Having grown up in the Cederberg, and childhood years absolutely packed with adventures in these wild mountains, this book is a welcome memoir. Never ever having hiked without a “Slingsby Map” jammed in my pack or at least folded into a pocket. This book was literally a welcome relief, it is the backstory, all the people behind the maps and their stories! For curious travellers, and explorers of this rocky wilderness, it is a must read.
Cederberg the Book
Every South African adventurer knows that Slingsby maps are so much more than “just a map.” His maps require participation, as you travel the dusty roads, and follow his sometimes obscure, but always well described foot paths. A mapmaker that firmly believed that you hike every path and you drive every road. Slingsby maps are pure delight, full of unexpected details, so that even if you can’t get away, you can actually go on a journey.
This book is so much more than a field guide, it is the story behind the scenes. I love the back story, where the places got their names from, who was who in the history of the Cederberg, families, friends, extended families and of course sworn enemies. Slingsby holds nothing back as he ventures down the path of folklore and fairytale, and in this remote corner of the world there is a lot of both. The book is packed with red soil, ancient rocks, plants and wild animals and of course, all the characters that have survived there… he separates the myths from reality, the extended truth and the truth, (which often reads weirder than you could ever imagine). This is the book of Slingby’s personal adventures over a lifetime of mapmaking in this wonderfully remote corner of the world.
Peter Slingsby carefully engages with weekend wanderers, leaving them with just enough information to wet their appetites… and he digs deep for Cederberg sojourners, who have spent many wild years braving every weather condition, sleeping under the stars and keeping a watchful eye out for wildlife. This book contains several routes to explore on foot or by 4X4, also, several trips down memory lane and loads and loads of useful information about visiting in the Cederberg. As well as the people and the past, there is a section on plants and animals of the Cederberg, as well as the heritage of Rock Art, that is prolific in the Cederberg, but requires a guide to explore it properly… this is that guide!!!
I loved this book, it deserves a place on every explorer’s book shelf and for every lover of the Cederberg, it is packed with full cover photographs, and map extracts, easy to read blocks of key information. And another interesting feature, the book is scattered with QR codes, linking the reader to relevant websites… for animal facts, conservation projects in the region, not to mention accommodation and such like.
I bought this book at my local bookstore. It is available along with the Slingsby Map Collection, online at Tracks4Africa.com.