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 > 0:00:25I've been a fan of this country for many years,
0:00:25 > 0:00:28but this is my chance to go beyond the obvious South Africa.
0:00:28 > 0:00:32To explore on foot, and take time to see how life
0:00:32 > 0:00:36and stunning landscape work today in the new South Africa.
0:00:36 > 0:00:40A country that's now keen to invite the world.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08Hello and welcome to the foothills of the Drakensberg.
0:01:08 > 0:01:13This towering mountain range is regarded as one of the most distinctive in the world,
0:01:13 > 0:01:15and is home to South Africa's highest peaks.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19I've come to explore this valley at the centre of the Drakensberg,
0:01:19 > 0:01:24because it encapsulates so much of the human history that has shaped this massif.
0:01:24 > 0:01:29These formidable peaks form an escarpment over 1,000km long.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33It dominates the province of KwaZulu-Natal, home of the Zulu Nation.
0:01:33 > 0:01:38And beyond it, there's a whole new country, the mountain kingdom of Lesotho.
0:01:38 > 0:01:44Watching over the range in the distance, the most recognisable of the summits...
0:01:44 > 0:01:45Cathedral Peak.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51This soaring high-point dominates the valley.
0:01:53 > 0:01:58But, down here in the peak's shadow, there's some meaty history to get to grips with.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01Over 100 years ago in KwaZulu-Natal,
0:02:01 > 0:02:05British and Boer famously slugged it out.
0:02:05 > 0:02:10And before that, the arrival of the Zulus had already caused the indigenous San people
0:02:10 > 0:02:13to be driven out, up into the higher mountains.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19While it might look pretty intimidating, Cathedral Peak
0:02:19 > 0:02:22is actually a fairly well laid-out mountain for a walker.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25But it is a hefty proposition.
0:02:25 > 0:02:30At just over 3,000m it's by far the tallest mountain that I've tackled on any of my walks.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33And it isn't just the altitude that's a challenge.
0:02:33 > 0:02:38The weather out here can change at the drop of a hat. A bit like the Lake District.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43You've got to pick your day when you attempt a mountain of this scale.
0:02:43 > 0:02:48I'm hoping the weather's going to stay on my side for a crack at the summit.
0:02:48 > 0:02:55But, before I go anywhere near the peak, there's plenty to explore down here in the first part of my walk.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59It's a beautiful valley and I'm beginning to see why people have fought to be here.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06The province of KwaZulu-Natal is the focal point
0:03:06 > 0:03:09for people coming to visit this iconic range of mountains.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16The mountain chains form a natural border with the tiny mountain kingdom of Lesotho.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23At the centre of the range is the sparsely populated Mlambonja Valley.
0:03:25 > 0:03:30I'll be walking upwards to the head of the valley and the memorable Cathedral Peak Hotel.
0:03:34 > 0:03:39From there it's a 9km climb through different stages of mountains, to the summit.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48Back down in the village, the first leg of my walk kicks off.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51The sight of a walker still seems to cause a bit of a stir,
0:03:51 > 0:03:54never mind one with a camera crew.
0:03:54 > 0:03:59Any walker quite rightly can't wait to get up there and wander amongst the "Upper Berg",
0:03:59 > 0:04:02but there's a story to be learned here, before any climbing begins.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05That's why I'm starting this walk in this Zulu village.
0:04:05 > 0:04:09I've come to meet someone who knows about the mountain, the valleys and the history as well.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11- Hi, Zee.- Hey, Julia. How you doing?
0:04:11 > 0:04:16Good. Good to see you. And we've got a little bit of sunshine, which always makes me happy.
0:04:16 > 0:04:21Zee was born in the Drakensberg and grew up amongst these mountains.
0:04:21 > 0:04:26She moved to Britain to study and work, but three years ago she realised she was homesick,
0:04:26 > 0:04:30and made the unusual decision to try and take to the hills to earn a living.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34You're a female Zulu mountain guide.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37I'm not being patronising but there aren't many of those around.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40Actually I've never heard of one but me.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43The South African nation is made up of so many different tribes,
0:04:43 > 0:04:46but the Zulu ethnic group is the largest?
0:04:46 > 0:04:49It is the largest, and...
0:04:49 > 0:04:53I would guess, throughout history, Zulu has been warriors and fighters.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55They are very famous for that.
0:04:55 > 0:05:00They might be well known but the Zulus are a relatively new people.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02They descend from the Nguni tribe,
0:05:02 > 0:05:06who moved into this region from central and east Africa.
