This is a guest post by H.

Hi, I’m H, Squiffy’s big little sister… as you may or may not know I joined DB and SQ on thier Escape the City tour around Cape Town, the Winelands and the Garden Route (daveb: Sssh! Don’t tell where we’re going and spoil the surprise!)in South Africa. On my arrival we discussed the activities that we wanted to do and the sights we wanted to see over high tea at the Table Bay Hotel.

At the top of my list was horse riding on the beach… something I’ve always wanted to do. As SQ had located the telephone number of a riding school called Sleepy Hollow in Nordhoek, a small coastal town just south of Cape Town, I decided to call them. A lady answered and I gave her the date and time when I would be in the area and she informed me that she would be able to book me onto the sunset trail, which was perfect. She then asked if I had any experience. Much to the amusement of DB and SQ I informed her that “I have had my own horse for 8 years don’t-you-know” (!), as it was important to me that I didn’t end up on a follow the leader type tour as I’ve experienced on previous occassions.

On my arrival at Sleepy Hollow I was introduced to my guide and most importantly Havanna, my horse. We headed down to the long sandy beach which had mountains at either end and a ship wreck in the middle… the the perfect setting. As promised we had a canter along the beach in the shallow waves and although Havanna was spooked by seaweed I managed to stay on as he leapt sideways to dodge it! It was obviously a popular spot for riding as we passed five large chestnut coloured thoroughbreds out for their daily exercise. After a 2 hour ride we headed back to the ranch to untack before heading off to find food to cook back at the small farm where we were staying. I asked the guide to take some photos for me but although she was very polite and sociable, she was not the best photographer… hopefully from the pics you’ll get an idea of the setting though. I’ll leave it to the pros to tell you about the rest of our adventures but I’d just like to say a big thank you to you both for being so accommodating and allowing me to join you for part of your adventures.

daveb says: H, it was a real treat to backpack with you. You’d be most welcome to come again any time you please!

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