Wegwaai : “blow away” [Afr]; a 1641m height north of Duiwelsgat and west of the Koerasieberg

Welbedacht farm in the Biedouw Valley, once known as Die Hoek

Welbedacht : “well considered” [Ned]; 1. an historic farm in the Biedouw Valley (1845) and now the home of Biedouw Valley Rooibos Tea; 2. area that was the site of the (now demolished) Welbedacht Farm and later Forest Station

Welbedacht Cave in 1941; photo by Ken Howes-Howell

Welbedacht Cave : as above + cave; a well-known cave below the shale band, on the the route between Welbedacht 2 and Tafelberg; the cave has rock art and its use as an overnight stop should be discouraged

Welbedacht Cliffs: impressive faces

Welbedacht Cliffs : as above + cliffs; very high cliffs below the shale band, north of the old Welbedacht Forest Station

The now-demolished Welbedacht Farmhouse, near Driehoek

Welbedacht Farm : as above + farm; the now-demolished old farm at Welbedacht
Welbedacht Pinnacle : as above + pinnacle; a prominent rock pillar north of the path between Welbedacht 2 and the shale band
Welbedachtkloof : “well considered ravine” [Ned+Afr]; the ravine that drops from the shale band to Welbedacht 2, and within which is situated the Welbedacht Cave

Whale Tail Rock, in heavy mist

Whale Tail Rock : a landmark rock just east of the summit of Skerpioenspoort, apparently named for its resemblance to the tail of a whale

The extraordinary White Net painting, on the Boontjiesrivier

White Net : a rock art site in a shallow shelter on the Boontjiesrivier, near the Main Dam at Bushmans Kloof; it is fascinating for its unique depiction of a white net, with a human figure standing nearby

The White Rock in the west, from Groot Koupoort  – hope you can see it!

White Rock : a prominent white pillar in the nek between Voor- and Agter-Warmhoek, visible from afar from the eastern side

Cedar near Grootlandsvlakte

Widdringtonia cedarbergensis : not a place name, but included here as the botanical name for the tree after which the Cederberg is named

The Wildehoutdrif ravine, near Groot Hartseer – if the name is in the right place

Wildehoutdrif : “wild-wood drift” [Afr]; this name appears to me to be an error on all published maps of the Cederberg. First of all, a ‘drif’ is not a stream; secondly, the stream crossing between Sleepad and Eenboomkamp has all the hallmarks of a drift through which cedar logs had to be dragged, so I suggest that the name has become misplaced
Windkloof : “windy ravine” [Afr]; a small ravine in the Olifants River Mountains, just west of the Suikerbossie farm stall on the N7
Window Rocks : rocks a few hundred metres west of Lot’s Wife, near Dwarsrivier 

The deep cleft in Windswept peak: photo by Ken Howes-Howell, 1941

Windswept : a 1562m peak south east of Sandfontein Peak in the southern Cederberg; the height is incorrectly given on the map as 1662m
Windwaai : “windswept” [Afr]; a point at the summit of the Akkedisberg Pass on the Bakkrans Reserve, where the south wind can blow in a most unrelenting manner
Winkelskloof : “shop’s ravine” [Afr]; a small ravine south west of the Elandskloof Settlement and in which there was once a shop serving that community

Winston Rock; Boskloof Pinnacle and The Dome on the left

Winston Rock : a prominent landmark rock at a height of 1065m, almost exactly halfway between Pyramid Peak and Crystal Pool; who Winston was is unknown, unless he was Winston Churchill, which doesn’t help

Winterbach Peak, south west of Kromrivier; photo by Rudolf Andrag during the rockfall of 17 June, 2013

Winterbach Peak : a 1536m peak in the Kromrivier Ridge south of Kromrivier; any info on ‘Winterbach’, anyone? I think he was a surveyor?
Witbank se Kloof : “white bank’s ravine” [Afr]; a small ravine east of the hamlet of Grasvlei
Witberg : “white mountain” [Afr]; a 1330m peak due east of Citrusdal and north of the R303 at Kleinplaas farm
Withoog : “white rise” [Afr]; 1. The summit of the road over the hill to Witwater; 2. summit of the short, very badly-aligned little pass in the Wupperthal road, between the Biedouw Jeugkamp and Mertenhof
Withoog se Kloof : “white rise’s ravine” [Afr]; a short ravine leading east of Withoog 1. above

The Withoogte cemetery, viewed from Nieuwoudt’s Pass

Withoogte : “white heights” [Afr]; a high point on the road between Algeria and Bosdorp where there is a cemetery
Withoogtekloof : “white heights ravine” [Afr]; a small ravine in Steenrugkop, east of the above
Witkamp : “white camp” [Afr]; an old name for Bosdorp, reputedly because it was originally a tented camp housing people displaced from farms; it has also been known as ‘Bloukamp’

The Witkleigat donga at Kromrivier

Witkleigat : “white clay hole” [Afr]; a donga on the path between Kromrivier and Dwarsriviersberg, known for its white clay
Witkleigat se Pad : “white clay hole’s road” [Afr]; an old route from Grootkloof and east of the Bobbejaankoppe, so called because there was a source of white clay there that was used for the plastering of houses
Witklipholte : “white stone hollow” [Afr]; name of the ravine that runs down from Groot Krakadouw Peak into the Boskloof
Witkopkrans : “white head cliff” [Afr]; a cliff on the western side of Gatdeurkop where by repute there is a hole that allows access to the peak
Witkrans : “white cliff” [Afr]; an 849m hill on the Kraaiberg; also a 4 x 4 route of that name
Witlies se Kloof : “ravine of white groin or flank” [Afr]: a small ravine on the western side of Algeria Peak that runs into the Grootkloof; presumably ‘Witlies’ was the name of an animal; a donkey or ox, perhaps
Witplaas : “white farm” [Afr]; an old subsistence farm on the original Boontjieskloof farm, now Bushmans Kloof
Witrivier : “white river” [Afr]; a tributary of the Heuningvlei/Biedouw river that runs from Oujaarsdag se Kloof down east of the village of Heuningvlei

