Rattrace 2012

31 October 2012

To those of you who attended this year’s race, a huge thank you for coming and taking part in our annual event. Everybody seemed to agree that the new off-road format worked much better and we have even more exciting plans for next year’s race, expanding on the new concept, offering different distances and formalising the children’s race. Oh, yes and putting out more signs and marshals to reduce the numbers of lost cyclists and incidents of bad language! (Sorry Craig).

We brought in a total of R30 000.00 including the entry fees and fines collected but, as we always say, the RattRace is not really about the money we raise. It is an annual celebration of David’s life and his contribution to the Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift communities and it is the one day in the David Rattray Foundation calendar when the fund-raising effort is visible in the community itself. It is also a great excuse for a gang of friends to get together and have a good ol’ party.! For these reasons, it is an important tradition and we are delighted to have seen so many old and new faces for this year’s race. Thank you James (and his guitar) for such great entertainment, we look forward to a Myers/Hendry duet next year!

Please note that the RattRace 2013 will not take place on the Heritage Day weekend as in all previous years. We are moving the event to the end of July in the hope that we will attract more entrants and especially more younger participants. The 2013 RattRace will therefore take place on the weekend of the 19/20 July so please block off that weekend in your diary now.

To those of you who didn’t attend the 2012 RattRace, to my immense regret I am again obliged to penalise you, although, as on previous occasions, we have decided that if you book for next year’s race, you will have the option of having the amount of this fine returned to you as a discount on your entry fee for 2013. A special thank you for their very generous donation goes to the Godlonton family who unfortunately could not make it this year. This, however, does not mean that you can miss the 2013 weekend!
The fine for non-attendance by previous attendees is, as usual, R500 per couple and it may be paid into the David Rattray Foundation bank account as follows: Standard Bank, Ladysmith Branch no 057725. Account number 060148330. Please use your surname as a reference.

Many thanks for your support in the past and again now. A big thank you to our sponsors, especially SATIB for yet again sponsoring the T shirts.
We very much hope to see you next year. More details will follow through the year.
See you there – for more aching muscles, emptying pockets and, above all, good company and fine food! The more the merrier …

June 2012

In my last post I said I couldn't believe we were three months into the year already, and in what feels like the blink of an eye it is now June, half way to Christmas!

Every day this past summer we hoped for rain - a lot of cloud build up and thunder and lightening but no rain. According to a local farmer who has farm records going back two generations, this past summer was the driest since 1948. It is tinder dry, burning firebreaks is going to be a challenge! We anticipate losing some game this winter as a result of the drought, the supply of water is not a problem, it is the quality of the grass that is the issue.

The weather is glorious at the moment, KwaZulu Natal at its best, warm sunny days and crisp mornings and evenings. The aloes are flowering, as ever a spectacular sight.

Andrew, Anel and I had a great marketing trip to the UK, at the end of April/early May - timed perfectly to co-incide with constant rain and cold! Despite this we had a super trip and were so pleased to meet so many agents and operators that support us.



The first weekend in June was our annual Battlefields by Bike weekend, we had a great turnout and everyone had a super weekend. Only one or two minor spills, Andrew had bad luck and had 2 punctures on the first section of the ride! Darryn on his 'Green Mamba', his antique that has travelled the world with him put all of those on light fancy bikes to shame! The route and the day ended with everyone riding the single track on the farm to the viewpoint overlooking the site of the Fugitives' Drift - a large gin and tonic the only way to end a long day in the saddle!








Talking of mountain biking - we now have 3 tracks on the farm. The Red, Green and Blue routes, obviously the red is the most technical and the blue the easiest. These routes double up as walking trails and are clearly marked. Great to take the dogs and go off on a walk ... or a cycle.

