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Travel: Trail's End Bike Hotel · Wander the World with Pippa Hudson

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  Speaker 1: Now then in our travel feature this afternoon, we're heading
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  Speaker 1: just over an hour out of Cape Town. Well, it
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  Speaker 1: depends on how fast you drive. I can get I
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  Speaker 1: can get to Horobo in about yeah, fifty five minutes.
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  Speaker 1: We're heading just out an hour out of Cape Town
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  Speaker 1: to the heart of the Overberg to Horobo in the
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  Speaker 1: Elgin Valley, and that is where you will find trails
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  Speaker 1: End Bike Hotel, Africa's very first, purpose built, very first
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  Speaker 1: hotel purpose built for cyclists and those who love the trails.
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  Speaker 1: I think rustic sort of Alpine style lodge meets South
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  Speaker 1: African adventure hub. I guess whether you're into mountain biking,
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  Speaker 1: trail running, hiking, or really just soaking up the fein
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  Speaker 1: boss Field surrounds. This spot really has it all, including
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  Speaker 1: the continent's only bicycle museum. And let's find out what
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  Speaker 1: makes this destination so unique. As we welcome at the owner,
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  Speaker 1: Peter Silberbar, to have you with us. Peter, thanks so
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  Speaker 1: much for coming.
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  Speaker 2: In, Thanks for having me, and yeah, oftening the cap
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  Speaker 2: talk listeners.
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  Speaker 1: I've got to one ask you, what's a bike hotel?
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  Speaker 1: What is that?
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  Speaker 2: Okay that we discovered as we built it, But yeah,
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  Speaker 2: it was really it was actually our factory before for
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  Speaker 2: thirty years we built timber houses and yeah, and then
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  Speaker 2: a big leap of faith. Yeah right, Yeah, decided that
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  Speaker 2: at the age of sixty, I wanted to do something else,
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  Speaker 2: and so we had this big shed and we thought,
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  Speaker 2: what do we do? We right on all the cycle trails.
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  Speaker 2: My daughters are both avid cyclists mountain bikers, and they'll
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  Speaker 2: deny it, but one of them said, why don't we
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  Speaker 2: build a ski lodge for bikes and yeah, and that
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  Speaker 2: was really heart came about and it's been amazing. We
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  Speaker 2: had COVID interrupting us, but but you know, from the
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  Speaker 2: start it kind of grew and yeah and yeah, we
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  Speaker 2: recovered after COVID and back on track.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, it's in terms of location, it seems the
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  Speaker 1: ideal spot.
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  Speaker 2: It's for so many adventures. You know. We got the
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  Speaker 2: zip line up the road as well, Cape Kennepy tours
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  Speaker 2: so and amazing trails, so the wines to whales epic
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  Speaker 2: every now and again. They all come through. So we
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  Speaker 2: have these big events Exterra, the country clubs right there
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  Speaker 2: with this big eggin off Lake, you know, so there's
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  Speaker 2: there's so much to do out there. And it's it's
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  Speaker 2: so close. You know, as you get over the mountain,
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  Speaker 2: it's a different environment.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, really is. I took a drive up I was.
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  Speaker 1: I was in that region about three weeks ago, and
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  Speaker 1: I thought I must come more because there's something that
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  Speaker 1: happens once you kind of over scenarious passing. You're there
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  Speaker 1: and oh it's it's really can't good for the soul.
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  Speaker 2: You can catch the train as well. The steam engine
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  Speaker 2: goes up there.
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  Speaker 1: I like it. I tell you what I like. I
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  Speaker 1: like the experience of driving from city into something something different.
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  Speaker 1: I really do. I think it feeds the soul. There's
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  Speaker 1: something there's something quite empowering about being literally in the
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  Speaker 1: driving seat of that experience helistically and actually, isn't there.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah No, And people come and as they as they
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  Speaker 2: move in, they just kind of all their worries just yeah,
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  Speaker 2: and they are on the trails and yeah. I always
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  Speaker 2: find if I start riding up the mountain, as I
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  Speaker 2: get high and high, all the problems seem less and
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  Speaker 2: you look down and it looks so so easy to fix, right.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, So you started before COVID, then you had COVID
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  Speaker 1: interrupt us as it were, and then you are where
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  Speaker 1: you are, now, what are we dealing with that? I
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  Speaker 1: gather that inspired by the alpine ski lodges that many
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  Speaker 1: of us will be familiar with. How does that concept
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  Speaker 1: translate to a setting in the Western Cave.
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  Speaker 2: Well, I think what you said earlier about being in
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  Speaker 2: the mountains, it's so different. When you're up there, you surrounded.
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  Speaker 2: It's like a big basin and mountains all around you.
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  Speaker 2: And mountain biking is obvious, but things like hiking and
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  Speaker 2: that we found after COVID suddenly everyone was they wanted
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  Speaker 2: to get out and adventure tourism has just taken off,
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  Speaker 2: and you know, so it's ideal for that, you know,
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  Speaker 2: to just take a break. We have a lot of
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  Speaker 2: conferences in midweek. People come and so they're out of
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  Speaker 2: the city environment. There's not a lot to do in
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  Speaker 2: the evenings, so you have well put a fire on.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah we met fire and there's lots of great red wine. Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: So yeah, there's actually a lot to do, but slower,
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  Speaker 2: you know, And I think that's that's what people enjoy,
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  Speaker 2: that you've got time for each other. It's not a rush.
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  Speaker 2: And also, once you've been out on the trails, you
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  Speaker 2: kind of feel you yourself something special in the evenings.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, for sure. Sure. Just talk to us about the
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  Speaker 1: adventure tourism a little bit. I mean talking about that
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  Speaker 1: leap of faith into you know, moving away from what
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  Speaker 1: you had been doing. What sort of research, if any,
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  Speaker 1: had you done into is you know, are we just
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  Speaker 1: going to get the same five people every week? Or
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  Speaker 1: is this are we going to be attracting people from
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  Speaker 1: all over the world to come who specifically want what
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  Speaker 1: we are offering.
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  Speaker 2: I think it was. It was a combination, you know.
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  Speaker 2: The one was we were just going to do it, yeah,
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  Speaker 2: and the other was looking at what works in Italy.
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  Speaker 2: We actually there's a hotel in Hiroshima called Hotel Bike
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  Speaker 2: and that was an inspiration, you know, so and we
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  Speaker 2: used we'd never been there, but we just looked at
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  Speaker 2: what they did, and I think anything that's got a
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  Speaker 2: bit of a theme, it's always people are curious.
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  Speaker 1: I'm curious what makes a bike hotel different from any
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  Speaker 1: other hotel.
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  Speaker 2: It's so we met this girl, I can't remember her surname.
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  Speaker 2: She was from New Zealand Kii mountain biker Amanda, and
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  Speaker 2: she just said, these are the things you got to
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  Speaker 2: have good coffee, comfortable beds, a place where you can
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  Speaker 2: get the mud off the bikes that yeah, you know,
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  Speaker 2: and and also you can't be precious about, you know,
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  Speaker 2: the floor. You've got to be precious about the bikes though,
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  Speaker 2: because you know, when we've got a little lock up,
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  Speaker 2: but it's it's totally totally visible. So when you're sitting
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  Speaker 2: having breakfast, you can see all these beautiful bikes but
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  Speaker 2: away okay, and you know if you say, gee, whose
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  Speaker 2: bike is that? That's my bike? So people are like,
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  Speaker 2: you know, they would take them up to their rooms
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  Speaker 2: if were allowed it.
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  Speaker 1: I can't believe that to be true. Okay, So comfortable baths,
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  Speaker 1: good coffee, somewhere to clean the bikes. I imagine that
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  Speaker 1: from a security aspect because I mean not that I
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  Speaker 1: am an avid bike or anything, but they're a pretty penny,
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  Speaker 1: aren't they? A good decent bike is yeah.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I've kind of lost trek, you know, I mean
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  Speaker 2: sort of, I know, in my cut off for us,
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  Speaker 2: but they just need to cut up and up and up. Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: But beautiful, I mean, but it's almost like the list
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  Speaker 2: that is, the more they cost.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's so true. It's minimizing if you're just joining
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  Speaker 1: us this afternoon. It is that Tuesday's travel feature and
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  Speaker 1: we've literally got on our bikes and headed to the
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  Speaker 1: Elgin Valley and to beautiful, beautiful Horrebo where we are
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  Speaker 1: setting up camp for the next ten or so minutes
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  Speaker 1: at trails End Bike Hotel, Africa's very first at hotel
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  Speaker 1: purpose built for cyclists and trail lovers and what an
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  Speaker 1: absolutely perfect location. So think Alpine style lodge with a
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  Speaker 1: bit of South African flavor. So if you are into
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  Speaker 1: mountain biking or whether you're just into a bit of
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  Speaker 1: peace and quiet in the mountains, then this spot really
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  Speaker 1: has it all. I just want to direct people to
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  Speaker 1: Facebook pages and websites in case they want to check
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  Speaker 1: it out. While we're having a chat at Peter, Peter
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  Speaker 1: Silpa Virus, the owner, where can we head for that?
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  Speaker 2: So if you look on www, dot trailsin dot bike,
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  Speaker 2: that'll give you just about everything. And then Facebook is
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  Speaker 2: trails in Bike Hotel and I think, yeah, on Instagram
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  Speaker 2: it's the same ye trails in Bike Hotel.
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  Speaker 1: So who are your guests, Peter, I mean, are they
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  Speaker 1: coming from all over? Are they people are familiar with
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  Speaker 1: the concept of a bikodel.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, but it's quite diverse. So we'll have people that
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  Speaker 2: are coming to train for a race, so there'll be
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  Speaker 2: groups doing that. There'll be groups that that just are
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  Speaker 2: touring around the country and they want to see good
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  Speaker 2: trails and they'll spend a couple of days with us
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  Speaker 2: get out on the trails. And the groups that just
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  Speaker 2: have no clue, you know, they just want to see
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  Speaker 2: something different and they want to get up in the
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  Speaker 2: mountains and it might be hiking, it might be trail running.
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  Speaker 2: But the trails have become spectacular. You know. In twenty
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  Speaker 2: twenty three we had those big floods and since then
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  Speaker 2: we've been rebuilding. We've actually just recommissioned a nineteen oh
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  Speaker 2: one railway bridge, which one hundred and thirty meters long.
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  Speaker 2: That's long when you start throwing concrete in that sort
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  Speaker 2: of thing, but it you know, so suddenly they are
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  Speaker 2: all these connections and your people love it so and
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  Speaker 2: I think South Africa is quite a mountain bike destination.
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  Speaker 2: You know, there are lots of trails just about everywhere
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  Speaker 2: you go now and I think we fortunate in that
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  Speaker 2: ours became famous in the early nineties when mountain biking
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  Speaker 2: was just starting and so it kind of continued from there.
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  Speaker 1: And then what's your capacity, right, how many people can
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  Speaker 1: you can you accommodate?
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  Speaker 2: Up to sixty?
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  Speaker 1: Okay?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, so usually when it's conferences and things like that,
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  Speaker 2: we usually say around about forty years is a good size,
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  Speaker 2: but sixty is full. And so quite often it's celebrations.
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  Speaker 2: People come for fiftieth, fortieth, seventieths, you know whatever, so
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  Speaker 2: it'll be milestone. People just book out the place and yeah,
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  Speaker 2: and it's a great place to have a party because
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  Speaker 2: you're together, you know. It's Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: What have been some of your your biggest challenges since
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  Speaker 1: since opening the doors?
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  Speaker 2: Well, I think it started off really it was just
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  Speaker 2: growing right, and then the bicycle industry got itself into
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  Speaker 2: a bit of a mess during COVID. You know, suddenly
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  Speaker 2: there were there were no bikes. Then everyone wanted a bicycle,
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  Speaker 2: so there were no sales in suddenly everyone was buying bicycles,
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  Speaker 2: and then there was an oversupply, so that that was
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  Speaker 2: part of it. But are getting through COVID, that was
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  Speaker 2: a big challenge, and we decided to build a museum. Yes,
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  Speaker 2: otherwise we would have gone mad and was waiting for
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  Speaker 2: people to come. Yeah, So we got hold of Frontic
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  Speaker 2: Motor Museum and we actually became partners in on the
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  Speaker 2: bicycle museum side. And we also met Prof. Mike Bruttin,
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  Speaker 2: who's he was CEO of the Science Center and he
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  Speaker 2: gave us I mean, he basically created it. So we
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  Speaker 2: did one section the history of the bicycle, and then
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  Speaker 2: we did another section with famous South African cyclists and
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  Speaker 2: bike related to South Africans. And you know, as people
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  Speaker 2: saw the thing taking off, we got phone calls. And
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  Speaker 2: we're also people like Greg Minner leaned us, you know,
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  Speaker 2: one of his famous bikes, Alan Hathilee through Giant and
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  Speaker 2: we've got real Manse's old lady but he rode around Africa. Wow,
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  Speaker 2: which the children just love and they love all the
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  Speaker 2: stories that go with it. And yeah, and Erica Green,
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  Speaker 2: we've got your bikes that you when are If.
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  Speaker 1: People aren't coming to stay at the hotel, can they
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  Speaker 1: come through and check out the museum.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah, So we encourage that and especially school kids.
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  Speaker 2: You know, they're doing the history of transport. The bicycle
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  Speaker 2: was an integral part to all of it. Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I tell you what, I don't ride bicycles enough
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  Speaker 1: and I was thinking this the other day. I don't
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  Speaker 1: actually own a bicycle. Do you own a bicycle? Folks,
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  Speaker 1: let me know on the WhatsApp line, when was the
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  Speaker 1: last time? Unless you are, you know, like Peter. I
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  Speaker 1: mean Peter probably cycled here from Rabo. But unless you're
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  Speaker 1: like Peter and you're a bike all the time because
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  Speaker 1: that's your thing, what do you own a bicycle? When
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  Speaker 1: was the last time you rode a bike? I actually
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  Speaker 1: can't remember the last time that I rode a bicycle.
