0:00:05 > 0:00:08South Africa is a country that always creates an impression.
0:00:10 > 0:00:14We know of its diverse population,
0:00:14 > 0:00:16the troubled history of apartheid
0:00:16 > 0:00:21and its rebirth as a global travel destination.
0:00:21 > 0:00:28I've been a fan of this country for many years, but this is my chance to go beyond the obvious South Africa,
0:00:28 > 0:00:36to explore on foot and take time to see how life and stunning landscape work today in the new South Africa,
0:00:36 > 0:00:40a country that's now keen to invite the world.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07Hello and welcome to the bottom of Africa.
0:01:07 > 0:01:11These rocks here are the last land before Antarctica,
0:01:11 > 0:01:16and to the north, thousands and thousands of miles that are the rest of the African continent.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19But for me today, it's all about being on foot here in South Africa
0:01:19 > 0:01:24to explore a landscape and a history that most visitors don't get to see.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27I've been coming to South Africa for 15 years,
0:01:27 > 0:01:31and from the moment I set foot on the land, I've wanted to make a programme here.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33It's full of warm, friendly people,
0:01:33 > 0:01:37it's incredibly naturally beautiful and has a fascinating history.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39They call it "the world in one country".
0:01:39 > 0:01:43Over the next four programmes, I'll be taking on four different walks
0:01:43 > 0:01:46that might just prove that audacious statement.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54South Africa has certainly got size on its side.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57It's five times larger than the United Kingdom.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00It has eleven national languages.
0:02:00 > 0:02:05Today, the country is full of diversity and contrast,
0:02:05 > 0:02:11a confusion of vibrant cities and simple rural existence.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13Mankind has repeatedly torn up this land
0:02:13 > 0:02:16in pursuit of its natural resources,
0:02:16 > 0:02:19and no-one doubts the complex and painful social history
0:02:19 > 0:02:21that's gone into creating it.
0:02:21 > 0:02:26But nothing can detract from the incredible landscapes
0:02:26 > 0:02:29that only now are being celebrated as they should be.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35My four walks will take me to the mountains,
0:02:35 > 0:02:36the desert
0:02:36 > 0:02:39and a game reserve.
0:02:39 > 0:02:44But my journey starts here, on the fabulous coast known as the Garden Route.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50This is the thriving Garden Route town of Mossel Bay,
0:02:50 > 0:02:55and it's where the Europeans first made their acquaintance with southern Africa.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59But this stretch of coastline plays a significant role in African history, as well.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03In fact, it's significant to each and every human being on the planet,
0:03:03 > 0:03:07because experts now believe that this is where modern man first appeared.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09What a place to commence my South African adventure.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18Over two days and 35 kilometres, my first walk sticks to a coast
0:03:18 > 0:03:23that can shed light on many areas of South African history.
0:03:23 > 0:03:27Today, the vast majority of visitors reach this coastline via Cape Town
0:03:27 > 0:03:30before moving east to the warmer Indian Ocean weather
0:03:30 > 0:03:32of the Garden Route.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39From Mossel Bay, my trail heads west along great cliffs and beaches,
0:03:39 > 0:03:42past modern developments and deserted sand dunes,
0:03:42 > 0:03:47and ends at the notorious rocky headland of Fransmanshoek.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52So, before I set off on my own adventure,
0:03:52 > 0:03:56let's take a bird's-eye view of the route I'll be following.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00From the headland at Mossel Bay, my walk kicks off in dramatic style.
0:04:00 > 0:04:06For 15 kilometres, there's a cliff-top path, full of the views and the famous fynbos vegetation
0:04:06 > 0:04:09that's unique to this corner of South Africa.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15One view, however, is entirely man-made.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17The Pinnacle Point Golf Resort
0:04:17 > 0:04:21is my walk's newest landmark, but it sits on top of its oldest,
0:04:21 > 0:04:24as the caves beneath are home to the archaeological site
0:04:24 > 0:04:27set to reveal secrets of the origin of mankind.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32The cliffs give way to gentler ground
0:04:32 > 0:04:35as I pass the town of Dana Bay
0:04:35 > 0:04:38and onto a massive stretch of unbroken golden sand.