The Rattrace 2012 in aid of The David Rattray Foundation is on the weekend of the 21 September - this year we aim to do at least half, 3/4's if we possbily can on single track. Sign up now for a fun filled weekend for a great cause. reservations@fugitivesdrift.com or nicky@fugitivesdrift.com

he David Rattray Foundation now has it's own Facebook page. Ben Henderson, CEO of the DRF - forever a Facebook non believer is now a convert and has spend days (and nights) uploading all the information and pictures of the Foundaions journey over the past 5 years - its makes for very interesting viewing. Please go onto the page and like it - it makes a difference the more likes we have, not terribly sure how or why but I am told it just does! Who am I to argue!
https://www.facebook.com/DavidRattrayFoundation

Two things to remember - 1)our 'beat the recession winter specials', take advantage of our ridiculously low rates until the end of August, and again in December (check website for details www.fugitivesdrift.com) and 2) remember to book for the Rattrace, bring your family and your bikes, and as David always said, 'let's give it horns!'

We look forward to seeing you here - battlefields, mountain biking, horseriding, walking, bird watching - you can do it all at Fugitives' Drift!

Till next time ...

March 2012

I can't believe it is March already, and there has been no blog since November - where has the year gone? I feel like I should still be saying happy new year!

We had an exciting start to the new year, with Doug's 21st birthday party at Fairview in January. Never having had a function at Fairview, our property at The Crags near Plettenberg Bay, it was with a certain degree of trepidation that we planned it. 85 people invited,music booked, bar stocked,food sorted (all relatives were press ganged into chopping, peeling and cooking) but what we couldn't control was the weather! No tent,tables laid in the garden, totally reliant on good weather! We need not have worried, it was a beautiful evening, stunning sunset and the party finally ended at 3am!


Andrew and Anel announced their engagement in January to much excitement, and will be getting married at Fairview in October. However, this time we are taking no chances with the weather and will have a tent and we will not be doing the catering ourselves!

This seems to be the year of The Wedding. George Irwin and Renee Bufe who met while working here, are getting married in August and we are thrilled that they have chosen to have it at Fugitives' Drift. A new challenge as this will be the first wedding for the Lodge!

January and February sped by, we were very busy which was great. Super guests with just a couple of tricky ones thrown in to keep us on our toes! If you read our Facebook page you will have read my laments about the lack of rain - this is the driest summer since 1948, we have had the sum total of 60mm since the 1 January - it is desperately dry. For our guests the weather has been perfect! We thought the cyclone last week might bring us some relief, but all we got was overcast weather and strong winds!

The game continues to flourish, plenty of impala, blesbok and zebra were born late last year, and it is always so exciting to see newborn giraffe. They are not suffering from the drought yet, although low summer rainfall has a detrimental effect on the quality of the winter grazing which is concerning.

A group of us staff, and sometimes energetic guests cycle every morning and we are treated most days to great game viewing. A couple of times we have been rewarded by a brief sighting of bushpigs darting across the path in front of us! We have cut some great mountain biking single track and are in the process of marking the routes so guests can take a bike (we now have 4 exclusively for guests use) and go off on a ride.


My New Years resolutions (I must have forgotten the one about regular blogs!)were to upgrade our website (www.fugitivesdrift.com) and Facebook page, these are done and are looking great. Have a look at the website for specials as well as information on our Battlefields by Bike weekend in June and The Rattrace in September.

I think that is enough from me for now and it wont be 4 months till I post again - I hope!

Dan with the breccia

Ancient piece in the rock garden - by Dan Hathaway

I discovered four different types of interesting rock during my visit to Fugitive's Drift. All four of them tell very different stories.

These are my observations about the rock I am holding in the photograph.
It isn't often I get to hold a piece of import breccia in my hand. In fact, I have never done it before.
This is so because impact breccia is formed by the collision of meteorite with the surface of the earth. This is a very rare occurrence.

There are really only a few places in the world where this has happened.
So to be holding a piece of evidence of cosmic collision is all the more exciting.

