#Statshunters.com - Morningstar

2,5 years later and time to revive this old blog. One thing that changed in the last 2,5 years is I intend to do more adventures and less races. A fun inspiration for a analytical mind to explore is statshunters.com. The website divides the map into grids, colouring the grids you have visited by bicycle (using your Strava feed) to inspire you to cycle places you haven't visited before.


Today's goal was to colour the block around Morningstar - a small settlement just east of Bloubergstrand, Cape Town which I have never heard off before. 
On the way I would pass the historic Vissershok farm and then after pass through the Vissershok Landfill, probably not the safest of places but I'm sure the baddies would not have expected a cyclist passing through a rubbish dump... Then the plan was to finish in Philadelphia and meet the family for coffee.

I started the ride on the Vissershok road in Durbanville, passing Meerendal and Hooggekraal. Reaching Vissershok just before the N7

Vissershok Road

Vissershok is a somewhat unremarkable looking farm with a rich history - one of the original settlements in South Africa, starting out as a trading post about 30 years after Jan van Riebeeck settled in South Africa. For many years owned the VOC, abused by a succession of governors to enrich themselves by farming for private gain on VOC property. Apparently the first farm in South Africa on which grain was planted and also for a number of years apparently the only farm in South Africa that had its own river jetty as in previous centuries the river passing through the farm was navigable by small ships and goods could be sent directly by ship to Cape Town harbor.

In 2020 the Diep River flooded - giving an indication of how it looked when traders could reach the farm by ship - Credit: Jean Tresfon

About 10 years ago there were plans to turn the farm into a tourist attraction, sadly nothing came of this. I think the farm not being a wine farm makes it hard to develop into an attraction.

After the farm I rode a short stretch along the N7 and then turned left into the Vissershok landfill.

Vissershok farm on the right side of the road


Vissershok landfill on the left hand side - Photo from Facebook

It was a quick ride through the landfill, dodging garbage trucks and then onto a gravel road into nondescript scrublands. 

After a few kilometers I reached the settlement of Morningstar, feeling relief that I passed through the dodgy areas without incident only to be blocked by a security gate at the entrance of the easy part of my trip. Not feeling like going back through the landfill the only option was to follow a road around the settlement, only for the road to very soon turn into a loose sandy beach.


After a few kilometers the sand strip doubling as a road came to a dead-end, apparently there was no way around Morningstar without climbing fences which I was not inclined to do. Luckily as I made my way back stumbling through the sand I saw an empty stand with an escape route into Morningstar.

My lucky break - Escape route into Morningstar

After my hike-a-bike on the beach I was now late for my appointment so it was a quick race through Morningstar's main road past a few big plots & mansions onto the tree-lined old Mamre road, and from there a 25 minute ride to the small town of Philadelphia where I celebrated my first Statshunters mis-adventure with coffee & scones at the Pepper Tree restaurant. 

Tree-lined Old Mamre Road

4 Statshunters blocks coloured, an unexpected beach hike and not chased by any dogs. A good cycling adventure! (Next time I'm in the area I should make an effort to take photos of Morningstar itself)




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