Tuesday 10 February 2015

Review Reitvlei




Unfortunately I don't have many pictures of Reitvlei to share as Michael's phone is broken.  It is very beautiful and I wish I had pictures of the forested area.  I would really recommend Reitvlei for a hot day as 90 percent of the cycle is in the shade.  It is not the easiest to cycle on a wet day as it is extremely slippery.

Reitvlei would have had a 10 for children if it were not for our unpleasant experience.  After cycling with us my sister took my niece to ride a pony. When she wanted to pay she was told that she had to pay for picnic as well.  My sister then went to the woman she was directed to, to pay.  My sister asked that seeing that we were eating at the restaurant and not picnicking could she just pay for the pony ride.  Instead of politely explaining that this is not policy the woman was extremely rude to my sister.  My sister was still going to pay regardless as my niece desperately wanted to ride the pony.  At this point it started raining so my sister took her money back.    My sister did phone management but they said they would look into it and did nothing.

On the other hand, I must say that the attendant who takes payment for MTBers was very polite and very accommodating.

Overall rating:8.2


The venue:


Children:  9
Facilities: 7
Accessibility: 10
Cost: 8



The trail itself:


Security on trail:7
Traffic Safety:9
Fun: 8
Technicality:8
Scenery: 9
Obstructions: 9
Maintenance: 9
Hill climbing: 7
Variation: 7




The venue:


Children:  9

The children's / beginners trail at Reitvlei is rather dull but it is easy and it is good for a child like my niece with a new bicycle to gain confidence.  It is a pity that considering how beautiful the rest of the trail is that the children's / beginners 4km trail is not in a scenic area.    The plus is that there are many fun activities for children at this park.  As I explained above if it were not for an unpleasant experience Reitvlei would have had a 10 rating for children.



Facilities: 7

Facilities would have had a 10 if it were not for the above explained unpleasant experience and that there was a problem with the ladies toilet behind the Portuguese restaurant.  I don't know the place well so I don't know if there are alternative toilets, but because there was only 1 working toilet there was a long queue.

The Portuguese restaurant was wonderful.  The food was fabulous and the service was excellent, pricing was also extremely reasonable.


Accessibility: 10

Reitvlei is very easy to access as it is in Alberton.


Cost: 8

Reitvlei is the usual price that we pay for MTB trails.  Every separate activity does have an additional charge.  We found the Portuguese restaurant to be very reasonably priced.



The trail itself:


Security on trail:9

There was a bike jacking close to Reitvlei, in January 2015.  Be alert.  I don't know what security measures are used at Reitvlei but I did not spot any security personnel, that might have been because it was raining.

Traffic Safety:9

Most of the trail is single track away from any traffic.  There is a small part that does cross over where picnickers and farm personnel drive so be cautious.


Fun: 8

I like the fact that there is a lot of forest with winds and steep short ups and drops.  We cycled on a rainy day and I really would not recommend this trail in rain, it is very slippery.


Technicality:8

There are steep short slopes to climb but other than that the green route does not have much to challenge you.  To be fair because of the rain we did not try the blue route.  When I get a chance to go back and cycle the blue route I will change my rating.

Scenery: 9

Although the first part which is the part the beginners route is on, is a dull flat field, the trail through the forest is lovely.

Obstructions: 9

There were no obstructions to our cycle. Vehicles may get in the way occasionally.  At one point you are very close to a shooting range and it motivates you to cycle faster.


Maintenance: 9

Maintenance is very good on this trail.

Hill climbing: 7

I was told there is a climb on the blue route but there was not much climbing on the green route, just short steep slopes.


Variation: 6

Although I really enjoy cycling through forested areas, it started to feel a bit monotonous.   The same twists the same steep little slopes up with little drops down.  As I didn't try the blue route I cannot say if it has a more varied route.


Wednesday 21 January 2015

Review Spruit Trail / Delta Park / Emmerentia / Paulshof / Albert'sfarm


I am doing this trail rating with the starting point Fratellis, Delta Park.  The reason is that I live close by  and this is where I start my cycling from.  Also I know that  Albert's Farm and around Delta Park are not strictly the Spruit trail, but as they are all inter- connected I am doing them all in this post.




1. Fratellis  Delta Park to Emmerentia and back.



This is our daily cycle. From our home it is 17km, I think from Fratellis it is 16km.



