After a six week break after the ninth step we are about to hit the road again.  Current travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic mean we will still be limited to roaming around South Africa and that situation is unlikely to change for a while.  The indignities of long haul air travel in cattle class is something about which we can only dream.  So we will instead experience some more of our home country from the comfort of a Brooks saddle. 

The past six weeks have been occupied by work and family commitments and seem to have passed very quickly and yet dragged on for too long at the same time.  It was the right time of the year to take a break.  The weather should start cooling down as we approach the end of summer and I am guessing that, from a weather point of view, the next couple of months should be the best for cycle touring South Africa.

We have decided to travel a bit lighter than usual on this trip and will not be taking any camping gear apart from cooking equipment.  We only camped for five nights over the two months of the ninth step and aren't sure that the extra weight of tents and sleeping bags etc could be justified.

We have booked accommodation for the first three nights of the trip.  Firstly at Addo Elephant National Park, then at the Zuurberg Inn, halfway over the original Zuurberg Pass and then at Anne's Villa on the northern side of the pass.  We have also been in contact with Warmshowers hosts in  Pearston, Nieu Bethesda and Middelburg so we have a pretty good idea of what our route will look like for the first week or two. After that it is anyone's guess but the idea is to head towards Golden Gate National Park which is near the border between the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal provinces.  I'm not sure if that is where we will end up but we need something at which to aim.