2500km walk takes in whole coastline

Swart on epic trudge from Moz to Namibia

money in the Transkei, but knocked on the doors of huts and was welcomed and treated to food as well as taken to see waterfalls and local sights.

“The Transkei was my favourite place because the people are so hospitable,” he said.

He uses his cellphone to plan his route and to find his way.

“Sometimes you lose your signal and have to rely on very basic satellite imaging which does not show the paths in the Transkei.

“So if you reach an intersection of five paths and choose the one closest to the sea, you might find yourself face-to-face with a cliff and have to head back and choose another on instinct. I have been lost many times in the Transkei,” he said.

Apart from local support, Swart relies on a commercial sponsor called Digit Vehicle Tracking to pay for his accommodation in backpackers’ lodges and an occasional hotel.

In Port Alfred he was welcomed and given a night’s bed and breakfast for free at the Halyards Hotel.

At the start of the holiday season he was in East London where he saw the switching on of the Christmas lights.

Sometimes he goes inland to cross a river at a bridge and sometimes he takes a taxi to buy supplies and have repairs done in town.

In West Kleinemonde he found the beach fenced off and had to go by road.

“I have given the trip to the Lord and he has been very good to me,” he said.

Swart is planning to attend the Mighty Men Conference in Humansdorp on March 5.

Russell Kearney, who has written a book on long distance walking and has walked the country solo three times, organised Swart’s stay at the Halyards.

Swart plans to be at Cape Agulhas, the most southern tip of Africa, in time for his birthday on April 19.

Follow his progress on Facebook: Life’s a beach by Ian Swart.