If you ask Google Maps to find a route between Prince Albert, where we published the previous blog post, and the Atlantic port city of Cape Town, the application will draw a straightish line going from east to west, with a travel distance of 393 kilometres. In an effort to experience to the fullest extent the Cape’s mountain passes, desert-like landscapes, coastal breeze and fertile vineyards, and to reach Cape Agulhas, the southernmost tip of Africa, we cycled over 1,000 kilometres to link the Great Karoo’s small town with Cape Town’s metropolitan area!
Prince Albert is an actual oasis in the Great Karoo. A leiwater system channels water from the Swartberg mountains to the small town, allowing for olives, figs, grapes and dairy farms to thrive under the hot African sun. On a sunset walk with local historian Ailsa Tudhope we learn about the town’s eclectic mix of Cape Dutch, Victorian and Karoo architectures and history from the arrival of the first trekboers. Sensing our curiosity for the cape mountain passes and road building pioneer Thomas Bain, Ailsa highlights the history of the spectacular Swartberg Pass, our next destination.
One morning, after a copious locavore breakfast at Onse Rus Guesthouse, Pierre walks to Prince Albert Cycles in search of glue and patches. The shop’s owner, Arno Botha, is a legendary cycling devotee since 1987 and his knowledge of the Karoo, routes and bicycles is unparalleled. Arno offers great advice and makes Pierre go over a threshold never considered: he puts tire sealant inside our tubes! South African riders have been shooting disapproving glances our way when told about our dry inner tubes. Peer pressure worked and we are now part of the gang!
At Onse Rus Guesthouse, our hosts Leonard and Neil send us back to the road with clean clothes and a loaf of freshly baked sourdough bread. Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
The painted dustbins of Prince Albert! Telling the stories of local events, characters and buildings. Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
The construction of the Swartberg Pass (1583m) begun in 1881 under Jan Tassie, who imported 100 labourers from Mozambique. The project was plagued by the desertions of these labourers and less than six kilometres of the pass—the northern appproach really—had been completed before Tassie went bankrupt. In September of 1883 Thomas Bain (and his usual mob of convicts) took over the construction work. With rudimentary tools and no cement or mortar the 24-km long masterpiece took five years to build. Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
After passing at 1400 metres above sea level the road plateaus before the last push to Die Top (1583m). From here one could reach the Gamkaskloof (aka Die Hel), a steep valley isolated from the outside world until the 1950s! Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
The dry-stone retaining walls are an engineering feat. Looking south from the Great Swartberg into the Little Karoo. Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
Tobacco drying shed. Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
Tobacco has been grown in the Outdshoorn region since 1845. Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
Heading south on Paardepoort Road, along the Doring River, another narrow passage in the Cape Fold mountains. Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
Montagu Pass was declared a National Monument in 1972 and is the oldest unaltered pass in South Africa. The pass starts at the village of Herold on the northern side of the Outeniqua Mountains, goes up and over the summit (780m) and descends in a series of bends all the way down to the outskirts of George, a large city on the Garden Route. The road has been closed since sustaining severe flood damage during the 2023 winter. The pass is not long, and from north to south it is mostly downhill, so we proceed with optimism. Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
The all gravel Montagu Pass parallels the newer Outeniqua Pass, of which we can see and hear the heavy traffic. Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
Fynbos biome and its endemic plant species. Unopened protea flower. Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
Further down Montagu Pass the flowing rain water fo 2023 has wreaked havoc on the road bed. Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
Further south there will also be the Old Toll House. Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
And just like that, we reach George in a coastal drizzle. Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
After learning that our favourite chain lube is produced in George we visit the Squirt Cycling Products factory. We leave with new t-shirts, sun hats and SweatSucker bandanas, but also lube, biodegradable bike cleaner and tire sealant!
