The road from Barkley East to Fort Beaufort was fairly long. The first half still had the gorgeous green mountains to the east, but eventually the scenery became more like the Eastern Cape scenery I was used to. Somewhere along the road I saw about 30 Cape Vultures soaring in the sky.
At the turn off to Hogsback just outside Alice I saw a whole flock of White Storks. It made me really happy as I had not seen these beautiful birds in a long time.
The last 10km before you reach Hogsback has to be one of the most scenic entrances into a little town I have ever seen. The vegetation was the deepest of greens and grew right up to the edges of the road. In some places it even formed a little tunnel. St Joseph’s lilies were blooming everywhere. It was like a scene from a movie. I was so enchanted by the road that I did not really notice the weather until the road opened up at the entrance to the town.
It was misty and rainy and gloomy.
I followed the signs to The Edge Mountain Retreat. It was a rather muddy dirt road, but fairly firm.
After getting my key I headed to the guest house. The garden was so lovely. There were lots of Hydrangeas with massive blue flower balls.
While I was getting my luggage out of the car I heard a noise in the tree above. I looked up and saw 2 Knysna Turacos!
The rain intensified, so I stayed in my room for the rest of the afternoon.
I went for dinner in the restaurant. A wood fire was burning and it was very cozy. The food was also delicious.
I had set my alarm to go for a run, but when I woke up the weather had not improved at all from the afternoon before. I remained under the duvet for a while longer.
The mist remained, but it stopped raining for a bit. I decided to go for a short walk at the Arboretum before breakfast. There were two things I really wanted to see in Hogsback. Cape Parrots and Samango Monkeys.
As I parked my car, I saw some dark shapes run across the road and jump into the trees. I did a little dance of joy when I saw the Samango Monkeys. They had such adorable faces.
It was very wet, but very beautiful. I went for a short walk into the forest. The forest was green and lush and gorgeous. Birds were calling in the canopy. I saw more monkeys in the trees above. It was like a fairy tale world.
The rain started to come down again and I decided it was a good time to go for breakfast. I had French toast with rye bread, berries, melted dark chocolate, nuts and cream. It was completely decadent and so delicious. When I walked back to my room I detoured through another section of the garden.
The mist was still very thick, but it added an air of mystery to the morning. 
It did not look as if the weather would be improving, but I just could not sit in my room. I only had one day in Hogsback, and I needed to do some exploring. I turned north on the main road. Despite the mist the beauty of the area was obvious.
The roads were muddy and wet, so I had to drive slowly and carefully. But I was ok with that. I was in no mood to go anywhere fast. I stopped at St Patrick’s Chapel. It was a beautiful building.
I decided to go in for a while. The inside was quiet and peaceful. I sat there for a long time. Thinking. Reflecting. Feeling thankful. Feeling grateful. Feeling blessed.
I felt really great as I left. Despite the rather wet weather, I had my car window open a little. And then I heard the screech. I slammed on brakes and looked around. I saw a pair of Cape Parrots high up in a tree.
Due to the weather conditions the photos were really terrible, but I did not care. These birds have such a limited distribution, and I really, really wanted to see this rare endemic bird.
I only saw them for about five minutes before they disappeared into the mist, but it was a wonderful few minutes. The weather worsened shortly after that and I headed back to the guesthouse. Just before I got there there were more monkeys. They were so cool.
There was another break in the weather later in the afternoon and I jumped in my car.
While driving down the main street I heard the Cape Parrots again. This time there was a flock of about 20 in a dead tree. The light was still terrible for photos, but this time I could see a little more of their colours.
I stopped at the Arboretum again. I walked to the 39 Steps Waterfall. It was really pretty.
There was also a little Mountain Wagtail.
On the way back I came across a couple of Forest canaries -another lifer.
I went for a walk in a different section of The Edge property. Every cottage was named and every garden was stunning. I loved the lilies.
I discovered a cliff. Probably “the edge” that the property was named after. There was no view.
The next morning the weather was much better, and when I went for a run I decided to go and have another look at the “the edge”. I could not believe the view!
I could not believe how different it was from the day before. Who knew the mist was hiding such a stunning view!
I spotted a Flower Crab Spider on a flower.
A little Southern Double-collared Sunbird flitted about.
The weather was still not perfect, but I had to go for a night time walk in the garden. There wasn’t much out and about but I did find a beautiful Rain Spider as well as a Nilus Fishing Spider.
I left after breakfast. I could see blue skies and the mist was gone. The vegetation on the Amathole Mountains was a deep, deep green. It was so beautiful. I don’t know if the story that JRR Tolkien used Hogsback as inspiration for his Milkwood Forest in The Lord of the Rings is true, but I could see why it could be. This mist covered town, situated deep in forest covered mountains truly had magical quality to it. When I walked in the Arboretum, I could picture Fairies and other wonderful creatures playing and dancing and enchanting.
I expected that I would enjoy my visit to this wonderful town, and I did.