Overall rating:7.3


The venue:


Children:   8
Facilities: 7
Accessibility: 10
Cost: 10



The trail itself:


Security on trail: 6
Traffic Safety: 3
Fun: 8
Technicality: 9
Scenery: 8
Obstructions: 4
Maintenance: 6
Hill climbing: 7
Variation: 9



The venue: 


Children:   8

While most children do not cycle the entire length to Emmerentia and back, they do cycle Delta Park and they do cycle around Emmerentia.  Both are smooth easy trails.  On weekends the both parks are full of children cycling.

Facilities: 7

As this is a public park facilities are scattered.  There are toilets in the centre of Delta Park and you cycle past toilets in Emmerentia.  The toilets are normally quite decent considering their location.  At the starting point of this trail there is Fratellis to eat at and a few other restaurants.  Delta Cafe in Delta Park is lovely.

Accessibility: 10

Being in Blairgowrie this park is very easy to access and there is plenty of free parking.

Cost: 10

As this is an open to the public park it is free.



The trail itself:


Security on trail: 6

It is hard to rate security on this trail.  Due to the volume of people on a Saturday and Sunday morning it is completely safe to cycle this trail alone.  During the week the Delta Park part and Emmerentia part are relatively safe as there are plenty of people walking dogs, etc, however the fields linking the two can be very deserted.  Always best to cycle with friends.

Traffic Safety: 3

Crossing Tana and Linden Road is a nightmare especially late afternoon. Then again crossing Olifants road into Emmerentia Dam is also terrible.  The lines for the pedestrian crossing have faded and all motorists ignore it any way.  In their defense you cannot even see  there is a pedestrian crossing coming around the corner.

Fun: 8

This is my daily cycle and has become a bit tedious from doing it so often.  I challenge myself to do it faster and faster.  There is plenty of fun on the trail though.  Bridges to cross, zig zagging through the trees at Emmerentia.

Technicality: 9

There are various technical challenges, in Delta Park you can try going up or down the steep rock.  In Emmerentia there is the hill next to Marks Park, with roots and dips. The middle trail is extremely difficult.  The top one is doable but I cannot get over the fear of the height and do dismally.  Generally I cross the wide concrete bridge do the loop that comes adjacent to Judith and then I come down cross the concrete bridge and go down along the dog walkers pathway.

Scenery: 8

Delta Park and Emmerentia are both extremely beautiful in summer.  Emmerentia is still rather pretty in winter but Delta Park tends to look rather dull in winter.

Obstructions: 4

This is an issue.  This park is for everybody.  We walk our own dogs in these parks but unlike everybody else, our dogs are on leashes.  City by laws clearly state that dogs have to be on leashes.  We constantly have dogs running in front of our cycles.  We have decided to swerve away from the  dogs and try to hit their owners.  On weekends and in the afternoons children on cycles can also be very frustrating.  I have taught my 8 year old niece that she must always cycle in the left lane.  We cycle in single file.  She also knows if there is a problem she must move herself off the track.  Unfortunately many parents have not mastered this.  We constantly have children blocking both lanes.  The other day a jogger cursed me when he came jogging in my lane.  I doubt he understood that it is not easy to move a mountain bike out of the ruts whereas I jogger can simply move over, besides which he was supposed to be in the left lane.  Crossing the roads at peak traffic times can also be extremely frustrating. 


Maintenance: 6

City parks do their best but there are times when the trail becomes very overgrown.  A bridge in Delta Park was burned down last year and very promptly replaced, I am not sure if this was the work of City Parks or the Urban Assualt people as it was a month before the race.  At the moment the trail is extremely over grown at places and getting through the thick grass can be unpleasant.

Hill climbing: 7

There are no killer hills the slope at Emmerentia bordering Marks Park is very steep and the two hills on the way to Emmerentia from Delta are easily manageable.

Variation: 9

There is a little of everything.  Steep slopes, bridges, a swirling trail through trees, tree roots, etc.  The only thing lacking is difficult climbs.



2. Fratellis  around Delta Park and back.


We do this cycle occasionally for hill climbing training.  The red indicates our starting route and the purple the way we go back.  The route is about 13km long from our home so about 12km from Frattellis.