0:04:41 > 0:04:47At this time of year, people come to this coast in the hope of seeing whales, dolphins and rare birdlife.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55At the end of the bay is the little village of Vlees Bay,
0:04:55 > 0:04:57a place I've visited many times in the past
0:04:57 > 0:05:01and the last development before my walk finishes
0:05:01 > 0:05:03at the rocky headland of Fransmanshoek,
0:05:03 > 0:05:07the perfect endpoint for looking back and admiring what you've just achieved.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15But back in Mossel Bay,
0:05:15 > 0:05:19the hospitality can make it difficult to even get started.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21WOMEN SING
0:05:41 > 0:05:45See? I told you, warm and friendly.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47- Goodbye, ladies. Thank you.- Bye!
0:05:51 > 0:05:54This chap is Bartholomew Diaz.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57He's a Portuguese sailor who landed here in 1488,
0:05:57 > 0:05:59proving that Africa did indeed have a southern tip
0:05:59 > 0:06:04and that you could sail from Europe all the way round to the rich spice lands of India.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13Diaz and his crew were the first northern hemisphere sailors to round the Cape of Good Hope,
0:06:13 > 0:06:20making Mossel Bay the start point for 500 years of European involvement in South Africa.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22Diaz merely stopped here to replenish supplies
0:06:22 > 0:06:26and met peacefully with the tiny local populace.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32And today, I'm being joined by a modern local, Willie Komani,
0:06:32 > 0:06:36who agreed to accompany the crew and I as we step off the beaten track.
0:06:38 > 0:06:39Oh!
0:06:39 > 0:06:43So, how much longer have we got this view for, Willie?
0:06:44 > 0:06:47About eight through to ten kilometres.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50Excellent! That's good!
0:06:51 > 0:06:53Having wandered this coast his entire life,
0:06:53 > 0:06:58Willie is fiercely aware of the delicate balance between the Garden Route ecosystem
0:06:58 > 0:06:59and man's modern development.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06This is the clay what you use.
0:07:06 > 0:07:11You use it when you are walking in the sun, and you put it on your face.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13Oh, that's the protection.
0:07:13 > 0:07:19Protection, sometimes for insects that are biting you. It is very soft.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21- Yeah!- You can feel it.
0:07:21 > 0:07:26You put a little bit water and then you put it on your face.
0:07:26 > 0:07:30- Natural sun protection.- Yes. - We should take some with us!- Yes.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36Look at here.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39- This is a baboon grape.- Baboon grape?
0:07:39 > 0:07:41Only the baboons eat it.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43If you eat it, you die.
0:07:43 > 0:07:44Poisonous? Completely poisonous?
0:07:44 > 0:07:47- But not for baboons? - Not for baboons.
0:07:47 > 0:07:52If you eat it, in three days you will be sick and then you die.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56- You die after three days? - Ja, after three days, you die.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58- Dear me!- Yes.- OK, so to be avoided.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01- But for baboons, it's good. - For baboons, it's good.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03- Tiny little grapes.- Ja.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11These rocky, wind-battered cliffs are where botanists flock to see fine bush, or "fynbos",
0:08:11 > 0:08:17as it's better known in Afrikaans, a vast collection of 9,000 plant species,
0:08:17 > 0:08:20two thirds of which are unique to South Africa.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22Table Mountain alone harbours more plant species
0:08:22 > 0:08:25than the whole of the UK.
0:08:27 > 0:08:34Grasses, ericas, proteas and aloes make for one of the world's richest botanical areas,
0:08:34 > 0:08:38which over centuries has offered man food sources and medicines
0:08:38 > 0:08:41and given rise to the name Garden Route.
0:08:44 > 0:08:51Jools, this is bitou. You can see that it's got a green fruit.
0:08:51 > 0:08:55The birds eat it, and also human beings eat it.
0:08:55 > 0:09:00- So it doesn't kill you? It's not like the baboon grape.- No, it's not like a baboon grape.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02And if you have a hangon...
0:09:02 > 0:09:04A hangon?
0:09:04 > 0:09:05You mean a hangover?
0:09:05 > 0:09:07"Hang on" is "Hang on!"
0:09:07 > 0:09:09- Ja, that is hangover.- Hangover.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11Alcoholic-driven hangover, yes.
0:09:11 > 0:09:15Yes, and then you can take five or three leaves,
0:09:15 > 0:09:18and then you can put it in boiling water.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20- And that cures the hangover?- Yes.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22In five minutes, you are all right!
0:09:22 > 0:09:25Really? OK, hang on a minute.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27- You said three or five. - Ja, three or five.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30How much do you think you need for a week?