0:05:06 > 0:05:12It wasn't until the 1820's that the warrior, King Shaka, united the Zulus
0:05:12 > 0:05:17and they notoriously emerged as one of the most feared nations southern Africa has ever known.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23You said it yourself, Zulus are warriors. I have a Xhosa friend
0:05:23 > 0:05:27and he tells me that Xhosas are dancers and Zulus are fighters.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30I haven't heard the expression "Zulus are walkers".
0:05:30 > 0:05:33We don't walk.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36- But you do!- Yeah, yeah. But we don't walk for pleasure.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38I mean, you walk to get your water,
0:05:38 > 0:05:44you walk to get your cows up in the fields, you don't walk for pleasure.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48- So you've broken the mould? - Yes, pretty much.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57Before I explore the mountain landscape that Zee loves so much,
0:05:57 > 0:05:59let's take a look at the route I'll follow.
0:06:02 > 0:06:07After leaving this colourful village behind, my 20km, two-day walk kicks off.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14I'll steadily wind my way up the Mlambonja Valley.
0:06:20 > 0:06:24Day one finishes with the welcome sight of Cathedral Peak Hotel,
0:06:24 > 0:06:26my overnight spot.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31The next day my climb follows the traditional walkers' route.
0:06:33 > 0:06:38After swinging round into a hidden valley, my walk steps onto the next mountain tier.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49The shoulder of Swine Hill gives broad mountain panoramas,
0:06:49 > 0:06:53and leads to a steep gully known as Orange Peel Gap.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00This is the gateway to the upper tier of the Drakensberg,
0:07:00 > 0:07:03where the path takes me to Bugger's Gully
0:07:03 > 0:07:05and the base of the peak itself.
0:07:07 > 0:07:11The final steps are an impressive scramble up the eastern face of Cathedral Peak,
0:07:11 > 0:07:16and onto the summit top, with views along the escarpment and into Lesotho.
0:07:32 > 0:07:37Back down in the valley there are some surprising and colourful discoveries in store.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43Hey, Jules, this is our national flower.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45The Protea. Is it not just beautiful?
0:07:45 > 0:07:48It's so striking. I actually love it before it flowers as well,
0:07:48 > 0:07:51because it reminds me of a globe artichoke.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53- All tightly bound together.- Yes.
0:07:53 > 0:08:00But another thing that you could be reminded of is our cricket team, that beats the English team all the time.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02Yeah, yeah, yeah. OK. I get it, I know.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05We're not very good at cricket. I don't care, I don't like cricket.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10Already in my walk, I can see how changeable conditions here can be.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15A build-up of clouds often leads to thunderstorms in the afternoon.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17A bit of a problem for walkers like me.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21But it does add a certain air of mystery to the place.
0:08:23 > 0:08:28Did you know that, apparently, The Lord Of The Rings was inspired here, in the Drakensberg?
0:08:28 > 0:08:30- Really?- Yeah.
0:08:30 > 0:08:31So Tolkien must have been here?
0:08:31 > 0:08:34He must have been around here, of course.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40I must admit there's a real "Lord Of The Rings" feel to this part of the valley.
0:08:42 > 0:08:46But, it's unlikely that Tolkien was ever actually here.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51He was born 350km away and left South Africa when he was three.
0:08:53 > 0:09:00Still, there's no denying the atmosphere is both magical and eerie.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06Just look around you, it's very mystical as well.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09You could imagine little Hobbits running around, can't you?
0:09:09 > 0:09:12I hope we don't get ambushed by Hobbits.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14That would be an interesting hike.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27Do you think we're ever going to escape the mist?
0:09:38 > 0:09:40My walk now heads upwards,
0:09:40 > 0:09:44to one of the many hidden caves scattered around these mountains.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48It's an opportunity for Zee to show me some of the intriguing remains
0:09:48 > 0:09:52left behind by the valley's earliest residents, the San Bushmen.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57OK, Jules. I didn't make you walk all this way for nothing.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59Ha-ha! Good.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06- Oh, look at these. Cave paintings.- Yes.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11These are San paintings. You may know them as Bushmen.
0:10:11 > 0:10:12- The San Bushmen.- Yes.
0:10:12 > 0:10:19You are looking at basically the history of Drakensberg, we call it the world heritage site,
0:10:19 > 0:10:21because it's got so many of these paintings around.
0:10:21 > 0:10:25About 35,000 - 40,000 of them around.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28- That's an enormous amount.- It is.
0:10:28 > 0:10:34Dating back to about 4,000 years ago to recently, like 1800s.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36- And have these been dated? - No, not yet.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40So they could be 4,000 years old, or they could be 180 years old.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43So what do they depict, what do they mean?
