This morning I woke to silence and chill. The wind had died down to nothing but the temperature had plummeted to 2 degrees C! It was insanely cold! Donned in hat and gloves I emerged from my caravan to find Alec wearing shorts! To be fair, he did have on a fleece and was boiling the kettle for good welcome cups of hot coffee for us all.
It did not take long to be packed up and ready and by 08h30 we were on the road. The N12 to Kimberley is in excellent condition and the traffic was minimal.
At Three Sisters we turned left into the Northern Cape and the vegetation soon changed from scrubby bush to scattered trees.


It was 11:30 when we arrived at Britstown and after refuelling we dropped in at The Old Mill Coffee Shop for brunch. We’d discovered this quaint little place on our way to Mountain Zebra National Park in March and were delighted that they were still there in spite of the effects that Covid has had on the restaurant and tourist industry.





We were pleasantly surprised to have very few trucks on the road as we travelled the N12. We arrived at Riverside Lodge in Ritchie, 40 km from Kimberley at 3 pm. By then the temperature had risen to 22 degrees C. The Lodge is right on the Modder River and has lovely facilities. The showers are spacious and have enough hooks and a bench outside each one.



After setting up camp I took a walk and to my great joy saw a fish eagle dive feet first onto the surface of the water and come up with a huge fish. He then took the poor creature up into a tree – not a great photo but wow – what a lovely thing to see.


My travelling companions missed the scene but came for a stroll a little later on.






At this time of the year the mornings are really chilly but for a few hours it warms up to the early 20s. But once the sun goes down the chill returns. We are expecting another very cold morning tomorrow but right now we’re snug in our caravans.
Good night to you all and thanks for following.
What a wonderful sighting of the fish eagle!
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Unforgettable, Dries
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Don’t be concerned about the quality of your Fish Eagle photograph – at least you have a record of that special event!
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Thanks Anne – Yes the experience of watching it catch and eat its prey was awesome
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Gosh a lot of driving but your camp looks lovely. The weather is really very cold and I admire u doing all this in winter. Have an exciting time and drive safe.
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It will be warmer in Kruger Mary. And it does warm up during the day just very cold in the mornings.
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Sounds amazing!!
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What beautiful photo’s of the reflections in the still water! Ahh, to sit around a camp fire with such a wonderful sunset – love it!
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