0:09:30 > 0:09:34Willie's knowledge has been handed down to him through generations.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37In the complex ethnic mix of the new South Africa,
0:09:37 > 0:09:41Willie is part of the dominant African group in this part of the country,
0:09:41 > 0:09:43the eight-million-strong Xhosa people.
0:09:45 > 0:09:52- So, Willie there are 11 languages spoken within South Africa, and you're Xhosa.- Yes.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55- You speak Xhosa, the wonderful... - Ja.- ..clicking...
0:09:55 > 0:09:57How many clicks are there in your language?
0:09:57 > 0:10:01- There is five clicks in my language. - Do them for me.
0:10:08 > 0:10:09I like the...
0:10:09 > 0:10:11SHE DOUBLE-CLICKS
0:10:11 > 0:10:16Now, I've heard one expression is very difficult to say in your language, something about a skunk.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20"The skunk rolls in the grass and breaks his windpipe."
0:10:20 > 0:10:27That is a very difficult thing to say in Xhosa, about the skunk.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29But in Xhosa it goes this way...
0:10:29 > 0:10:34SENTENCE OF CLICKS
0:10:37 > 0:10:38That is it.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41WILLIE SINGS
0:10:42 > 0:10:46Xhosa society reads like a Who's Who of South African politics -
0:10:46 > 0:10:50Thabo Mbeki, Desmond Tutu, Oliver Tambo,
0:10:50 > 0:10:53Nelson Mandela - all famous Xhosas.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01- I feel better already!- Ja, now you're feeling very warm!
0:11:01 > 0:11:07'A talkative and relaxed people, with a habit of producing leading politicians.'
0:11:07 > 0:11:09I will speak like Mandela.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13AS NELSON MANDELA: 1996, Mandela was standing up and say,
0:11:13 > 0:11:21"All South Africa, you must come together to make a better life."
0:11:21 > 0:11:26"If you are anger, take your anger and throw it in the deep sea
0:11:26 > 0:11:29"and come back, and when you come back
0:11:29 > 0:11:33"you are peaceful and make this land successful,
0:11:33 > 0:11:36"because we love our land, South Africa.
0:11:36 > 0:11:43"All - black, white, Indians, coloureds - all of you, you do the same. And don't be in anger.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45"And laugh every time."
0:11:47 > 0:11:49And you remember every word.
0:11:49 > 0:11:54I remember every word. It was 1996.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04For 500 years, this land has been shared,
0:12:04 > 0:12:10not simply by blacks and whites but by a whole host of races and colours.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12Through good times and bad,
0:12:12 > 0:12:17there have been visitors and settlers, invaders and fugitives.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20The Xhosa people themselves are almost as new to the area
0:12:20 > 0:12:27as white Europeans, arriving here over centuries in a slow movement of people out of central Africa.
0:12:30 > 0:12:34But the truly modern face of the Garden Route is far more recent again.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37Food, drink, scenery and weather
0:12:37 > 0:12:40have all attracted the wealthy, the prosperous
0:12:40 > 0:12:42and the tourist.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51Bloody hell!
0:12:51 > 0:12:55So the fynbos has become finely manicured grass.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59Mother Nature, I'd like to introduce you to the leisure industry.
0:13:04 > 0:13:10Pinnacle Point is perhaps the most ambitious development on this stretch of the Garden Route.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12Up to 850 properties are planned here,
0:13:12 > 0:13:16with an elaborately designed golf course at its heart.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23I assume that that mega-building is the clubhouse, and you can see
0:13:23 > 0:13:26how precariously positioned the golf course is,
0:13:26 > 0:13:28right on the edge of the cliffs.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30The 19th hole must be the sea!
0:13:34 > 0:13:37But this symbol of modern Garden Route development
0:13:37 > 0:13:42may prove to be an unlikely cover to one of the greatest treasures of southern Africa.
0:13:43 > 0:13:47And so it's by the clubhouse that I'm meeting an international expert
0:13:47 > 0:13:53who's exploring the extraordinary story of what lies below.
0:13:53 > 0:13:58Professor Curtis Marean and his team from Arizona have been here for 18 years,
0:13:58 > 0:14:00much longer, in fact, than the golf course.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02Beneath the glamour of the resort,
0:14:02 > 0:14:06Curtis' work takes place in these simple caves,
0:14:06 > 0:14:10work that suggests that every single person on the planet
0:14:10 > 0:14:14can trace their origins to this very spot.