If you look closely at impact breccia you can see the shattered fragments of the earth's crust that the meteorite slammed into. I was thinking that it looked like someone seriously tore into a rock pile with a sledgehammer. The whole thing is glued together in a matrix of something called melt rock. Melt rock is caused by the tremendous amount of heat liberated by the impact. The breccia then cools and solidifies.

Did anything get hurt by the meteorite? Probably not, because the age of a nearby crater is about 2 billion years old. The only things living back then were single cell bacteria. It was a really different world.

Who would have thought that a walk in your beautiful rock garden would extend back that far.

Guest feedback - the best advertising!

Dear Nicky,
It was a pleasure to meet you after waiting all these years.
Below is from Dan, for you to use on the blog. Rest assured he will have much more to say!
God bless you,
Alison

Dear Nicky,

I want to tell you how much Alison and I enjoyed our stay at Fugitive's Drift. Your extraordinary
effort and attention to detail made our stay memorable.

When I travel I miss my pets at home. Having the black labrador, Spud, meet us at our door made me feel so welcome. There is nothing quite like enjoying morning coffee and a view of the African countryside with a sleeping dog at your feet.


We are looking forward to our next stay.

Dan Hatheway
Deep River Connecticut

Great feedback from Sally Kirby of Sally and Alice Travel Co

Sally kindly agreed to let me share her feedback on her stay at Fugitives' Drift last week.

Hello Nicky,

Sorry not to see you at Fugitives during our stay, but rest assured we were very well looked after by your team. Having heard so much about Fugitives Drift over the years, I am so pleased I finally got there to find out what all the fuss was about, it is a very special place. I have listed in brief some of the highlights from my stay, thank you so much for arranging it and for suggesting Umzinyathi for our group, it was perfect:


Fugitives Lodge – beautiful gardens, herb garden, pool area for midday lounging and freshen up before afternoon tour. Dogs running around, family photos, press snippets – steeped in history yet very relaxing. Lots of space for people to spread out and find there own little corner to relax and enjoy the views.


Harford Library – I could have spent days in here, such a wonderful building and full of so many fascinating books, comfy sofas – and views over to Isandlwana mesmerizing.


Umzinyathi – beautiful setting, loved the views out the front. We arrived in the dark to find all candles and fire lit, very atmospheric. Breakfast under the trees, watching the giraffes nearby and cattle being herded. Margaret and Keos were on hand to look after us, very warm, smiley and attentive.


Rorkes Drift tour with Andrew – he was excellent, very natural, moving and an excellent storyteller. I left with a lot of soggy tissues, and a notebook brimming – and a fascination with Anglo-Zulu history


Staff – all great but particularly loved Grace, she was the perfect hostess and had everyone clapping when she sang after dinner.


Dinner – v atmospheric, we had two long tables, the 5 course dinner was delicious and lots of interesting conversation flowing across several different nationalities and age groups.


Thank you again to you and the team for welcoming us into your beautiful home. You have a fantastic set up and I look forward to working with you all.


With best wishes,


Sally

e: sally@sallyandalice.com
t: +44 7904 958 194
s: sallykirby
w: www.sallyandalice.com

Rattrace 2011

RATTRACE 2011

Last weekend we hosted the 5th Rattrace - we had a smaller field this year but nonetheless everyone had a great time, no injuries, no punctures and a beautifully cool day. The winner of the bike this year was Thabani Ximba. Craig Carter was pipped at the post by his friend Klaas Meintjies (extraorindary win considering he took a wrong turn and caused a pile up near the gate!) and Tanya McKenzie, heroically retained her title. Tanya's win was dedicated to her beloved son Tegan who died tragically 3 weeks ago.

Brian Green and Andrew Murray, clearly needing more exercise than the rest of us rode to Isandlwana and back - and still managed to come in 5th and 6th! Not bad for two middle aged chaps!

Chris Harvie in his inimitable style managed to part people with their money during the fining ceremony in such a way that they were more than happy to do it! Thank you all for entering into the fun of things and for your incredible generosity. We raised just over R30 000 for The David Rattray Foundation.

Unfortunately the Quarmby's were not here to witness something that they instigated and that will probably never happen again - and that was me cycling the Rattrace. Yes I did it, along with Marian Myers and most importantly finished it. Contrary to my expectation it was much more fun than I thought it would be. Our pelaton brought up the rear, well, I guess someone has to do it! It was recommened and very quickly finalised during the fining (I hasten to add recommended by Patrick's friends not by us ... although maybe the finalisation part was helped along by us ....) that the Quarmby's be severely fined in absentia for not being here to witness the bet they laid last year!

1st - Klaas Meintjies
2nd - Craig Carter
3rd - Rob Godlonton
4th - Thabani Ximba
5th - Brian Green
6th - Andrew Murray
7th - Dedrich Eicker
8th - Sandile Magwaze
9th - William Murray
10th - Tanya McKenzie
11th - Matthew Howarth
12th - Chantal Carter

Thank you to all of you who participated this year, we really appreciate your support

Fugitives' Drift - Newsletter August 2011

HOME | ABOUT US | ACCOMMODATION | TOURS | RATES | THE DAVID RATTRAY FOUNDATION | CONTACT US
August 2011 After 11 happy and highly successful years at Fugitives’ Drift, Rob Caskie and Karen de Haan will be moving to Howick in October, but I am pleased to say that Rob will still be available to us on a freelance basis and that he will be continuing with his own inimitable battlefield tours in KZN. We shall miss them both enormously for many reasons, not least for their overriding passion for Fugitives’ Drift and all it stands for. Rob’s ability to fix anything and his wicked sense of humour will be hard to replace as will Karen’s extraordinary attention to detail and her organizational skills. They have been an invaluable and integral part of this operation for many years and never more so than in the past four years. We shall look back, as I am sure they will, on their long period of service here with great warmth. At this crucial time in the development of our business, I am therefore very pleased to be able to announce that David’s and my eldest son, Andrew, joined the team at Fugitives’ Drift in July along with his partner Anel de Kock. Joseph Ndima and Andrew Rattray Andrew has a B.Comm. degree, is passionate about all things wild and especially about our beloved Fugitives Drift, where he grew up, and its flora and fauna of which he has an intimate knowledge. He is a fluent Zulu speaker, an enthusiastic fisherman and a not-very-enthusiastic horseman! Andrew spent his childhood sitting at David’s feet and listening to his stories of the Anglo Zulu War and has always shared his father’s enthusiasm for the history of our area and for the Zulu people. Indeed, at the age of nine, Andrew took his first ‘tour’ to the site of the skirmish at Fugitives’ Drift when David had to rush off unexpectedly to fight an out-of-control veldt fire! Following a ranger training course at Phinda, Andrew spent 14 months at Kwandwe Game Reserve, near Grahamstown. He loved his time as a guide there and will bring this invaluable experience with him as he returns to the fold at Fugitives’ Drift and follows in his father ‘s impressive footsteps. Anel is a highly-qualified chef and was Executive Chef at Kwandwe. It will be a huge bonus for us be able to benefit from her many years of experience and an injection of her new ideas and flavours into our cuisine. These are exciting times for us and we look forward with great confidence as a new generation of Rattrays begins to make its mark on Fugitives’ Drift and to welcoming both new and old guests to the Lodge as we embrace the future with relish, whilst continuing to honour the past with our unparalleled history tours and exemplary hospitality.
See our website or call us for our current specials, including the ‘Serious Summer Special’ for November and December 2011. Lodge R 1 500 pppd / Guest House R 950 pppd / Stay 3 Nights - Pay for 2. Contact us for more details. 034 271 8051/ reservations@fugitivesdrift.com
THE DAVID RATTRAY FOUNDATION THE HISTORY, THE FUTURE, THE LEGACY By George Irwin The purpose of the book is not just to raise funds for the Foundation, but also to raise awareness of the Foundation’s origins, goals and methods. This book achieves this purpose through insightful text and stunning photography. The patrons of the Foundation - HRH The Prince of Wales and Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi - have generously written forewords to the book. Available from Fugitives’ Drift: R375 plus R50 postage & packaging (in SA) Tel: 034-2718051 E-mail: nicky@fugitivesdrift.com	FOR QUEEN AND COUNTRY By Rodney Ashwood The Zulu war diary of Lieutenant Wilfred Heaton 24th Regiment of Foot 1879 Serving in the 24th Regiment of Foot, Lieutenant Wilfred Heaton kept a diary of that year, which gives a fascinating insight into the life of a young regimental officer on active service in South Africa. This second edition, includes a tribute to the late David Rattray who was the world’s leading authority on the history of the Zulu War Tel: (+44) (0)1874 611364 E-mail: ashwood@delfryn.fsbusiness.co.uk
Fugitives' Drift Lodge · Rorke's Drift · KwaZulu-Natal · South Africa Reservations: Tel: +27 (0)34 642 1843 / 271 8051 Fax: +27 (0)34 271 8053 Email: reservations@fugitivesdrift.com

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BATTLEFIELDS BY BIKE - sent by Lauren Lowry,one of our guests who did the ride

Fugutives Drift Mountain Bike Challenge


August 29, 2011 by laurenlowry http://wp.me/pHN5V-fP

A while ago I received a brochure for a Mountain Bike Cycle Tour starting at the Fugutives Drift Game Reserve to Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift. As you know, my 2 passions are travel and mountain biking so this immediately ticked both boxes. And so it was with very little hesitation that we set off this last weekend for an area of KZN not that well known to myself. Fugitives’ Drift is renowned for its battlefield tours to all the Anglo-Zulu War battle sites in the region. Their flagship tours to Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift are led by registered tour guides Rob Caskie and Joseph Ndima and the weekend accomodation was in the Lodge so no complaints there! The Lodge is gorgeous and provides spacious, luxury en-suite cottages each with a private verandah affording views over the plains flanking the Buffalo River Gorge.



The riding was tough to say the least and we had a few very interesting crossings where its fair to say, I said my prayers and hoped for the best! That aside – it was a great weekend and one I’d recommend to any MTB rider looking for something a little different. The beauty of this weekend is that non riders are welcome too. A support vehicle meets the riders with refreshments before the lectures begin so for those of you who are keen on history but dont fancy being in the saddle – its still a great weekend!!

FAIRVIEW IN JULY

While parts of the country were under siege by unusually low temperatures and snow earlier this week, we were housebound at Fairview for two days in driving rain.  We weren't complaining however, the fire was warm, the coffee hot and the conversation good!  Lucikly the third day dawned clear and sunny and we were able to get out and show my American friends the sights which prior to that were invisible!

DAWN AT FUGITIVES' DRIFT

I wanted to share these gorgeous photos of the winter dawn taken last week by my friend Mae.

Aloes

July is a fabulous time of the year to visit KwaZulu Natal and Fugitives' Drift in particular.  Escape the dreary Cape winter for our warm, dry, sunny days. Chilly mornings and evenings  remind us that it is in fact winter!  Most importantly the hills are ablaze with the colour of flowering aloes.  It's amusing to see the monkeys scampering about with bright orange faces!

BIKES AND BATTLEFIELDS

Following on the success of last years mountain biking weekend, at the instigation and with the help of David Evans who recruited his fellow bikers,we decided to hold another one, but this time to do the whole battlefield tour by bike- on Saturday morning at 7.30 49 lycra clad men and women under the able command of Rob Caskie, who had plotted and planned a fantastic route, set off from the Lodge to cycle to Isandlwana and back, predominantly on single track.  It was a chilly winters morning, but the first hill banished all feelings of cold. Crossing the river  at Masondo was an interesting challenge, and very cold for those gallant enough to get into the water to help ferry bikes across (not many volunteers for this job!).  

Everyone made it safely across the ladder bridge.  After the Isandlwana lecture the group headed off again on single track to Rorke's Drift where a picnic lunch awaited them, followed by the Rorke's Drift lecture.  Some chose to ride home along the road while those who still had the energy took the single track around the back of Shiyane Mountain to get home.

It was a very happy and weary group of cyclists who returned in the late afternoon having ridden 45km! 


A great evening followed - many restorative drinks and lots of banter about the ride, and in the morning a few heads were taking more strain than the legs!

The weekend was a great success, best described by comments we received from the guests:

Memories of last weekend are etched into our souls and include the most humbling and thought provoking lectures by Rob, the warm and genuine hospitality at both Kwa George and the lodge, the great riding, and the wonderful bunch of people we got to do it all with.

Thank you again for an incredible weekend, it was a true and unique privilege to have your immense knowledge imparted on us, especially in the manner in which you deliver your lectures. I have yet to enjoy a historical experience quite as much as I enjoy touring the Isandlwana & Rorke’s Drift battlefields with you.

A roaring success and one which will fly your flag in many places. Already this morning I have had calls from people who have heard from others. We already have another trip for 2012 one which will be similarly full.

Thank you all for coming and we look forward to doing this again next year!

London Gala Dinner for The David Rattray Foundation/Memorial Trust

Conceived by Robin Woodhead and executed by an incredible committe under the leadership of Linda Grosse, The David Rattray Memorial Trust last week held a Gala Dinner at Sothebys in London.  The committee together with Sasha Weld Forester worked tirelessly for months putting this event together.  The success of it far exceeded our expectations,  and between the live auction, the silent auction and personal pledges we raised the unbelievable sum of £650 000.00.

We are so appreciative of the generosity of the committee who gave of their time so willingly and of course it goes without saying how grateful we are to the guests who attended the dinner for their incredible support!  This injection of capital into the Foundation is going to make an enormous difference to what we can do for our schools.  Thank you all for your generosity and support of The David Rattray Foundation/Memorial Trust.

The David Rattray Foundation

 The long-awaited release of George Irwin’s The Foundation. The History, the Future, the Legacy has finally taken place and the book is  now available for sale. The proceeds from the sale of the book goes to the Foundation and will be used to enhance education in the local communities. A copy of the book is available from Reception – R375.00

 

From Fugitives' Drift to the Richtersveld

From one extreme to the other other - from the Acacia trees and aloes of  Rorke's Drift to the stark mountains flanking the Orange River just over the border into Namibia.  My first camping expedition and canoeing - all rolled into one!  We drove just under 3500km there and back for our 4 day river trip, it was worth every stop and go, bad Wimpy breakfast in Senekal, ghastly dinner in Upington, 3 hour wait at the Namibian border and potholes to have 4 days paddling on the very full and strong flowing river.  Full river meant the paddling wasn't very hard work, and a couple of rapids kept the adrenaline levels up!  Beautiful scenery and good company, it was a happy bunch of campers that came off the river.  I am now looking at the Buffalo River with renewed interest!

Be careful what you wish for!

As you will have read in previous blogs, we have been waiting for rain, anxiously waiting - well, we got it on Saturday, 40mm in half an hour accompanied by terrific wind and hail!  A tree outside the kitchen blown over, the garden shredded, the newly resurfaced road to the river washed away, a huge mess everywhere - not quite the gentle soaking rain we were hoping for!

Rattrace 2011

The 2011 Rattrace is on the weekend of 23/24 September.  A great weekend for young and old, 32km ride from Isandlwana to Fugitives' Drift.  Some take it seriously but the majority just have fun.  Bring your family and come and ride to help us raise money for The David Rattray Foundation.  Rumour has it that Nicky maybe riding this year! Yes, that is true I am, you will need no more entertainment than watching me labouring up the hills!  I am calling for volunteers to ride with me, my very own pelaton! (a few secret pushes up the hill will be very welcome indeed, but do not tell Chris Harvie the finemaster)