0:10:43 > 0:10:48Elands are very important in their history. That's their totem animal.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51They believe that the Gods have given them the eland,
0:10:51 > 0:10:57so that they can sustain themselves and draw spiritual powers from the eland.
0:10:57 > 0:10:59They are gaining strength and power from the animal?
0:10:59 > 0:11:04Yes. So it's not only for food but it's also for religious purposes.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08- So these are messages, these are stories?- These are stories.
0:11:08 > 0:11:14You've got these running men, very wide legs, and then, seemingly falling or diving?
0:11:14 > 0:11:17It's an attack, you see them running away.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20- That's a death scene right there.- Ah.
0:11:20 > 0:11:24- These cave drawings are done by San Bushmen.- Yes.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26- You are a Zulu.- I am, I am.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30- Is it fair to say you were enemies? - Never.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32There was a little bit of a misunderstanding.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34- A misunderstanding?- It was.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37You see, San people lived a nomadic life.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41They never used to have a sense of possession, moved from place to place.
0:11:41 > 0:11:47Don't own nothing at all, and they never had a concept of ownership. OK?
0:11:47 > 0:11:50And then, in came the Zulu in this valley.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53Zulus were farmers, they had cows, they had sheep.
0:11:53 > 0:11:55- They had possessions. - They had possessions.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57They had livestock.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01And then San people, for the first time in their lives,
0:12:01 > 0:12:06see these big animals, bigger than an eland actually.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10And they walk quite slow, it was an easy kill, OK?
0:12:10 > 0:12:12- They're hunting farm animals?- Yes.
0:12:12 > 0:12:13They're hunting cows.
0:12:13 > 0:12:19'For the Bushmen, it was this animal poaching that landed them in serious trouble.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22'The Zulu farmers chased the San further and further
0:12:22 > 0:12:26'into the higher mountains, eventually pushing them out of the Drakensberg altogether.'
0:12:28 > 0:12:33It is amazing to think that this is where the San Bushmen stood.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35This is their view.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38Imagine if that was your house, Julia.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40I wouldn't mind that at all.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42I wouldn't mind that at all.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51Just down from the cave is my final goal at the end of day one.
0:12:54 > 0:12:59Luckily for me, and countless other walkers, it's a rather special overnight refuge.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04One man made this isolated spot accessible.
0:13:06 > 0:13:11Albert van der Riet was a young white farmer with a very ambitious goal.
0:13:12 > 0:13:17Lacking maps, money and even a road, he decided to build a hotel here.
0:13:20 > 0:13:24I've arranged to meet someone who's been visiting this spot
0:13:24 > 0:13:26for more than 50 years.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31It's an extraordinary position, this hotel.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35And Albert is the man who had the vision to put it here.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38Well, he was looking for the ideal place. And he came hunting here.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41He came to hunt in this valley,
0:13:41 > 0:13:44and he thought this was the ideal spot.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47But logistically, it was a nightmare?
0:13:47 > 0:13:51Of course it was, I don't know how he thought he'd ever succeed.
0:13:52 > 0:13:57Building a hotel at the head of an inaccessible valley was a serious undertaking.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02But its proximity to the peaks has brought generations of walkers here.
0:14:03 > 0:14:08It was the very thought of wandering these mountains that first attracted Brian.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10He's remained a firm fan ever since.
0:14:10 > 0:14:15He's even written a book about the hotel's history and his experiences here.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18It's so different from anything else you can find anywhere else.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22A diversity of nature...
0:14:22 > 0:14:25- Its uniqueness. - What about the weather?
0:14:25 > 0:14:28The weather is beautiful.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31Horrible.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34- Generally, as unpredictable as a woman's character.- Impossible!
0:14:34 > 0:14:37Have you ever been caught out?
0:14:37 > 0:14:40I've been caught several times, yes.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42- I've been caught several times. - Badly?
0:14:42 > 0:14:44Badly, yes.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46Yes. Unexpectedly and badly.
0:14:46 > 0:14:51It was a mammoth storm which raged on for three or four hours.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55There was a huge clap of thunder... and a flash of lightning.
0:14:55 > 0:15:01I looked ahead, and I found that the porter who was carrying our pack,
0:15:01 > 0:15:03had been struck by lightning.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06- He'd been struck by that bolt of lightning.- Blimey.
0:15:06 > 0:15:11- He'd been thrown to the ground, he was paralysed from the throat downwards.- Did he live?
0:15:11 > 0:15:16He survived, and he was on his feet again in about three or four months.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20- I've actually still got the pack, from thirty years ago.- This one?
0:15:20 > 0:15:21This is the one.