Overall rating: 8.1

The venue:


Children: 8
Facilities:  8
Accessibility: 10
Cost:10


The trail itself:


Security on trail: 8
Traffic Safety:9
Fun: 7
Technicality: 7
Scenery: 8
Obstructions: 7
Maintenance: 7
Hill Climbing: 9
Variation: 8


The venue:


Children: 8
Although this part of the trail is not as child friendly, I give it a high rating because there is so much for children to do in Delta Park.

Facilities:  8
There are public toilets (next to the enviromental centre)  and there is the Delta Cafe and Fratellis and a few other restaurants next to Fratellis.

Accessibility: 10
Very easily accessible for anybody who lives in Randburg and plenty of parking.

Cost:10
This is an open to public park so cycling is free.



The trail itself:

Security on trail: 8
This is the most secure part of the trail.  I regularly see security vehicles patrolling the top part of Delta Park.  There has been a problem with vagrants at the bird park so be alert and do not cycle alone.


Traffic Safety:9
This route does not cut into any roads besides for the very quiet ones in the park itself.

Fun: 7
Michael and I might differ in opinion on the fun factor.  This is a route with endless hill climbing.  I don't enjoy hill climbing, so besides for the down hills and going up the little cliff next to the primary school, I don't really enjoy this one.  What I do enjoy is that we don't have to get into any traffic and I like the little part on the path way past the scout hall as it is very pretty.  I also enjoy the fact that I am now able to climb all the hills non stop.


Technicality: 7
There is a lot of hill climbing.  The going up the cliff next to the primary school and down it is a bit challenging.  The stairs close to the children's play park is another little challenge.  There are a few difficult to cross bridges and a few dips over concrete pipes that are bit difficult.  Nothing really to difficult to do besides for the bridge close to the fence, which there is an alternative route for.


Scenery: 8
Delta Park is exceptionally pretty in the summer but can look rather bleak in the winter.


Obstructions: 7
Dog walkers who do not use leashes and do not watch their dogs are a big problem here.


Maintenance: 7
The pathways were rather overgrown a week ago.  This past week  (2nd week in January 2015) mowing has taken place.  It seems that the pathway on the cliff by the primary school has been forgotten.  It is so overgrown that I kept getting stuck in weeds while cycling on top there.


Hill climbing: 9
This is an excellent place to do hill climbing training.  None of the hills are beyond my abilities but they are tough.


Variation: 8
The variation is reasonable even though this is a mainly hill climbing trail.  The  park is lovely and scenery changes a great deal.




1. Fratellis to Albert's Farm and back.


On the occassional Saturday we cycle to Albert's farm.  This route is about 20km long.




Overall rating:7.5


The venue:

Children: 7
Facilities: 6
Accessibility: 10
Cost:10



The trail itself:

Security on trail:5
Traffic Safety:5
Fun:8
Technicality:8
Scenery:9
Obstructions:6
Maintenance:6
Hill climbing:9
Variation:9
Overall rating:


The venue:


Children: 7
Albert's Farm has plenty for children to do but I would not cycle the trail from Fratellis with children.

Facilities: 6
I am not sure if there are toilets at Albert's Farm.  There are no restaurants in the park so you can only really eat when you return to Fratellis.

Accessibility: 10
Albert's Farm is easily accessible to residents of Albertsville, Northcliff and the surrounding areas.

Cost:10
This is an open to public park so cycling is free.


The trail itself:

Security on trail:5
Always go in a group there are many dodgy areas that you pass through on the way to Albert's Farm.  Also I don't feel very secure at Albert's farm itself.

Traffic Safety:5
This route has the most busy roads to cross.

Fun:8
I find Albert's farm a lot of fun.  Features that add to the fun:

The bridge through the swamps.
The steep hill at the top of the park.
The winding trails through the grassy part at the top of the trail.
The dips on the way to Albert's Farm.

Unfortunately our last trip was not as much fun due to the long grass on the trail making cycling very difficult.

Technicality:8
I have not mastered going up the steep hill at the top of Albert's Farm yet.  Also a bit unsure about going down the other side through the jagged rocks.  Besides for these two tough obstacles there is nothing very challenging.

Scenery:9
Albert's Farm is very beautiful.  Especially the bridge through the swamp and that hill with all the jagged rocks.

Obstructions:6
Road traffic on the way to Albert's and back causes quite an obstruction.  I have had the occasional dog to swerve for but there are not that many dog walkers on this route.

Maintenance:6
I usually find maintenance to and at Albert's not too bad.  The last time we cycled there it was horrible though the grass was so long on the trail we struggled to stay on it.

Hill climbing:9
There is one long hill going to the top of Albert's farm that is quiet exhausting.  The killer though is the steep little hill at the top of Albert's Farm.  I have not made it to the top yet.

Variation:9
There is plenty of variation in and on the way to Albert's Farm, from a trail and scenery perspective.


1. Fratellis to Paulshof (Sunninghill Keg) and back.






We do this cycle about 3 times a month.  It is about 28 km there and back but we cycle a little extra to make it 30km.


Overall rating:7.3

The venue:

Children: 4
Facilities:6
Accessibility:10
Cost:10


The trail itself:


Security on trail:4
Traffic Safety:8
Fun:8
Technicality:9
Scenery:8
Obstructions:5
Maintenance:7
Hill climbing:7
Variation:9


The venue:

Children: 4
There are parents who cycle with their children on this trail but it is a bit too tough for most children.  One of the times I cycled this trail there was a 9 year old with his Dad doing all the tough obstacles that I was walking over, but this child was very good.  Also bare in mind that security on this trail is a problem.

Facilities:6
There are no facilities on the trail itself.  We cycle to the Sunninghill Keg and eat a light meal and cycle back.  There is a restaurant in Paulshof that gives free coffee to cyclists.  Their advert is on the trail.

Accessibility:10
The trail is easy to access.

Cost:10
It is free to ride.

The trail itself:


Security on trail:4
This is probably one of the riskier trails to cycle and never cycle it alone.  We have never had any problems.  There are many vagrants living under the bridges and in the bushes along this trail.  Often when we cycle here we are the only people on the trail so you can be very isolated.

Traffic Safety:8
There is only one road that needs to be crossed and it is usually very quiet.  For the most part on this trail you are going under the bridges.

Fun:8
I enjoy this trail the only thing that dampens my fun is going under William Nicol edging along the narrow concrete block hoping that the stuff coming out of the walls is not human excrement.  I do like that going this way I don't have busy roads to cross.

Technicality:9
There is a rocky stream that I get off and push at.  I have fallen twice trying to cross it.  Straight after that there is a steep decent between rocks which I manage but coming back I have not managed to get up it yet.  There is another bridge which is concrete but most of the concrete has washed away.  I used to be able to cross it but I don't manage anymore.  Michael saw a guy cycle the narrow ledge under William Nicol.  The second spruit crossing(where we used to jump from rock to rock)  has concrete on it now making it possible for the expert to cycle over.  There are plenty of challenges for the expert.  Don't be put of if you are a beginner.  All the difficult obstacles can be walked over.

Scenery:8
There are times such as under William Nicol or under the high way, that the surroundings are very ugly.  There is a great deal of litter.   There are many spots that are breathtakingly beautiful on this trail though.  The other day we saw a blue crane a few times while cycling the trail.  In December the daisies are in bloom and the fields of yellow are stunning.

Obstructions:5
There are many points where I have to get off and walk or carry my bicycle over.  There are occasional dog walkers on part of this trail but they are not generally a problem.  The physical barriers that I cannot cycle over are numerous.

Maintenance:7
The Juma Urban race helped us a great deal as a lot of maintenance was done to this route before the race.   There are points that are becoming very run down again and I hope that the next Urban will run the same trails so that these spots will get a bit of maintenance.


Hill climbing:7
There is one hill that you climb on the way to Sunninghill, it is not a difficult hill.   Coming back is uphill but it is hardly noticable as it is mostly flat.  There are 3 short steep climbs on the way back.  The second one is difficult as you have to navigate between rocks.

Variation:9

There are bridges to cross, steep slopes, rivers to cross so the trail itself provides quite a variation.  The scenery also varies a great deal.

Monday 12 January 2015

Review Thaba Trails - Alberton

I ventured South this weekend.  We decided to cycle at Thaba trails because I was told that there is quite a bit of construction work at Reitvlei currently.  When we go south again I will give Reitvlei a try as well.




