Old Postal Route Closed

[Trygve Roberts]

Important Notice.
The Old Postal Route has been permanently closed to all bikers and 4x4's.

Please read the letter below which has been sent to us by the farm owner. This is a sad state of affairs guys. Your comments are welcome.


I am contacting you in regards to the "old postal route". I farm on Achterfontein which is situated on the so called "old postal route" that I see you have included in your website.   

Somehow people started advertising this route on all sorts of forums and posting videos on YouTube and  telling the story of this route that was used by a young woman to deliver post between Elandsvlei and Wupperthal. This is all a myth.

The original "postal route" is a walking trail between Wupperthal and Elandsvlei hugging the banks of the Tra-Tra river and did not run over the mountain crossing our farm.

The route running through our farm is for the most part a private road maintained by me and our neighbors. It was build by farmers and only a portion of it was proclaimed as a public road in 1980 in order to get it upgraded by the then "distriks raad".

The problem we have with the advertising of this route is that our farm roads are being destroyed on a weekly basis by people on motorcycles. We have no more privacy and peace and quiet on our own farm. I have on numerous occasions gone out to rescue hurt and dehydrated bikers at my own expense and loss of family time having to leave my wife and children alone and returning sometimes at 10 at night. I have picked up rubbish, confronted people just camping on our farm and making fires or people turning my planted rooibos fields into a motocross track. A lot of people come racing through our farmstead at 60 to 70 km/h. I have small children and dogs that can seriously get hurt by this irresponsible behavior. This weekend I damaged my bakkie tyre on rescue mission to get a hurt biker to hospital. 

We are basically fed up by people thinking this is a public road and space where they can do as they see fit. It costs us tens of thousands of rands a year trying to keep our road in a condition where we can use it on a weekly basis to go to town as well as to transport our produce.

This is private property and not open to the public. We are in the process of getting signs made that we will put up and then we will be closing down the route permanently.

I would appreciate your help in regards to this situation.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Kind regards

Henk Bakker

[dual]

Sad then, a few culprits killing it for all
Luckily I've done it once

[Crossed-up]

I'm so sorry to read this. Although it doesn't surprise me much.

[ultraflight]

It was inevitable that this would eventually happen.
We have seen guys on dirt bikes go ripping through there as if its a race.
The last time we went through there we took 11.5 hours from Oasis and back there again, taking our time and enjoying the scenery. Going past the farmstead, we always re-group a few hundred meters before the fence then ride through at little more than walking pace. Stick to the established road, no going cross-country.  No littering, not even cigarette butts!
No fires. Keep traction control on to prevent wheel spinning wherever possible (the notable exceptions is Karretjies Pass uphill, and along the river bed in the deep sand, if you cross that side).
But there are always a few who have little consideration for others, who ruin things for everyone else.
So sad that this had to happen. 

[geopat]

This is the end of one of the capes iconic routes sad sad day and fuck the guys that ruin it for everyone

[Rooi Wolf]

This is so sad to hear!!

Truly an epic part of the country. Feeling blessed that I have experienced it..

Hopefully some sort of agreement can be reached in the future, to mutually benifit Henk Bakker and all potential adventurers.

[Hinksding]

 

[benreaper]

I haven't been on the Postal route yet and had it on my bucket list, so hearing this is quite a buzz kill.

As mentioned above, maybe some sort of mutually beneficial system, perhaps in the form of a permit could be brought in place to control the flow of traffic.

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[JC]

ek sal tolgeld betaall om daar te ry

[Dux]

I have done it twice , loved it both times , both times  we stopped to talk to the farmer and even got invited to join his family for breakfast .
But , as with so many venues or routes in the past the behaviour of a few spoils it for everyone 

[Kaboef]

Dis seker weer die blerrie KTM ryers wat so gespin en gemors het.
Varke.

Dit is baie jammer dat die roete gesluit is. Maar as ek Henk was, het ek dit ook gedoen. Vir elkeen met n halwe verstand is dit duidelik dat n groot deel van die roete op mense se privaatgrond is. Dan gedra jy jou.

[mike gs]

Perhaps time will heal Henk's anti biker sentiment. Can't say I blame him. Maybe a permit system is/can be introduced where a fee is charged, or even a proper deposit that is refunded when the guys have moved through? It's something that was on my bucket list.



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[Roadhawg]

Ya he should take this as an opportunity. Make it a payable route. Payment and ID copy first. Then you can go through. I’m sure most decent folks would be happy to pay a reasonable fee and he can make some money off it and have some rules in place.

[Enzo]

The one constant it seems as one gets older is that everything starts closing in.

Year after year new gates and fences get put up on my town limiting access to the mountain.

Neighbors putting up higher fences.

Gate closed on the Hekke pad to touws rivier.

The randjiespad coming down from Sutherland to Merweville also locked

The main reason I moved from Gauteng and the UK to come live in the WC

Did Postal twice and both times we called ahead and made sure it was ok and stopped to check in with the farmer.

There are countless other routes like this that go close by farmsteads and can see attitudes of people living there changing towards us.

Next? Riverbeds in kaokoland ?

Freedom lost

Why? Entitlement of a few and unprepared riders not looking after themselves also the emotive issue of farm safety is used - Irony now is less traffic from decent people that can look after themselves makes it unsafe because less eyes.

Adventure riding has now become mass sport not unique anymore so now let’s get a permit for everything like Europe.