0:14:14 > 0:14:19Now, as I understand it, the work you're doing is so significant,
0:14:19 > 0:14:22you could spend the rest of your working career here. Is that right?
0:14:22 > 0:14:25I could easily spend the rest of my career here.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29I mean, to dig one of these sites, 13B, it took us eight years.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32It's widely believed and understood now that we all come from Africa,
0:14:32 > 0:14:37so I guess the two remaining questions are where in Africa, and exactly when.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39We know that that lineage that leads to everyone
0:14:39 > 0:14:43appeared sometime between 200,000 and 140,000 years ago.
0:14:43 > 0:14:47We think that progenitor population was here on the coast of South Africa.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51So cave 13B holds some big answers.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54- We think that those people lived in that cave.- Let's go see it.- OK.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57This way.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59It's believed that our species, Homo sapiens,
0:14:59 > 0:15:03has wandered African lands for at least a quarter of a million years,
0:15:03 > 0:15:09but maybe this was the place where an evolutionary leap took place.
0:15:09 > 0:15:13That is what Curtis and a team of 50 scientists are investigating,
0:15:13 > 0:15:16and it appears that the rich pickings of this coastline
0:15:16 > 0:15:19may have been the key to modern man.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24So this is 13B.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26This is Pinnacle Point, cave 13B.
0:15:26 > 0:15:31What was it about this cave, this location, 13B?
0:15:31 > 0:15:37This is a very special place on the south coast, because here you have a vegetational regime that's unique.
0:15:37 > 0:15:43And of course, the marine shellfish, as we all now know, are rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47And together, they form a package of protein and carbohydrate.
0:15:47 > 0:15:53It's a key part of the modern human nutrition, and they had it here.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56So we began as a coastal species.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00Paint the picture. How many people would have lived in this cave?
0:16:00 > 0:16:04Anywhere between ten to twenty people could have been living in this cave at a time.
0:16:04 > 0:16:09Usually when people expand their diet to marine foods, the group size goes up, as does the population.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11- Because the fertility's going up? - Exactly.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13And also, they can reduce their mobility,
0:16:13 > 0:16:18so they stop moving about the landscape a lot because the food is right here.
0:16:18 > 0:16:22And if you think about that, you have a larger group,
0:16:22 > 0:16:25which means that your interpersonal relationships are more challenging,
0:16:25 > 0:16:28and that puts added selection on things like cognition, language
0:16:28 > 0:16:31and your ability to get along with other people,
0:16:31 > 0:16:34which is the hallmark of the human adaptation.
0:16:34 > 0:16:38To be allowed to step into the Pinnacle Point caves
0:16:38 > 0:16:41and see Professor Marean's work has been an honour.
0:16:41 > 0:16:49In years to come, this site might just become a visitor attraction to rival the Pyramids and Stonehenge.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52If you look carefully, you can see that there's stone artefacts.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55This black material here is burnt material,
0:16:55 > 0:16:58- so that's an ancient fireplace.- So that would have been for cooking...
0:16:58 > 0:17:00For cooking the shellfish and so on.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03We find animal bones etc in here.
0:17:03 > 0:17:08And at the very base of this deposit, we have dated this to 164,000 years ago,
0:17:08 > 0:17:13so that's actually that early evidence for marine adaptation.
0:17:13 > 0:17:19So we are sitting where modern-day man first sat.
0:17:19 > 0:17:25This, surely, is just the discovery of a lifetime.
0:17:25 > 0:17:30Everyone alive on this planet is descended from approximately 600 people.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33The question then becomes, where was that progenitor population?
0:17:33 > 0:17:36If we've contributed to answering that question,
0:17:36 > 0:17:41then we've contributed to answering one of the biggest questions of all time,
0:17:41 > 0:17:43and that's extremely exciting.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50Pinnacle Point is a shining example
0:17:50 > 0:17:53of the balancing act currently going on along the Garden Route.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01As you walk across the golf course, there's a bizarre mix
0:18:01 > 0:18:05of modern man, natural beauty and ancient history
0:18:05 > 0:18:08all competing for space and attention.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14As day 1 of my walk draws to a close, the cliffs begin to shrink.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20And the sun sets as I approach the rooftops of Dana Bay.
