Vaalkop
384m from Take Off to turkey
Takes SE/E/NE and SW, maybe W. Not good for N or NW.
Weather http://www.arl.noaa.gov/ready-bin/main.pl?Lat=-25.80&Lon=30.61
SW takeoff
Located between Barberton
and Badplas.
Take the Grootkop turnoff and follow the Nkomati Mine , Simunjoni signs.
Land owner is Pieter Visagie, 017 844 1239, 083 635 6003, 082 809 4990.
Request from Mondi security officer Christopher Sitimbiso 013 712 4162
to contact him or Mondi 013 712 5228 on arrival at the bottom.
And let them know that you plan to go through their forest.
And you plan to park cars at the bottom.
R30 site fee.
Check with owner first on access. Gate on top might be locked.
Owner offers accommodation on his gamefarm.
Turkey is the road crossing. Park car in shade in pine trees.
12 minutes is the fastest record from turkey to takeoff.
Spur runs S to N, S would be right on the tip.
Expect from 15.00 onwards a East ridge soaring valley release when wind is Southerly.
Take a GPS track when driving up. And have your recovery use the GPS
backtrack to find their way down.
Where to stay …
Piet Visagy (0836356003)the owner of the Vaalkop
mountain flying site asked me to post this message on his behalf.
Piet in partnership with Anita(0722060327)have invested
in a Bed and Breakfast in the Vallkop valley and invite all the pilots to came
and
stay with them.
This facility is top notch and is situated about 1 Km
east of the Milk factory in the Vaalkop Valley.
Directions: JHB, N12 Witbank, proced untill
Machadosdorp. Turn off at Machadosdorp go up the hill until the big church on
Right and turn
left.
Go trough town and follow on to the screwfbergpass to
Badplass. T junction saying Badplass right turn left to Barberton. Follow this
road go pass the dam wall of the veigboom dam on the
left and next you will turn at a sign that read Groot Kop.
Follow this sand road untill you see Komati Mine sign
and Mondi. Turn right there a follow the road. As you get close to the mountain
of
Vaakop and the houses of the locals (also before the
local shebeen) there is a sign that reads V2 Thrust. There is a white caravan
at the
gate. Go trough this gate and follow the road pass the
river. keep left and ride pass the milk factory. Follow the road and about a Km
later there you will see some houses in between the blue
gum trees.
Turn right at the y fork and follow on arround the
trees. You have arrive at the Dornhoek guest house.
There is room for abot 20 people. They cater for meals.
There are rooms with double beds for the pilots with own recovery.
The rates for the accommodation are R150 pp/day.
Piet encourages the visiting pilots to stay at his
facility and waves the R20/day/pilot site fees if one stays there.
There is a gate at the entrance of the top of Vaakop
that will be locked in the near future. The keys can be arranged with Anita
(0722060327).
Or Aventura resort = pricy but lots of fun stuff for kids in summer. Like waterslides, hot pool,…
Or Le Paradise = ok
Where to eat and drink …
Gangsters at Aventura resort = ya well, burgers and steaks and beer in plastic cups,… priced like daylight robbery? And wait forever. Steak/egg/chips (small portion R35).
Badplaas Hotel = great carvery and big buffet, eat as much as you want, on weekends, check with hotel when available ( and behave yourself )
R90 in 2007 for carvery, R65 for breakfast buffet.