Life Trove: Away with the Fairies at Hogsback

Legend has it that Tolkien, the author of The Hobbit, visited the town of Hogsback as a very young child and its forests and mountainous valleys inspired his future visions of The Misty Mountains, home of Smaug the dragon. It is a gorgeous place with great hiking but in winter, it's important to come warmly rugged up!

Highlights of our two nights in Hogsback ...

A fascinating drive to Hogsback from East London with Dan, the owner of Away With The Fairies, the hostel where we stayed. He regaled us with story after story about the Frontier Wars between the British and Xhosa people that greatly influenced South Africa's history.
The amazing open air bath at Away with The Fairies, perched on a cliff with extraordinary views across the valley. The bath even comes with hot water straight from the tap if you have the patience to wait for the 2 hours required to heat it up with a real fire. I lay in the bath for over an hour (without any water!), meditating and filming the shifting light and clouds with my iPhone's time lapse camera. Extremely peaceful. Except when my phone fell over and nearly fell off the cliff!
Lazing by the fire in hostel's lounge in the cold evenings, admiring the murals of fairies on the walls, drinking great red wine and munching on the best pizza I think I've ever tasted.
Meeting up again with Jarred and Kate (who we'd met at Buckaneers) - a lovely South African couple on their honeymoon.
A beautiful but chilly hike through the forested valley, oggling at some immense trees and exploring a plethora of waterfalls along the way. The one waterfall required a steep climb and constant searching for little blue ribbons to find the way. It felt a bit like a treasure hunt!
Max, the local border collie, came for the walk and insisted on swimming in the river at every stop, despite the freezing temperatures. He was a gorgeous, friendly fellow; until we arrived on the road, and then he turned into a psycho demon. At one stage, he launched himself off a small cliff in order to rush up to a car driving past. I had visions of telling the hostel their beloved dog was no more! Thankfully, he survived it.
Great sighting of Samango Monkeys, a speciality of Hogsback. They are apparently very closely related to Vervet Monkeys but look very different.
A stunning, early morning walk to The 39 Steps Falls past bushes and trees aflame in berries and autumn colours.