0:18:21 > 0:18:27But down at water level, there's time for one extra, and certainly unplanned, meeting.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37You can't not smile at that!
0:18:38 > 0:18:43The southern right whale, a regular and very welcome visitor to this shore.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46Between July and October, they come to shallow waters
0:18:46 > 0:18:51along this southern coastline, attracting friends and fans wherever they appear.
0:18:53 > 0:18:59Playful and communicative, they arrive each year, not normally alone, but in pairs.
0:18:59 > 0:19:06They come to mate and calve, yet another wondrous life form attracted to this rich coastline.
0:19:06 > 0:19:12They are just gorgeous creatures!
0:19:12 > 0:19:14Hello!
0:19:24 > 0:19:26The next morning is a new chapter.
0:19:26 > 0:19:30Day 2 starts with Willie ushering me straight onto the beach.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43Such a contrast to yesterday, walking along the sand,
0:19:43 > 0:19:48and this time the ocean's this close, whispering at your toes.
0:19:48 > 0:19:52What a magnificent way to start day 2 of the walk.
0:19:58 > 0:20:03The temptation on a beach like this is just too strong to resist.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14This long and broad expanse of sand
0:20:14 > 0:20:17lies 200 kilometres east of Cape Agulhas,
0:20:17 > 0:20:21the southernmost tip of Africa and the point at which two oceans meet.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26Whoa!
0:20:28 > 0:20:31This is the slightly warmer Indian Ocean.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36Near Cape Town, of course, it's the Atlantic, which is freezing.
0:20:37 > 0:20:38This is QUITE nippy!
0:20:48 > 0:20:50Despite the popularity of the Garden Route
0:20:50 > 0:20:52and an embarrassment of riches,
0:20:52 > 0:20:56it's really very easy to find yourself utterly alone.
0:21:00 > 0:21:06- Jools, I want to show you something here on the dunes..- On the dunes?
0:21:06 > 0:21:07- Yes..- Cool.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13These are some of the highest dunes on the Cape,
0:21:13 > 0:21:16a picture-book scene of golden sand
0:21:16 > 0:21:20that stands out against the fynbos and scrub around it.
0:21:20 > 0:21:26The dunes are so big - up to 100 metres, in fact - that they're permanent structures.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29The wind can do little to alter their size and shape.
0:21:33 > 0:21:37And like the cave yesterday, they contain some secrets.
0:21:39 > 0:21:43Long after Homo sapiens first introduced shellfish to their diet,
0:21:43 > 0:21:48this plentiful coast became the preserve of southern Africa's true indigenous population,
0:21:48 > 0:21:51known as the San.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55For at least 10,000 years, they enjoyed an uninterrupted existence here,
0:21:55 > 0:21:57free from other tribes and races.
0:21:59 > 0:22:04And they left behind piles and piles of evidence of their day-to-day activities.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10So, it's a cairn of shells, Willie.
0:22:10 > 0:22:11- Yes.- A little mountain of shells.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13Ah.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17Loads of them, thousands and thousands!
0:22:17 > 0:22:20- Now, this is a midden.- A midden?
0:22:20 > 0:22:26Yes, where the San was collecting their shells on the sea and come here...
0:22:26 > 0:22:29- The San people?- San people, yes.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31And collected them here
0:22:31 > 0:22:36and prepared to make some food, just like a kitchen today.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39You see, I've been here before, into these dunes,
0:22:39 > 0:22:44and I thought that the sea had brought these shells here over years and years.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47- But it was the San people?- Yes, that is the San people.
0:22:47 > 0:22:53Today, Willie can thank the San for the wonderful click sounds of his language, a feature that Xhosa
0:22:53 > 0:22:58and several other South African languages acquired from their San predecessors.
0:22:59 > 0:23:03And what about all the little stones around here?
0:23:03 > 0:23:07Ja, they were the tools what they used in those days.
0:23:07 > 0:23:08- These are tools?- Yes.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12And they're just lying here in the dunes!
0:23:12 > 0:23:14- They're thousands and thousands of years old!- Yes.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16- Sharp!- Ja.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18OK.
0:23:18 > 0:23:24How many people, I wonder, must pass by a beachside midden without even a glance?
0:23:26 > 0:23:30Willie has helped bring this coast to life for me,
0:23:30 > 0:23:35and there is simply no way that without him I'd be on the lookout for a certain type of footprint.
