No one else would admit it, but I knew they had the same hollow feeling in their stomachs, not only hunger, but the feeling that grows as the sun sets on a day of mishaps and mistakes, the adventure slowly turning into an ordeal.

The group speculation that Mbotyi was just around the next sullen green headland didn't lift spirits on this, the longest day of the journey. The memory of a warm clean bath, dinner, and coffee at the fireplace received at Mngazi River Bungalows the previous night was so distant that it seemed to have been last year. Actually, we were unsure if a hotel even existed at Mboyti, let alone offered five course meals.

Two years had passed since anyone had even stayed there and attempts to phone the hotel had been met by an African Error Tone. That night, I chose to believe Mbyoti Hotel existed and that it was only 20 minutes away because I dreaded the alternative. The others chose the alternative. They just stopped. Right there under the mkuhla tree, on the beach sand, waves breaking stone's throw away.

Between the four of us, we had four mountain bikes, 1 spare tyre, 4 chicken sandwiches, a single can of sprite, a cigarette lighter and about 1 water bottle of fresh water between us. We each had a rain jacket (semi-dry) to snuggle up in as we lay on the beach for the night. Grumbling at their choice of alternatives, I struggled to eat my chicken sandwiches that tasted like petrol - they were slowly rotting after a day of being bounced around in my watertight (semi) container on the back of my mountain bike. Packing them at 7am seemed hundreds of miles away, although only about 50 km separated us from the Mngazi River. That day alone we had passed through countless hills, rivers, beaches, and magnificent scenery, changing from grassy slopes to narrow paths through coastal bush, and tricky portages around looming rocky headlands, meters from the crashing sea. Now my body needed comfort.

Exhausted, we slept well until 10pm when the night air had lowered our body temperatures uncomfortably and we all woke simultaneously. After scouting around for firewood, we built a mountain of a fire and made sure we turned often in our sleep to toast the other side!

The adventure was conceived in 1989 by Steve Stamp and Glen Haw, both farmers and veterans of a couple of Duzi Silvers. The idea was to see the whole Wild Coast in a week. It is not possible to do the trip hiking - the daily distances are too long to reach hotels and you need to take equipment and food for the nights, which slows you down. Motor bikes can't cross the rivers - they sink. The only roads on the Wild Coast cross the two dozen rivers where the valleys are broad, so 4x4's can only get to see a fraction coast before heading inland. The solution was to travel light and fast. Carry no food, sleeping equipment or clothes and make sure you push through to a hotel every night. Mountain bikes float in rivers, and miles of beaches can be covered at low tide. Get the tides wrong, or delay along the way and you are stranded with no shelter. Cell phones don't work there, and they wouldn't survive the trip anyway.

Our beachside accommodation served us well and with no ill effects, we made it to Mboyti Tea Room and Trading Store by 8 the next morning. They sold beers (some locals had already sampled a few of them), tinned fish, Induna Maize meal, Imana stew and Niknaks. Of course they also sold coke. In spite of the shop's name, tea was an unusual request, beer being the breakfast drink of choice, however they obligingly arranged three cups of sweet milky tea which chased down a packet of biscuits. Stocked up with lunch for the day we pushed through to Waterfall Bluff, one of the handful of waterfalls worldwide which fall into the sea.

This awesome place is probably the most wild and breathtaking place on our coastline. Some fishermen had camped the night there amongst the strandloper debris from previous centuries, and they told stories of cob as thick as a mans waist caught near the waterfall as they come in to the fresh water at night. We saw a school of 150 dolphins surfing 5m swells and skillfully pulling out before the waves crashed onto the buttresses surrounding the falls. According to seamen, the falls look twice as high from sea as they do from land because there are actually 2 falls, one set back into the steep cliffs, not visible from the path on the shore.

Rivers run clean and strong on this coast, and Nick, who made the mistake of bringing only a liter of water with him, drank frequently from the inviting streams. That night he suffered from the Wild Coast cocktail - a mix of all the bugs washed downstream from the communities along the rivers!

In fact we passed through very few settlements in the 5km wide band along the coast. Some isolated kraals and groups of cottages produce interested stares, always friendly, and always ready to offer precious drinking water or advice on the route to the next destination. After a few horrific hours of bundu bashing near Port St Johns, we quickly learnt that this advice was never to be taken. We eventually worked out that the locals were not being malicious but figured that since we were on wheeled vehicles, and were going so far away, we would need a road and hence they directed us far inland to where they catch the bus once a week. Often they had never been to beaches more than 10 km away because this was too far to walk to, and taxis wouldn't go there. All along the coast the people seemed to survive comfortably on very little. In fact, if you are reading this, you probably own about 1000 times more stuff than they do. Each of our bikes probably cost the equivalent of the expenditure for a family for 2 years.

The finish at the Wild Coast Sun was an anticlimax. After seven days of climbing hills, towing bikes across strongly flowing rivers, spinning along desolate beaches for hours, sweating and shivering for 12 hours a day, we expected a welcome like the one after the Comrades Marathon, with a stadium and TV cameras. Our wives were a welcome alternative, but we couldn't find the words to explain what we had seen and experienced, they would have to do it themselves one day.

A good 4 day trip is from Coffee Bay to Port Edward. Turn off the N2 15km South of Umtata (it should still be signposted!). There is a good tar road down to Coffee Bay and plenty of available accommodation.

Get there the night before and pack your bikes before you sleep. Leave before 6am the next day or sleep in a bush that night!

To do the whole coast, spend the first night at any of the accommodation offered at Kei Mouth or Morgan's bay. The comfort offered by the Morgan's Bay Hotel is matched only by Mngazi River Bungalows. From there it is about a 7-hour cycle to Kob Inn. The ferry at Kei Mouth will probably be your last for the next 200-km!

Tear yourself away from the excellent breakfast at Kob Inn early since you can expect a ten hour cycle to The Haven and you need to swim the formidable Bashee River. Don't listen to the shark stories in the pub that night!

An easy day cycling will take you through to Coffee Bay.

Coffee Bay has a few Backpackers (some of dubious health standards) and a hotel. You shouldn't have to book for any of them.

The next night is Mngazi River Bungalows. This is a welcome break and superbly comfortable. Be warned: there is a big swim about 10km before you get there since you have to cross the Umngazana river. If you shout for long enough you may get a ferry ride across.

Leave early since Mboyti is 10 hours away and this is a very hilly day. You would have to arrange accommodation at Mboyti since the hotel has closed down. Get seconds to meet you there with a warm meal and comfortable tents. There is no campsite and little drinking water.

Your last night is Mkambati. You will need to book one of the cottages well in advance and arrange for food to be left for you there since it is self-catering and there are no shops.

If you get low tide, it is an easy 6-hour cycle from Mkambathi to the Wild Coast Sun, with an early swim across the Mtentu River.

Any mountain bike, a good quality one is going to get messed up as much as a cheap one! Just make sure nothing serious is going to fail.

Apart from your mountain bike, as little as possible. Limit yourself to a few crucial spares:

Derailluers are not crucial but chains are, grease is not crucial but a can of oil is, tubes are not crucial but a repair kit and spare tyre is. Break blocks wear out after about 4 days. Make sure all cables are in good condition before you leave and they should last. Take a spare skewer (the thing that clamps the wheel to the frame) for your front and back wheels. They tend to strip or break if you have a wipeout.

Tools are heavy so only take the bare minimum like hex wrenches and chain splitters. Obviously a few puncture repair kits (although punctures are rare) and spare tubes. Bottom Brackets are non crucial- even though it doesn't sound too good, you can keep cycling for days on a collapsed bearing so don't take a crank-puller or BB-spanner. Wheel bearings sound a bit angry after 2 days and you may want to re-grease them one evening if you have the energy! If your derailleur breaks, you can take it off, shorten the chain and ride in one gear. Once, Glen's seat post broke off. Unfortunately there wasn't a bike shop within 500km so he rode the last two days with no seat and a spike threatening to do him damage!

Take lots of tape, it is useful for fixing torn tyre sidewalls, sprained ankles, split shoes, waterproofing and taping stuff to your bike.

A small medical kit is essential - take plenty of plasters for blisters and insect repellent for ticks.

A single warm jacket and pants for the evenings.

Take lots of fluids - at least 2 liters each a day and a few cans strapped to various places on the frame.

Chocolates for energy and don't forget to order packed lunches from the hotels.

A good map. Experience shows however, that intuition and orienteering is often used before the map.

A 40 m rope to assist in crossing dangerous rivers.

 Condoms or other balloons to tie to your bike to help float it across rivers. Did you know you can stuff a whole T-shirt into a condom to keep it dry?

Some really good friends who won't complain and will go with the leader's decision.

The crucial part of your equipment is a secure, watertight packing system. Small backpacks and plastic bags for water proofing are uncomfortable, but your bike is lighter for pushing and carrying over obstacles.

Bike carriers with watertight bags (Made by Lizard Wetsuits for less than R100) strapped above your back wheel help float your bike across rivers and are easy for getting stuff in and out of.

If you don't want the extra weight of a carrier, you can strap a small bag just behind the front forks (on a large frame bicycle).

Use small saddlebags strapped to your frame for keeping stuff you may need during the day.

Make sure everything is secure because if it can rattle or get washed off, it will!

Only go in winter. The heat in summer means you need to carry too much water to prevent dehydration.

Hotels range from R185 to R120, for all meals including packed lunch. There are about three ferries on the whole coast and the boatman will charge you about R3 per person for his hard work. There are four stores on the route, at Mtentu River, at Mboyti, at Port St Johns and at Mngazana so take cash to stock up drinks. On average it will cost about R150 per day excluding petrol to the start and from the finish.

When crossing strongly flowing wide rivers, one person leaves his bike and swims across with an end of the rope. He then anchors the rope on the other side and the next person ties his bike to the rope and jumps in, holding tight to the bike. The current will pendulum him to the shore downstream of where the first swimmer has anchored the rope. Swim back with the end of the rope and the next person comes across with a bike etc. This method may have to be used at the Bashee River and Mngazana rivers that are quite wide and strongly flowing at high tide.

Don't get lost, leave early, take time to enjoy the views, and don't be the first to leave litter.