Lakes Cave - Cobham

  We were a small group of 4 that recently did an easy weekend hike in the Cobham area.  It was a perfect Winters day, sunny and mild with no wind -  we took our time, stopping often for a rest and to admire the Drakensberg foothills in Winter garb.  I have always enjoyed the colder season as the grasses turn different shades of red and gold, and this, coupled with a brilliant blue sky and clouds, makes for good photography.  As good as our cell phone cameras are, I still miss the feel of a DSLR camera in my hands, and also the creative aspect of editing afterwards.The Pholela River is looking surprisingly low for this time of year - after all we are only half way through Winter.  Tim is an expert on birds and entertained and educated us along the way with sightings of Bearded Vultures, Black Eagle and the Cape Vulture along with the smaller varieties of birds.  After lunch at the Shelter we continued on for the long sustained walk up to the caves.  We arrived in good time to settle in and I was left to my hot chocolate ( a must!) whilst the others went to take a look at the tarns on top of the cave.  They reported that they too are quite low with not much water.After supper, we were all in our sleeping bags early on - the warmest place to be !It was very overcast the following morning which contributed towards a bit of a late start.  Perfect hiking weather! As we were packing up, we noticed a hiker descending the ridge in front of the cave and were delighted to see it was Andrew, who then joined us for the remainder of the hike.  He had spent the previous night at Pholela Cave after a day of exploration in the Gorge.We returned via the Whaleback which is the ridge above Lakes Cave.  I always enjoy this route, as we pass tarns and rock formations along the way, and always have amazing views towards Garden Castle.  We passed the Policeman and the Titty before making our way along the flat plateau towards Siphongwini.  The rock art there is always interesting to see.  From here we descended to the path alongside the Pholela River and then it was a few kilometres back to the camp.I thoroughly enjoyed the hike and it was wonderful to introduce the delights of overnighting in a cave to Tim and Melissa - their first!On a more sombre note, we were saddened to see the demise of an iconic landmark along the Underberg Road, the Pickle Pot.  It has closed and is in the process of being demolished.  I have many happy memories of stopping in here on our way home from a hike to enjoy a light lunch or coffee and scones.  It would appear that the land is being prepared for something on a larger scale - this will no doubt be classified as ‘progress’ and in my eyes will detract from the old world charm of what was there before.  Does anyone know what is being planned here?