I liked that Thaba trails starts in a forested area.  Most of the trails I have cycled seem to have their most boring part at the beginning.





Overall rating: 8.5

The venue:


Children: 5

Facilities: 8

Accessibility: 10

Cost: 9




The trail itself:


Security on trail: 7

Traffic Safety: 9

Fun: 9

Technicality: 9

Scenery: 8

Obstructions: 9



Maintenance: 10

Hill climbing:10

Variation: 8

The venue:


Children: 5

Thaba trails has a beginners route, the yellow route.  We cycled on part of it at the end of the trail.  It was extremely muddy, and at parts, difficult for us to navigate.  Perhaps in the dryer season it is more child friendly, but at this stage I wouldn't take a child for a cycle there unless the child is an experienced cyclist.


Facilities: 8

The facilities are good the toilets have showers.  Although rustic in appearance (the toilets are in crates) everything was clean.  There is a shop that sells all types of spares.  Although there is no restaurant, there are restaurants close by.

Accessibility: 10

This trail is in Alberton and very easy for it's locals to access.

Cost: 9

Entry is only R30 and for what the trail has to offer it is good value for money.




The trail itself:


Security on trail: 7

As we went for a midday cycle, we were the only people cycling.  We didn't see another human being the entire time we were cycling.  This trail would be very easy to access though, and in light of there being a few bike jackings recently, I would suggest caution.  Do not cycle alone.

Traffic Safety: 10

I am not sure if there are other vehicles on the trail ever.  We did not encounter any.

Fun: 9

We cycled the 17km green route, which was described to me as intermediate.  For the first 10 km there was a great deal of hill climbing but nothing challenging and I was starting to wonder if the route should not have been described as beginner.  The fun began after 10km and I realised the route deserved it's intermediate rating.  I liked that this route starts in a forest.  There are many hellish climbs but there are fun fast down hills.  There are dips and challenging rocky descents.  The wild life added to the fun.  At one stage it looked like a wildebeest wanted to storm us and this made me cycle faster even though I was exhausted.

Technicality: 9

Thaba trails has a 30km blue route which is described as very tough.  We cycled the 14km green route which was described to us as intermediate.  There was a variation in technical challenges with hill climbing being the focus.  What I liked on the green route was that parts were difficult but I could still do them.   There are some very steep climbs which I did not make but I know I could  if I went back.  The only obstacle, we both struggled with, was a steep climb which had a passage through rocks we both could not get up and through Michael went into a tree and I was stopped by a stubborn rock.  There is a drop over large rocks which the YouTube clip above does not do justice to. (I was being like a fisherman after the cycle spreading my arms wide and telling my friends the rocks were really this big.)  I was very proud of myself,  making it down there.  At the end you join up with the yellow route (beginners).  Parts are quite challenging because it is a very water logged area with lots of mud. This part is obviously very easy in the dry season.  There are a variation of technical challenges with an emphasis on hill climbing.

Scenery: 8

The trail is very beautiful.  Unfortunately there are housing developments that slightly mar the beauty of this lovely reserve.  We saw wildebeest, springbok and zebra.


Obstructions: 9

There were no other people on the trail, so we had no obstructions. I am not sure what this trail is like at peak times. As there is wild life you do need to respect their territory and keep a safe distance. We were a bit nervous of a very angry looking wildebeest. It was probably a good thing though, because for a while I cycled much faster.


Maintenance: 10

Maintenance on the trail was good. The end part of the trail is rather swampy and they have been struggling with drainage. A lot of effort has been put in to avoid cyclists getting too stuck.


Hill climbing:10

Thaba trails has a LOT of hill climbing. Granny gear was used a great deal! What I liked about the green trail was that unlike the hill climbing at Mount Grace and the red route at Hero, the climbs though tough on Thaba's green route are within my capabilities. I do like a challenge but it is also good to have tough hill climbing that is not completely out of a beginner's ability. The blue route will be beyond my abilities.


Variation: 8

Although the emphasis of this trail is hill climbing, the variation is good from cycling a windy trail through forested areas, cycling up extremely steep short climbs and some steep drops. The scenery also varies from forest to open fields to rocky hills to swampy grasslands. On the green route there were no challenging bridges and there was only one berm on a uphill. Obviously this berm is for the fit as I was going so slow, I had no need for it.