8. On the 8th we walked up to a spectacular pinnacle named the Maltese Cross.  It was the only wet and windy day of the trip - very similar to the Autumnal English Lake District.


9. The 14th dawned fine and we climbed on Wolfberg, a magnificent sandstone crag with routes of up to 200 metres.  This is on private property and you have to buy an access  permit from the Dwarsrivier Farm.


10. We climbed with Ant, completing a route called Eclipse - grade 14 - around VS.  Good holds but very steep and great situations.


11. Chris following up the third pitch.


12. A happy team on top.


13. On the way back from Sederberg we called in at the MCSA Hut at Du Toits Kloof. We didn't have time to climb but we saw the great  potential of this area with long multi pitch climbs of all standards.

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Brilliant climbing in South Africa

Bob Barton and I flew into Cape Town on 7 October to attend a meeting of Outward Bound International's Risk Management Committee.  We also grabbed a week's superb climbing.   Bob had contacted Greg Moseley, 
Chairman of The Mountaineering Club of South Africa, to ask for advice on good areas to go climbing.  Greg responded by laying on a really wonderful trip accompanied by members of the Club


1. We were met by Greg (2nd from right) with Andre Schoon (on his left) and Fran Hunziker.  Bob is on the far left.  They whisked us away in Andre's pick up on a fantastic magical mystery tour.


2. First stop was Cederberg, about 200 miles North of Cape Town.


3. The country is vast, quite arid but very beautiful.

4. First stop was a collection of rocks at Stadsaal - there are boulders everywhere - near Dwarsrivier, where we were staying.  We met up with the rest of the team, there.  Ant Hall, the young hot shot of the team, in action.

5. There were some wonderful cave paintings, several hundred years old, by the bush people who originally roamed across the Southern tip of  Africa.


6. Our hosts looked after us well, producing cans of beer at the end of our bouldering session.


7. Our rented cottage at Stadsaal, a farm like most in this area, that has diversified into tourism with self catering cottages and guided trips.  They also provided superb catering at  a very reasonable cost.