Road 102 aka the Garden Route slowly descends on the Indian Ocean just before Groot Braakrivier. Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
Camping at an orderly coastal holiday resort is akin to stepping into a black mirror episode. At first we are relieved to settle on a small spot in the overfilled campgound. Our neighbours are white pensioners, part of a permanent camper community, they are welcoming and chipper, stopping by our tent to inquire about our comings and goings. Most exchanges end with “you guys are very brave” and, as the night falls on a hot day, confidences of a “prepping” nature come our way. Suidlanders, and other groups, build an emergency plan “to prepare a Protestant Christian South African Minority for a coming violent revolution”. So much fear and shameless racism is crushing, and we leave speechless. Hartenbos, Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
The Little Karoo, and its quiet back roads, is calling. Through the sweeping curves of Robinson Pass (860m) we cross between the continuous Langeberg and Outeniqua Ranges and reintegrate the semi-arid zone. Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
Emboldened by a blazing sun, we roll onto the Paardebond Farm desperate for a shady tree. Cornel and Doreen Fourie invite us to relax on a bench, with a two-liter bottle filled with fridge-cooled water! Cornel says he only speaks English about once a year, yet his speech is sharp and effervescent. “The farm here was established in 1723 by my Fourie ancestor”, he starts. “In the 1970s my father and I used to grow peaches, apricots and grapes, now it’s too dry. My mother, in 1996, was 103 years old and said she’d never seen the valley so parched, yet it is a lot worse now”, he continues. The he delivers his heart, “On the 9th of February 2015 there was a massive fire, thousands of my sheep died or disappeared, 52kms of our fence burned down.” Cornel’s eyes well up with tears, we can feel his despair. Maybe to bring himself back on an even keel he smiles and continues, “I grow herbs, for food, basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary and sage, then I dry it here and sell to Ina Paarman in Cape Town. She says my herbs are the most aromatic!” We depart—a little shaken—with a two-liter bottle of ice…and some extra potent fresh oregano! Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
In the Gourits River’s canyon we evoke Cornel’s stories of Blue Beard, an historical local farmer who would shoot traveling salesmen to steal their valuable cargo. The country pirate would dispose of the bodies in the river, until he finaly got caught. Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
Closing cattle gates behind us feels futile on the quiet bone-dry valley. Hawks and mice make up most of the animals we run into. Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
Grateful for a cloudy day as we grind up the steep, narrow, deserted Rooiberg Pass (797m). Straight ahead is a view through the Swartberg Mountains, via the Gamka River Valley (Gamkaskloof or Die Hel), on the Great Karoo’s quasi-eternal blue sky. Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
From Calitzdorp to Barrydale we follow part of Route 62. Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
Frontier feel in the Little Karoo. Barrydale, Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
Tradouw Pass follows the deep valley of the Buffeljags River across the Langeberg range. In 1867 parliament resolved to construct a pass, using convict labour, to link the Little Karoo with Swellendam and the Breede River, and sent Thomas Bain to engineer the project. Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
At Buffeljagsrivier’s Oude Post Bistro roosterkoek bread is grilled to perfection. Yes, please! Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
In an effort to avoid riding on the main artery (R319) straight to Cape Agulhas, we follow a farming road along the Breede River, which we hope to cross on the Malagas pontoon. The Overberg region is considered the breadbasket of the Cape and we undulate over beige fields of wheat straw stubble. Where the road ends on the river bank, 3 cars and 10 motorcycles are waiting to roll-on. “The pont is broken today. We’ll have to backtrack, but you could call the local hotel and surely someone could pick you up with a houseboat and ferry you to the other bank”, suggests one of the drivers. Yes, they can come and rescue us, if we spend the night with them. The package includes a 5-course dinner and a breakfast buffet. It is an overpriced proposition, but our will is weak…and Valentine’s day is tomorrow 😉 Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
Our current project is “Nomads by Nomads from Cape to Cape” and, although we did not start at the North Cape in Norway and will not finish at Cape Agulhas in South Africa, we use both continental extremities to frame the journey, and we attach importance in reaching both poles. One morning a solemn mood starts to naturally permeate our caravan, as the ground flattens and the end of the continent approaches.
About 28,000 kms from the norwegian Nordkapp our southward motion ends and we wait patiently for our turn at the survey marker of the most Southern tip of Africa. Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
Upon completing his degree in engineering Robert jumped on his motorcycle and rode from home, in Germany, to South Africa, where we meet him, helmet in hand, near the dividing line between the Atlantic and Indian oceans. The meeting stretches overnight when our host, Marieta (the friend of a road acquaintance), invites him to her nearby Struisbaaie residence. Two rescue dogs and a one-eyed cat complete the ephemeral and comforting family portrait. Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
On road R43, Elim, a mission station of the Moravian Church was established in 1824 to provide a home for freed slaves after the abolition of slavery in the British Cape Colony. Two hundred years later the village is known for its expert roof thatchers and Brass Band Festival. Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
After Gansbaai, Stanford and Hermanus I consult a forever-evolving list of South African vineyards we plan on visiting, to discover a couple of Wine of Origin production areas just inland from the Whale Coast. Breakfast in the shade before going up Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
After tasting stops at Bartho Eksteen Wine Estate, Bouchard Finlayson Winery (of course!) and Creation Wines we are in view of the low Shaw’s Mountain Pass (370m) when we decide to call it a day. Next time let’s ask for a spit bucket! Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
Between R320 and N2 we follow private farm roads. Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
South Africa’s national bird, the blue crane, doing the elegant mating dance. There are only around 25,000 individuals left in the world, about half of which can be found in the Overberg. Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
After festive stops at Gabrielskloof Wine Estate and Honingklip Brewery we fly in a tailwind to Betty’s Bay, a picturesque seaside village situated along the scenic Clarence Drive Route (R44). Johan, a WarmShower host, is waiting for us with a warm bath, a meat braai and mieliepap. The Mediterranean climate suggest another continent, but the vuvuzela horn sounds, announcing the arrival of baboon troops through the town, are very much South African!
A crew member of Vasco Da Gama thus described the African penguins in 1497 : “There are big birds as big as ducks, but they cannot fly and bray like donkeys.” The Stony Point Reserve is home to a colony of the now critically-endangered penguin. Betty’s Bay, Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
After Cape Hangklip and Pringle Bay we enter False Bay on Clarence Drive. Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
Skirting the base of the Hottentots-Holland Mountains we have a clear view across False Bay on the Cape Peninsula. Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
Thanks to the meeting and mixing of the Indian and Atlantic oceans False Bay is home to 27 different species of shark. Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
Cape Peninsula mountains south of Cape Town including fabled Cape of Good Hope. Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
From Gordons Bay we climb the busy 4-lane Sir Lowry’s Pass (460m) on N2 before joining with R321 in Grabow. In Elgin Valley, through Viljoens and Franschoek Pass, futuristic convertible sports cars zoom by our pedals, while orchard workers hang out under leafy blue gum trees—snapshot of the number one country with the highest income inequality in the world.
The eastern side of Franschoek Pass (736m) in the Cape Winelands. Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
The majestic Franschoek Valley is enclosed by mountains on three sides. Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
After King Louis XIV banned Protestantism in France, hundreds of French Huguenots fled their country. In 1688, almost 300 French refugees arrived at the Cape of Good Hope by ship and were given Franschoek (the French corner) to settle. Their legacy is felt in about 40 Afrikaner surnames and in the quality of Cape wines. Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
“Here is a glass of our Caroline from the Cape of Good Hope line, our terroir-specific brand. The 2021 vintage is an assemblage of chenin blanc, marsanne, roussane and viognier, from the Riebeeksrivier area. The palate is lively and tangy but also nutty and broad. You can continue on the left-hand side through the luxury handbag boutique, and I’ll meet you on the terrace with your tasting flight”, said the smiling hostess at Franschoek Anthonij Rupert Wine Estates. Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
South Africa has deeply captivated—and spoiled—us and we are looking forward to the Swartland and Cederberg areas, on our way north to the border with Namibia.
