Scott Ramsay is a photographer and writer, travelling over the course of a year to 31 of South Africa’s most special nature reserves and national parks with the goal of photographing the country’s last remaining wild places, and to interview the people who make conservation possible.
Before Scott Ramsay, set off for his ‘Year in the Wild’ tour of South Africa’s most scenic national parks in June, he swung by Hi-Q Cape Town to fit his Ford Everest with Goodyear Wrangler 245/70 R16 AT/SA tyres.
After all, Scott has a lot of rocky, muddy, sandy, bumpy wilderness ground to cover before the year is out – and he needs his tyres to be up to the challenge. Scott and his team plan to “document, exhibit and celebrate the country’s wildest places and inspire people, first to follow the journey online and then to visit the places themselves, thereby contributing to the preservation of our natural heritage.
“The preparation for our trip has been hard work, but Hi-Q Cape Town owners Peter Alterskye and Ursula Fredericks were so friendly and helpful and, I must say, the service from the Hi-Q team was super quick and efficient.
“I haven’t taken much notice of tyres before now and, of course, have only driven on Cape Town’s tar roads since the Wranglers were fitted, but I can definitely feel the tread beneath me and the difference the tyres make on the vehicle,” he said.
“I will be going to 31 different places during the coming year – some tar, some gravel, some serious 4×4 terrain and then there are places like Baviaanskloof and the Drakensberg where it could get really muddy. It’s great to know my tyres will be able to take the pace whatever the road surface.”
A multi-media expedition, ‘Year in the Wild’ will tell the story of nature conservation in South Africa. Scott plans to document, photograph and blog about his adventurous journey, after interviewing the rangers, scientists, local communities, researchers, children and travellers he meets along the way. His work will be published daily, weekly and monthly on various platforms, from social media to magazines like Getaway and Leisure Wheels, as well as a dedicated website: www.yearinthewild.com.
One of the expedition’s goals is to make people aware of how they can travel responsibly to barely touched regions, a value shared by Goodyear globally in its policy of environmental care.
“We will be sticking to the designated tracks and roads, respecting what the maps say and also listening to the park rangers. This will minimise our disturbance of the natural vegetation and animal life.”
Driving on Goodyear Wranglers will boost the eco-friendly approach to the trip. Wrangler tyres are renowned for their exceptional on- and off-road performance and the reliable, locally manufactured Wrangler AT/SAs continue to top the 4×4 best seller charts. Goodyear’s outstanding range of off-road options are the widest and most technologically advanced worldwide. As South Africa’s market leader in the 4×4 tyre segment, Goodyear offers an outstanding range of off-road options, including the revolutionary, tougher-than-steel Wrangler MT/R with Kevlar and Wrangler DuraTrac. The endlessly dependable Wrangler AT/SA continues to be South Africa’s all-terrain favourite.
Scott Ramsay’s journey started on Sunday 12 June in Table Mountain and will end at South Africa’s newest National Park, Mokala, which takes its name from the Setswana word meaning “camel thorn tree”. This tree is crucial to the dry Northern Cape region, for both humans and animals which rely on the tree as a much needed source of nutrition and shade. Both black and white rhino thrive here, while the rare roan antelope and tsessebe also can be found. The park also conserves various San rock art sites and is situated south-west of Kimberley in central South Africa.