0:15:23 > 0:15:27And, I've actually got the spot in the pack
0:15:27 > 0:15:30- where the lightning struck. - Oh, my Lord.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32It came through the pack,
0:15:32 > 0:15:36and even struck the billycan inside, here,
0:15:36 > 0:15:40and left an indentation on that, too.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42So, your poor guide was carrying this?
0:15:42 > 0:15:46You can imagine, if it dented the pack, it had some impact on him.
0:15:46 > 0:15:52It was really a shocking storm, which killed other people in this valley as well.
0:15:52 > 0:15:54It's been a bit ominous talking to Brian.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57Tomorrow is my big walk to the summit,
0:15:57 > 0:16:00but the slightest hint of thunder and I'll be heading down.
0:16:07 > 0:16:12Day two, and rather worryingly, the weather doesn't seem to be improving.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17It also requires a painfully early start.
0:16:17 > 0:16:23It's an 18km round trip from the hotel to the summit, which most hikers tackle in one go,
0:16:23 > 0:16:26averaging eight to nine hours of steady walking.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39It's not that often, when you set out on a big walk like this,
0:16:39 > 0:16:42that you can see the goal, but there it is.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48It's hard not to be impressed by the sheer scale of Cathedral Peak.
0:16:48 > 0:16:54Thrusting 3,004m upwards, it's got almost architectural proportions.
0:16:56 > 0:17:02This cathedral has even got its own bell, the smaller but perfectly formed peak to its side.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09I'm just hoping the weather holds out long enough
0:17:09 > 0:17:12so that I can get up there for a closer inspection.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30The Drakensberg are one of South Africa's top destinations,
0:17:30 > 0:17:34a kind of English Lake District and European Alps all rolled into one.
0:17:42 > 0:17:47Unlike their Alpine counterparts there are no shortcuts via cable cars.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50The only way up is on foot.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04It's amazing how quickly you find yourself in isolation.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07There's nobody here.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14Just the baboons.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29The morning mist seems pretty determined not to lift.
0:18:29 > 0:18:35No sooner have I begun to make progress on my walk, than the path ahead goes completely out of sight.
0:18:38 > 0:18:40It's not too long before the weather really closes in.
0:18:40 > 0:18:44I might have got used to rain on my UK walks, but a deep rumble
0:18:44 > 0:18:47in the distance does not bode well for the rest of the day.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59- Whoa, lightning. - It's not safe to go up.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06Whoa!
0:19:06 > 0:19:09See, that's exactly what Brian warned us about. Let's go!
0:19:09 > 0:19:12- Exactly, let's get out of here. - It's getting scary.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18Now we've got to be careful.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20This might be exhilarating weather to watch,
0:19:20 > 0:19:24but in these conditions the mountains are no place to linger.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27My walk is well and truly over for today.
0:19:34 > 0:19:39It's proving decidedly tricky to experience the freedom of these isolated mountains.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45But, as luck would have it, day three brings an altogether different perspective.
0:19:47 > 0:19:52An unexpected break in the weather means I'm able to make one more stab at the summit.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57It's difficult to believe that this is the same spot as yesterday without the rain.
0:19:57 > 0:20:01You can actually see, and look at that vista.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10With a spring back in my step the action turns up a notch
0:20:10 > 0:20:13and my walk penetrates the next tier of the Drakensberg.
0:20:14 > 0:20:19Here, I'm almost entirely surrounded by a wall of mountains.
0:20:19 > 0:20:24Far above, the towering spire of my cathedral continues to beckon.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33We've just stepped up onto another world.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37Imagine if we hadn't have done this.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39- No.- No.
0:20:44 > 0:20:48As I make my way up Swine Hill the difference between the "lower" and "upper" Berg
0:20:48 > 0:20:50becomes even more clear.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54It's quite unlike any mountain range I've ever walked before.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59These cunning little inclines that just get you.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01They do.
0:21:08 > 0:21:12It's taken over 150 million years to shape and mould these peaks.
0:21:14 > 0:21:19When the world's original supercontinent broke up, Africa was pulled apart.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24Molten lava erupted through giant fissures,
0:21:24 > 0:21:28creating these mighty ridges, some of the oldest on the planet.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48Julia, take a good look at the mountain.
0:21:48 > 0:21:55This is the last time you're going to see the full view of Cathedral Peak up until we get very close to it.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57So enjoy it.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59How can you not enjoy it?
0:21:59 > 0:22:03Enjoy. Take it all in.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17Nice cool bit of cloud.
0:22:24 > 0:22:29There's little chance to draw breath and look back down on just how far I've come.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33I now face one of the major challenges of the walk, a gully climb.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04This is a serious bit of uphill effort.