Inevitable .

Can’t blame the owner


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[Oubones]

I hope this serves as a wake-up call to those responsible to change their behavior.
It is really sad that many routes are being lost due to irresponsible behavior by a few.

[BuRP]

fuck the guys that ruin it for everyone

I hardly think one of them ever will read here.... 

This is a pity, but can't blame the boer an inch!
Been there, very nice route indeed, and a darn shame it will be gone!

Here's an idea, for those knowing the owner:
Talk to the man, and suggest to install a 'TollBox' at his homestead where every rider should put monies into when passing!
Say R50 or whatevs, and this steel box should be safe against vandals at his home.
Such will not only financially compensate the man for his maintenance endeavours but also will instill a certain awareness that this route is actually owned by someone!
Such, and I imagine there will also be some signs displaying this Private Toll Route phenomenon along the route, should result in a better if not more careful behaviour of those using it - of which I hopefully will be one again! 

Look, the man is obviously gatvol, this after years of having been a pain in his bottom but still helping those stranded who do need help... let's help the man instead?
Money makes the world go round after all, and for free only the Sun comes up!
I herewith will contribute to the cost of the various signs to be put up plus the TollBox etc! 
If someone(s?) will liaise with the owner and carry the above over - of course wholly adaptable to whatever he wants to change - then this will be appreciated!
Add your suggestions here or shoot my kak idea down, but I think we the bikers should at least try to do something to 'save' this route for future visits - legal visits I mean, not ignorant attempts to violate the man's rights, he owns it after all.
Please?

[Dux]

fuck the guys that ruin it for everyone

I hardly think one of them ever will read here.... 

This is a pity, but can't blame the boer an inch!
Been there, very nice route indeed, and a darn shame it will be gone!

Here's an idea, for those knowing the owner:
Talk to the man, and suggest to install a 'TollBox' at his homestead where every rider should put monies into when passing!
Say R50 or whatevs, and this steel box should be safe against vandals at his home.
Such will not only financially compensate the man for his maintenance endeavours but also will instill a certain awareness that this route is actually owned by someone!
Such, and I imagine there will also be some signs displaying this Private Toll Route phenomenon along the route, should result in a better if not more careful behaviour of those using it - of which I hopefully will be one again! 

Look, the man is obviously gatvol, this after years of having been a pain in his bottom but still helping those stranded who who need help... let's help the man instead?
Money makes the world go round after all, and for free only the Sun comes up!
I herewith will contribute to the cost of the various signs to be put up plus the TollBox etc! 
If someone(s?) will liaise with the owner and carry the above over - of course wholly adaptable to whatever he wants to change - then this will be appreciated!
Add your suggestions here or shoot my kak idea down, but I think we the bikers should at least try to do something to 'save' this route for future visits - legal visits I mean, not ignorant attempts to violate the man's rights, he owns it after all.
Please?

  Agree with you on this , ultimately it all depends on the little called respect

[Enzo]

Also agree a R5000 recovery fee, sign forms on entry - same as doodsakker


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[Lord Knormoer]

fuck the guys that ruin it for everyone

I hardly think one of them ever will read here.... 

This is a pity, but can't blame the boer an inch!
Been there, very nice route indeed, and a darn shame it will be gone!

Here's an idea, for those knowing the owner:
Talk to the man, and suggest to install a 'TollBox' at his homestead where every rider should put monies into when passing!
Say R50 or whatevs, and this steel box should be safe against vandals at his home.
Such will not only financially compensate the man for his maintenance endeavours but also will instill a certain awareness that this route is actually owned by someone!
Such, and I imagine there will also be some signs displaying this Private Toll Route phenomenon along the route, should result in a better if not more careful behaviour of those using it - of which I hopefully will be one again! 

Look, the man is obviously gatvol, this after years of having been a pain in his bottom but still helping those stranded who do need help... let's help the man instead?
Money makes the world go round after all, and for free only the Sun comes up!
I herewith will contribute to the cost of the various signs to be put up plus the TollBox etc! 
If someone(s?) will liaise with the owner and carry the above over - of course wholly adaptable to whatever he wants to change - then this will be appreciated!
Add your suggestions here or shoot my kak idea down, but I think we the bikers should at least try to do something to 'save' this route for future visits - legal visits I mean, not ignorant attempts to violate the man's rights, he owns it after all.
Please?

Seems like a sensible approach. The risk is that those who don’t care will simply cut the locks, ride over the fence and definitely not contribute to an honesty box of sorts.

I would recommend by appointment only access based on payment received prior. A combination lock with regularly changed code could be used and such details shared upon booking. Limited riders allowed per day etc.

You would also need coordination from both directions to make it work. The owner clearly doesn’t have time or appetite to administer bookings etc. So I’m not sure about the practicality.

[meteldog]

Adventure biking has exploded in the last couple of years and will most probably remain unregulated.

Bikers without any respect for landowners, the proud so called "stealth campers" speed freaks and others were always going to cause this situation. Sadly more will follow.

Perhaps a solution to this will be as with access to other areas of the Cederberg for hiking would be the issuing of access permits for a fee. Gerrit at the Oasis does this already for hiking trails in the area. That would then regulate the number of bikers, bring the farmers in some income and at least also look after safety as someone will know who is on the route. There have been so many cases of lost bikers on that route over the years.