High on the Hog(sback)

The Bakers escape the biting cold of autumn in the Highveld and find relief at the ruins of South Africa's oldest kingdom ... Mapungubwe!

- MICKY BAKER

Sometimes the warmest travel memories are made in the heart of winter. It may seem like I'm trying to make the best out of a bitter situation, but just like its warmer siblings, winter offers travellers a unique charm.

For many South Africans, winter is an uncomfortable time that's best spent indoors - preferably in front of a heat source. However, veteran local travellers also know that between May and August, travelling becomes far gentler on the wallet.

And, although all corners of the country experience the colder months differently, some nooks and crannies reveal a secret side when the thermometer begins to fall. In my case, I had never seen or touched snow in my life, and that's as good a reason as any to pack the car and head out in pursuit of a winter getaway.

Into the Amatole Mountains

Most travellers heading to the Eastern Cape tend to gravitate towards the Wild Coast, where endless beaches meet rolling pastures and tarred roads are few and far between. The inland Eastern Cape is certainly far less travelled.

Hogsback itself is tucked high in the Amatole Mountains, which are home to some of our continent's southernmost Afromontane forests. It's a landscape dominated by African giants, including white pear, ironwood, Cape holly and two species of yellowwood.

The Amatole forest is one of the largest in the country, and to this day, people claim that J.R.R. drew inspiration from the region for many of the forests in his The Lord of the Rings legendarium.

In reality, the inspiration worked the other way around. Back in the 1940s, locals built a holiday camp for underprivileged children called Hobbiton on Hogsback, named for the famous hobbit village. Once you arrive in Hogsback, it's easy to see why.