Vingerklip – stunning location – again!
Added on Tuesday, June 14th, 2011 by Carole Nash Editor
Vingerklip – stunning location – again!
Our lodge for the night was Vingerklip, a stunning place with stone cottages and thatched roofs, along with breathtaking views of the valley.
As usual, the trickiest bit of the days’ riding was the few klicks into the lodge – a bit twisty and some short sandy sections. After a quick shower we were all on the viewing area that overlooked their private watering hole. With the sun down below the horizon and the stars beginning to arrange themselves in the clear sky we watched as the local wildlife descended to the water. Two of our riders – man and wife, had booked the honeymoon suite, 250 meters high up the cliff face, with its private balcony and pool. Just shows that romance is not dead! Nice one Dean and Kendal!! But I must admit, the ‘homesick’ feeling of missing loved ones certainly made its presence felt as we looked up at the Milky Way – wondering what our wives, partners or children were doing and thinking that perhaps they were doing the same – just at that time? Bonded together by the magic of the moon and the stars? For me, the time zone difference worked, it was just an hour, but it reminded me how many times I’ve probably done it – in places where loved ones would actually be at work or school – I’m such a romantic plonker sometimes!
This was a unique lodge. The cliff restaurant was amazing – we only had to walk up some 350 steps to reach it, but it was worth the exertion – for those that attempted it! A few of us arrived showing we weren’t as fit as we thought!! 250 meters up, set on the top of the cliff just beside the lodge, The Eagle’s Nest – very aptly named – has a circular terrace built jutting out over the cliff edge with a campfire burning in a bowl in its’ centre. An out of this world place to have an aperitif while watching the sun go down over the iconic Finger Rock, way down in the valley.