0:23:04 > 0:23:09At 2,420m, Orange Peel Gap is over 1,000m higher
0:23:09 > 0:23:13than the UK's Ben Nevis, and more than twice the size
0:23:13 > 0:23:19of Scafell Pike. Back in the good old days the reward for reaching it was an orange.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21Leftover peelings mark the spot.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25Oh, it's like a wilderness window.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29Yes, this is the Upper Berg.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33We made it!
0:23:33 > 0:23:36We have, we have.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39Look, look at that. And then you look back behind you.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42It's this little gap of gorgeousness.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44Completely surrounded.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52This is the halfway point of my walk today.
0:23:52 > 0:23:57It's been three hours since I started out, so an ideal spot for a rest.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00I'm finally in the Upper Berg.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06- So this is where people do eat the oranges?- Yes.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08No orange peels today, though.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12I've come to realise this isn't just a walk up one mountain.
0:24:12 > 0:24:16There are lots of intriguingly named peaks and mini features along the way.
0:24:18 > 0:24:23Julia, that area that you look over there is called Mweni.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25- Mweni.- Yes.
0:24:25 > 0:24:29It means - it's Zulu - it means 'finger'.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31So that's the Mweni area.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34- It's the finger range. - Yes. The finger range.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40These simple, but literal names sum things up nicely.
0:24:43 > 0:24:47Ahead of me, I can make out the peaks of the "Three Puddings", another apt name.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53Can't quite decide whether they're sponges or dumplings.
0:25:00 > 0:25:05Which language to use for these mountain names also seems to be the cause of some debate.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07Cathedral Peak is no different.
0:25:07 > 0:25:11In Zulu it's Zikhali's Horn, named after the son of a fierce chief
0:25:11 > 0:25:15who came here to escape an assassination plot.
0:25:15 > 0:25:20There are now calls to get rid of the English name and use the traditional title instead.
0:25:24 > 0:25:28As my walk climbs higher, a different issue begins to emerge.
0:25:28 > 0:25:33There might be blue skies, but there's also tell-tale signs of changing conditions.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38When Zee makes one of her regular weather checks,
0:25:38 > 0:25:44we begin to realise those signs are right, and higher up from us the weather is beginning to change.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50Zee's just had the news that there are more storms on the way.
0:25:52 > 0:25:56We are two-and-a-half hours away from Cathedral Peak from this point.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59We could get there, but we wouldn't make it back.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02We'd be caught in more thunder and lightning. Which is not an option.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05So the agonising mountaineering decision
0:26:05 > 0:26:08is that we have to turn around, and go back down.
0:26:08 > 0:26:09Again.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14These blue skies won't last for long,
0:26:14 > 0:26:16and before the weather closes in
0:26:16 > 0:26:19I've just got to try and see the elusive peak.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24Come on, let's get one last view.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32Well, that last scramble was worth it.
0:26:32 > 0:26:33It was.
0:26:36 > 0:26:41So we're about 2,500m up here,
0:26:41 > 0:26:43which is about 8,000 feet.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45What's this summit called?
0:26:45 > 0:26:47- It doesn't have a name. - Doesn't have a name?!
0:26:47 > 0:26:50No. It doesn't have a name.
0:26:50 > 0:26:55That would be unheard of in the UK, to have such a mega-mountain without a name.
0:26:55 > 0:26:59- Unfortunately, none.- All right, blame it on altitude sickness
0:26:59 > 0:27:06and a moment of megalomania, I hereby name this Zee Bradbury Peak.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09That sounds good. It sounds good.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12Well, we had to get something. Something to show for all of this.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22There's an obvious disappointment at not making it to the top.
0:27:22 > 0:27:27But this is still my biggest mountain and certainly the first I've ever named.
0:27:30 > 0:27:34Wandering around this alternative summit, I can see how far I've come.
0:27:34 > 0:27:39But the real reward is in simply being here, finally standing amidst
0:27:39 > 0:27:43the high mountains, at the very heart of the Drakensberg.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49It might only be a fleeting moment but it's a high point, in every sense.
0:27:49 > 0:27:55And finally, I'm gifted with a clear view of Cathedral Peak.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01This excursion has reminded me that every walk is different.
0:28:01 > 0:28:07Every mountain, every fell, every Munro, every kopje, every hill.
0:28:07 > 0:28:11It doesn't matter how much planning you do, things will probably change.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14I will make it up Cathedral Peak one day,
0:28:14 > 0:28:17but I wouldn't change this adventure for all the sunshine in Africa.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:53 > 0:28:56E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk