We’re off on our 2026 virtual cycle/walk/run challenge!
Week 6 progress update from
Speedy Springbok …
Hello trekkers. I hope that you are getting fitter by the day and still raring to go. We are not quite at the halfway mark but the road is still straight and flat on this next stretch to the heart of the Garden Route – Knysna! The scenery isn’t anything special until you get past Mossel Bay; then the road runs along the coast and there are great views as you cross the Great Brak River and head towards George. You may want to take a breather and stop to refuel at one of the coffee shops at Great Brak – a beautiful spot and unspoilt.
From here it is on to George. If you are super fit and have a desire to see ostriches and the amazing Cango Caves, you can zip up the Outeniqua Pass to Oudtshoorn – but it is 120 km there and back and is not for the fainthearted 😊.
For the rest of us, we’ll press on through Wilderness (more spectacular scenery) and Sedgefield to reach Knysna, in the opinion of your trusted guide, one of the world’s great beauty spots!
As we wind around a bend, cross the bridge over the lagoon, we will soon be greeted by a beautiful view of The Heads, the gateway to the Indian Ocean.
What most tourists don’t see are the communities that are hidden from view and which show a very different picture. It is here that Peter and Shelley Godsell founded the e’Pap Children’s Feeding Project in 2003, initially providing e’Pap for about 60 preschool children. Penny Fleming, inspired by their work, set up the GRCT in the UK three years later to assist them in their work. With the help of 100 volunteers they are now feeding more than 5,000 children every school day in Knysna, Sedgefield, Plettenberg Bay and George. The GRCT funds about half of this with the other half coming from local donors.
An empty plate and a full tummy Preschool in Rheenendal with Shelley Godsell, Pam Jacobs and the principal
Many people live in basic houses, sometimes just shacks, and they struggle to make ends meet because of high unemployment. Then there is the familiar story of alcohol and drugs and the social consequences which can be so devastating, especially for children.
There is so much to do in the area, from abseiling down The Heads to spotting elephants in the Knysna Forest to visiting the beaches at Buffelsbaai and Plettenberg Bay.
But this is becoming like a tourist blog and we still have some serious exercise ahead of us as we move to our next stop – St Francis Bay. It is another long stretch so make sure you are ready.
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Shared Stories
Cathy Williamson
My GRCT Trek challenge was to walk 100km during September and, with the excellent weather, I was able to complete it a week ahead of schedule! Most days I set out on one of the many footpaths around the Sussex village of Westfield, where I live, among them the long distance 1066 Way. The photo is of one of ten wooden artworks inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry that are situated along its 31-mile path.
Nicky Viakovsky
I’ve had an amazing week in Chamonix! My niece lives in a little village called Passy, down the valley, and we love visiting her and her little family. I borrowed her bicycle while I was here and managed to cycle around 125km – on one ride I almost made it into Switzerland! Each time I got on my bike, I found myself thinking a lot about the GRCT and the cause I’m cycling for. I spent time praying for the children we supply e’Pap to, but also particularly for those children on the ‘fringe’ who really need it but are not yet at a school that receives it.