0:23:35 > 0:23:40Here is the spore of the leopard.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42- The leopard?- Mm.- This is?!- Ja.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44- Really?- Mm!
0:23:44 > 0:23:47- You're joking!- No, no joking.
0:23:49 > 0:23:53- So a leopard has walked along these dunes?- Mm.
0:23:53 > 0:23:55Where's the leopard from, then?
0:23:55 > 0:23:58They come from the mountainside.
0:23:58 > 0:24:04I'm so scared that when the farmers can see them, they can shoot them, because it eats the lambs.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07Yes. A leopard is not really the best friend of a farmer!
0:24:07 > 0:24:10No, the leopard is not the best friend of the farmer.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15It's a reminder that you're walking in Africa, Willie,
0:24:15 > 0:24:19when there are leopard prints in the sand dunes!
0:24:29 > 0:24:35Heading back to the shoreline, it's time to press on to the end of the beach.
0:24:35 > 0:24:42This giant sweep of sand was given the name Vleesbaai by the Dutch, literally "bay of meat".
0:24:42 > 0:24:46They arrived here a century after the Portuguese to replenish supplies
0:24:46 > 0:24:50and, it would seem, acquire fresh meat.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54Today, the meat on offer tends to come from the sea.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58The rocks at low tide are the hunting ground for the rare African oystercatcher
0:25:00 > 0:25:03and their human counterparts.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07160,000 years after man first came hunting here,
0:25:07 > 0:25:11people on this coastline are still catching shellfish.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15- Hi!- Hi!
0:25:18 > 0:25:22That looks like really hard work.
0:25:22 > 0:25:23Ja, it is.
0:25:23 > 0:25:29- Are there many women that do oyster catching?- No, it's only me and two other women.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31But they don't go in the water like me.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34- Can we have a look at your haul today?- Yes.- What have you got?
0:25:39 > 0:25:41That's a large. That's a small.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44- Yeah.- And that is a medium. - So you've got three there.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46- Ja.- Three for one!- Yes.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49- That's good for you! - Ja, that's good!
0:25:50 > 0:25:53- Now, do you like oysters? - No. I don't eat them.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55No, no, no.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05As I head towards my final viewpoint,
0:26:05 > 0:26:10it's incredible to think of the different eras that have come and gone along this walk.
0:26:10 > 0:26:15It's been a wander through the making of South Africa's Rainbow Nation,
0:26:15 > 0:26:21from the very beginnings of modern man, the San hunter-gatherers and their great shell middens,
0:26:21 > 0:26:25to the arrival of the Xhosa and the early Europeans.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29The term "Garden Route" may be a modern creation,
0:26:29 > 0:26:31but for thousands of years,
0:26:31 > 0:26:35humankind has been making the most of everything on offer here.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46That is my first bit of headland since Mossel Bay,
0:26:46 > 0:26:48and actually, it's the end of my walk.
0:26:55 > 0:27:02The jagged rocks at Fransmanshoek were the setting for the sinking of a French warship in 1763.
0:27:02 > 0:27:06Amazingly, all 400 men on board are said to have made it to shore.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14But the story makes for a fitting end to my walk today,
0:27:14 > 0:27:20a reminder of yet another European power taking an interest in southern Africa.
0:27:20 > 0:27:26By the time the French vessel sank, the Dutch East India Company had assumed control of Mossel Bay,
0:27:26 > 0:27:31and within decades, the British had seized control of a fast-developing settlement up the coast
0:27:31 > 0:27:34known simply as Cape Town.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40There's the whole of my walk stretched out behind me, with Mossel Bay in the distance.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43And here I am,
0:27:43 > 0:27:47facing Antarctica, just as I was in the beginning.
0:27:59 > 0:28:02This walk has confirmed what I've been told already.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05The coastline has an abundance of flora and herb life.
0:28:05 > 0:28:09Its nickname is the medicine basket and pantry of South Africa.
0:28:09 > 0:28:14A feast of nature awaits you and a coruscating human history, as well.
0:28:14 > 0:28:18But the Garden Route is under threat from all the usual human predators.
0:28:18 > 0:28:24Long may it fight its corner, because I hope that you can enjoy this walk for lifetimes to come.
0:28:24 > 0:28:28It really is "ongelooflijk lekker", unbelievably nice.
0:28:42 > 0:28:46Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:46 > 0:28:50E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk