Chapter 35

We left the Regent Hotel shortly after 11.00 am and made the long drive to Hogsback.  It was a tiny village about 140 kilometers from East London, nestled in the surrounds of the Amatola Forest.  It was named after one of the small mountain peaks in the area, which resembled a hog’s back.  The painter, Thomas Baines, was the first to make reference to the term, and it stuck.  It was rumored that the author J.R.R. Tolkien, who was born in South Africa, had based his fantastic tale ‘The Lord of the Rings’ on the locations in and around Hogsback, but that was never proven.  Of course, the legend alone - true or not, assisted in making the small village a famous destination for tourists and travelers alike.  It was a beautiful pa...

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