Circling the Great Karoo by Nicholas Yell

(R179, Springbok Press)

The subtitle, A Back-roads Journey through History on an Old Scrambler, perfectly describes the new edition of this travelogue in which Nicholas Yell goes off the beaten track alone on a small motorbike. Putsonderwater, Brandvlei and Trompsburg are some of the dorps that feature on his wayward itinerary.

Yell’s penchant for digging into the past provides background on Anglo Boer War skirmishes, ancient fossils and the geology of the former inland sea that is today’s Karoo. It’s the kind of historical information that many adventurers on these back routes would like to know, but are too lazy to ferret out for themselves.

This isn’t a guide to doing the trip – the single map is rudimentary and route numbers almost non-existent – rather it’s an inspiration to other adventurers to find their own path and explore this remarkable region of South Africa.

This book was reviewed by Marion Whitehead.