The hamlet of Witwater, on the Wupperthal mission lands

Witwater : “white water” [Afr]; a small hamlet of less than twenty houses on the road between Heuningvlei and Brugkraal, and one of the Wupperthal ‘buiteposte’ [= outposts]; immortalised in M. I. Murray’s must-read ‘Witwater se Mense’ [‘Witwater’s people’]

On the plateau near Wolfberg peak

Wolfberg : “wolf (=hyena) mountain” [Afr]; 1. a 1608m peak due north of Sanddrif and famous for the location there of the Wolfberg Cracks and the Wolfberg Arch; 

Wolfberg, across the Rondegat River from Jamaka

2. an 839m peak due west of Grootkloof and Jamaka farms, where there is a well-known day walk. Hyenas, being creatures unknown in Europe, were incorrectly characterised as ‘wolves’ by the early Dutch settlers. These were often harmless brown hyenas (Hyaena brunnea) rather than the much more dangerous spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta), although the latter was recorded from the Cape as late as 1755

A rather fine and different view of the Wolfberg Arch

Wolfberg Arch : as above + arch; the famous rock-arch on Wolfberg

Inside the Wolfberg Cracks: photo by Elizabeth Martins

Wolfberg Cracks : as above + cracks; the equally famous cracks on Wolfberg

The Wolfberg Cracks: the classic view from Sanddrif

Wolfberg Mountain Bike Trail : as above + etc etc; MTB trail on Dwarsrivier farm

The absolutely harmless aardwolf, an insect-eater often mistakenly called a ‘hyena’; this one is a sad roadkill near Spookpoort, in the Agter-Pakhuis

Wolfberg Trail : as above + trail; a day trail on Wolfberg no. 2 above

Although I have been there many times, incredibly enough I have no pics of Wolfdrif itself; these are the nearby ruins

Wolfdrif : “wolf (=hyena) drift” [Afr]; a drift on the road from Lorraine north eastwards to Taaiboskraal and other farms; and a resort with cottages for hire situated at the drift; by repute the last brown hyenas in the Agter-Pakhuis occurred there
Wolfkop : “wolf (=hyena) hill” [Afr]; a 726m peak on a private reserve and resort of the same name, south of Citrusdal
Wollerivier : “wool river” [Afr]; a stream that runs down past the old Heuningvlei Forest Station as a tributary of the Heuningvlei River; so-called because at flood times the white foam on the river reputedly resembles wool

A small part of the village of Wupperthal

Wupperthal : “Wupper valley” [Ger]; a mission station in the eastern Cederberg now run by the Moravian Church of SA; the original farm name was Rietmond, but the founder, Johann Gottlieb Leipoldt, was a Rhenish missionary whose Society headquarters were at Elberfeld, on the Wupper River. When he founded the mission in 1830 Leipoldt named it Wupperthal in honour of the RMS. In the 1950s the German cities of Elberfeld and Barmen were united under the name ‘Wuppertal’ – hence the South African town is 120 years older than its German namesake. The correct spelling of the local town is ‘Wupperthal’ with an ‘h’
Wupperthal Commonage : as above + commonage; the considerable lands belonging to the Wupperthal Mission
Wupperthal Kloof : as above + =ravine; the large ravine running down the Vogelgesangvallei past the hamlet of Kleinvlei is sometimes referred to as ‘Wupperthal Kloof’

Wupperthal school

Wupperthal Primary : as above + primary; the primary school at Wupperthal
Wysterskloof : “Wyster’s ravine” [Afr]; a small ravine on the eastern side of the Grootkloof which joins the latter at Sandkraal (moontlik); Wyster was a local subsistence farmer known for his ability as a weather prophet

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Ysterplaat : “iron plate” [Afr]; a farm near Kunje in the southern Cederberg, off the R303, where there is a cottage for hire known as ‘Ouma’s House’

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Zandfontein : “sand spring” [Ned]; a farm north east of the Pakhuis mountains and west of Lorraine
Zandrug : “sand ridge” [Ned]; a ridge between Gryskop and Rooigang on the Bushmans Kloof Reserve
Zebra Cottage : a cottage for hire in the Cedar Rock Reserve, north of Zuurfontein
Zebra Dam : a small dam near Witplaas on the Bushmans Kloof Reserve

The original Zuurfontein farmhouse; photographer unknown

Zuurfontein : “sour spring” [Ned]; headquarters of the Cedar Rock Reserve, Zuurfontein was original a farm belonging to the Nieuwoudt family
Zuurvlakte : “sour flats” [Ned]; a farm at Suurvlakte in the southern Cederberg; the name recently reverted from Afrikaans to the Nederlands spelling
Zuurvlei : “sour marsh” [Ned]; a farm just south of the above whose name similarly reverted
Zuurvleiberg : “sour marsh mountain” [Ned]; an alternative name for the 1618m Suurvlak se Kop, due south of Algeria