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  Speaker 1: And yet some of my fondest memories as a child
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  Speaker 1: are of riding my bike. You know, I grew up
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  Speaker 1: on a farm and so we always were riding our
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  Speaker 1: bikes around.
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  Speaker 2: And that doesn't it doesn't take a lot to reignite that.
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  Speaker 2: You know. There's so many people that you know, just
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  Speaker 2: work got in the way, and I mean suddenly they
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  Speaker 2: get back on a bicycle. You never forget.
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  Speaker 1: You never forget.
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  Speaker 2: And one thing we've started doing now, which is quite
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  Speaker 2: a lot of fun, and everyone joins in, whether it's
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  Speaker 2: kids or older people. We race the train from trails
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  Speaker 2: in down to the Elgon Railway market. Now we've got
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  Speaker 2: a cycle track that goes all the way along the
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  Speaker 2: line right next to the train. Now, so you've got
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  Speaker 2: this big steam engine fuffing next to you, and it's
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  Speaker 2: it's such a lot of fun. You know, it's only
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  Speaker 2: three and a half k's but everyone can manage it lovely. Yeah,
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  Speaker 2: and people on the train take videos of us, We
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  Speaker 2: take pictures and yeah, it's fun, fun morning on a Saturday.
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  Speaker 1: You're look very happy Peter that this is a direction
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  Speaker 1: that your life has taken.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, you're talking about leaps of faith and there've been
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  Speaker 2: quite a few, you know along the way. You know,
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  Speaker 2: just everything you do to add an attraction. Yeah, you
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  Speaker 2: know you kind of do we need to spend that
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  Speaker 2: and it just it adds so much more of it. Well,
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  Speaker 2: the museum was was one you know that we funded
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  Speaker 2: ourselves and we had a lot of help with Frances
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  Speaker 2: Tip Motor Museum, Azuku Museum, vreious others who've given us
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  Speaker 2: the most amazing artifacts we can show. And then one
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  Speaker 2: of my daughters worked with us. She helped, you know,
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  Speaker 2: do all the research together with Brutain. So you know,
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  Speaker 2: but yeah, it's I think that with any business, you're
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  Speaker 2: always going to have challenges. But but I love it
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  Speaker 2: and going out and showing people the trails. To me,
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  Speaker 2: that's that's the best part.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, that must be enormous. Part of the draw
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  Speaker 1: is your own expertise in that area, your own knowledge
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  Speaker 1: of the region.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm getting a bit slow though, and that that
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  Speaker 2: that you know, you put in front of a bike,
• 13:47
  Speaker 2: it's kind of every now and again I have to
• 13:51
  Speaker 2: resort to that.
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  Speaker 1: We've had a message that says we had a wonderful
• 13:56
  Speaker 1: stay at Trails and including a super fun cycle, such
• 14:00
  Speaker 1: friendly atmosphere. The only thing that bothered me, says Mallory,
• 14:04
  Speaker 1: was the amount of alien vegetation encroaching on the fame boss.
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: How are locals dealing with that?
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  Speaker 2: So you are there are lots of There are lots
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  Speaker 2: of things we're dealing with. The forestry left. So when
• 14:13
  Speaker 2: forestry left, yeah, we started getting involved with the management
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  Speaker 2: and we've actually got a participatory Forestry Management Forum which
• 14:23
  Speaker 2: includes a lot of different organizations from national government right
• 14:28
  Speaker 2: through to local NGOs. And we've started together with forestry
• 14:34
  Speaker 2: forest monitors that they now learning and so it's early days,
• 14:39
  Speaker 2: but we've managed to get their bike sponsored and so
• 14:43
  Speaker 2: they've started looking after the area. And what's exciting for
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  Speaker 2: me is one of them has started a hiking group
• 14:50
  Speaker 2: and they're teaching each other about the fan Boss and
• 14:53
  Speaker 2: I think that's you know, if you can get the
• 14:54
  Speaker 2: whole community to be involved, then you can get on
• 14:58
  Speaker 2: top of something like that. But Kohlberg Bisphia, they've got plans.
• 15:02
  Speaker 2: They're cleaning up a lot. So there's a lot, a
• 15:05
  Speaker 2: lot happening, yeah, but it'll take a while before it
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  Speaker 2: all comes together.
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  Speaker 1: I must come down and pay you a visit, Peter,
• 15:12
  Speaker 1: and get myself on a bicycle. Just remind us again
• 15:15
  Speaker 1: of the website so people can check it out.
• 15:17
  Speaker 2: Www. Dot Trailsend, dot bike.
• 15:21
  Speaker 1: You are listening at one fifty seven to Lunch with Me,
• 15:24
  Speaker 1: Sarah Jane Macaula King,