At the beginning of last week a late cold front hit most of South Africa.

On Monday 9th October, the Gauging province received hail stones the size of tennis balls and then on Tuesday 10th October, Durban was hit by a huge rain and wind storm, rendering the N2 flooded for much of the day and many people loosing trees and roofs. Very scary indeed!

Some of this rain ended up falling across The KZN Drakensberg as snow, so Bryan and I decided on Wednesday that we would head to Highmoor Nature Reserve for the afternoon, taking a picnic lunch with us, to see what Giants Castle was looking like (obviously Bryan wanted to spend a bit of time fishing too!)

Wow! it was really looking quite stunning. Although some of the snow had already melted, due to Wednesday being such a glorious day, it was still a beautiful view!

Bryan hooked up a fly and set to a spot of fly-fishing and I got my camera out and took a few pics of the stunning Highmoor Nature Reserve with Giants Castle Mountain Range in the background.

And whilst I was happily enjoying taking a few photos, Bryan hooked a really great sized rainbow trout, so we were both very chuffed and it really was a beautiful afternoon! We are so lucky to live close to such a beautiful, unspoilt and un-touristy part of The Drakensberg.

Now that all our building work is finished, Bryan and I decided to take off to Kamberg Nature Reserve on the 3rd October 2017 to hike to The Roman Baths that we have heard so much about.

We packed a picnic, put on our walking shoes, Bryan grabbed his fishing rod and me, my camera and we were ready to go. There was a big storm forecast for the following two days, so it was pretty warm and the skies were clear. A perfect day to explore one of the trails available at Kamberg Nature Reserve.

We had heard that is was an easy 4km walk to The Roman Baths and with slight trepidation (due to the lack of walking we have done), we set off!

We parked our car just past the Trout Dams at the "No Entry" sign and the first part of the walk was very easy. We followed the jeep track across a couple of dry stream and up a slight incline past an old farmhouse, where the only thing left is a toilet seat. Then things got a bit tricky! The jeep track ended and we had been told to take the left-hand trail from there. After following the trail a short way, it promptly ended, so whilst we contemplated our next move, I took some photos of some of the views and wild flowers growing in Kamberg Nature Reserve (oh and Bryan took a couple of photos of me, the intrepid hiker!)

We decided to continue walking a little higher to see if we could see any trail that might lead to what was becoming the elusive Roman Baths. After some bush-whacking and lots of puffing we stopped and searched the view. We could see a trail in the far distance but we had already walked about 4kms and there was no sign of The Roman Baths and if the trail we saw was the correct trail there, then we definitely had a lot further to go! So, we contemplated a bit more and i took a few more photos!

Once we had caught our breath, we made the decision to abandon our search for The Roman Baths and head to what looked like a lovely pool along the Mooi River for a spot of fishing, photography and a picnic. It was now almost mid-day and we were getting pretty hot, so the thought of a quick dip in the river and chilling beside it was very appealing. After a bit more bush-whacking we reached our chosen location and it was absolutely stunning!

What an idyllic spot! We saw a couple of fish cruising around, so Bryan was hopeful of a catch but after we jumped in to the water (which i hasten to add was freezing), I think the fish departed quite rapidly! So after drying off and having a divine picnic, with my favourite wine, we started the tough walk back to the car!

The Roman Baths alluded us this time on our hike in Kamberg Nature Reserve, but we will be back to search another time! This truly is a stunning part of The Drakensberg, and so peaceful and quiet. We didn't see another person all day!

I highly recommend visiting Kamberg Nature Reserve when staying at Kamberg Valley Hideaway. It is a short drive (12kms) away and a totally unspoilt part of the Drakensberg! The views are spectacular, and the bubbling, rushing river, just adds to the beauty!

We can't wait for our next foray!