Hogsback

Hogsback sits at around 1,300 metres on the Amathole escarpment, in a belt of Afromontane forest that keeps it green, wet and often inside cloud when the valleys below are dry. Walks lead to the Madonna and Child, Bridal Veil and Kettlespout waterfalls, into groves of tall yellowwood, and up onto the ridge whose three humps gave the village its name. There are eccentric additions - the Eco Shrine, a painted chapel of the elements, and the Labyrinth - and a strong crafts-and-retreat culture. The village trades happily on a claim that Tolkien, born in Bloemfontein, drew Middle-earth from these forests; he left South Africa aged three and there is no evidence he ever came here, which the more careful signs acknowledge while the shops do not. Winter brings occasional snow, and the roads up are slow in any weather.

History

The earliest known written mention of the Hogs Back is in the journal of the painter Thomas Baines, who passed it in 1848, and the San left rock art in the area. In the 1880s Collins built a small hotel, the Hogsback Hydro, forestry began in 1883 with a survey of planting land, and the Hogsback pass opened in 1932 (Wikipedia, Hogsback, South Africa).

What you'll find

• The waterfalls - Madonna and Child, Bridal Veil and Kettlespout on forest paths.
• The yellowwood forest - tall Afromontane groves along the escarpment.
• The Eco Shrine - a painted chapel to the elements, one of the village's oddities.
• The Tolkien claim - a story the village sells that the evidence does not support.

When to go

September to April. Two days. Mist and rain are frequent; winter can bring snow and closed roads.

Good to know

The Tolkien connection is marketing, not history - he left the country as a small child. The access road is steep, partly gravel and slow. Mist can sit for days and waterfalls need recent rain. Some trails have had safety incidents, so ask locally and walk in company.

Nearby

The Amathole hiking trail runs along the escarpment; Alice and Fort Hare are below.

Key facts