There is a famous line in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings which says "You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off too". Well in my case I was swept off to Mpumalanga, just in case I took my tent but never used it. My trip started Saturday morning at five am, after filling up I took the old Bronkhorstpruit road towards Mpumalanga. I wanted to get to Stoffberg and take the dirt from there to save time and leaving me more time to explore the roads from Dullstroom onwards. The old road past Bronkies has certainly seen better times as it was filled with motorcycle sized potholes and grass growing through the tar, but it's still better than being ripped of at the tollgates :evil: Plus point, well you have the road to yourself, no traffic whatsoever 
on the other side of Middleburg and according to this sign I was now in the cultural heartland.
I had to stop a couple of times to check my map, we did some of these trails on the wrong way round trip but I could not remember it anymore. Not far from Stoffberg I found the turnoff that lead to Dullstroom and my first dirt for the day. The countryside was green and the rivers flowing, what a nice day to ride a bike 8)
Korfnek pass, a little eroded from the rain but nothing too severe.
I arrived in Dullstroom at 10 'o clock, that's about five hours to cover 266 km ! Shows just how much I stopped to check maps and take pictures ! Dullstroom as usual were packed with people from GP coming through to pay ridiculous amounts for expensive coffee and just sitting around looking cool. I filled up and did a quick sum, 26.6 km per liter, not bad. About two k's outside Dullstroom I hit a right and got onto another dirt road. This proved to be a nice little road and the scenery was spectacular.
I spotted this little waterfall close to the road.
The trail itself had some loose rocks and some unexpected decents.
In the distance I could see the Lunsklip river.
A couple of kays later and I ended up crossing the Lunsklip river. The little river meanderd through the countryside, a perfect place to stop and have a little rest
After the river the road leads back to the N4, this trail is called the T5 and forms part of the fly fishing routes which are all over Mpumalanga. According to the map I only had to do six k's on the N4 before taking another dirt road which led towards Lydenburg and the R577. It's always a good sign when a trail has alot of zig zags, this trail did not dissapoint. It is also home to giants, not sure if they are talking about fish or GS's
The trail snakes it's way up the mountain passing trout dams and farm buildings from yesteryear.
The last bit into Lydenburg was a 17km tar stretch, it was also lunchtime and I was starving :shock:
Plenty of time left to explore so I headed towards Longtom pass to get to Sabie. On the pass I saw a little dirt road leading up the mountain so I had to follow.
The views were fantastic, as for the trail well it dissapeared into the grassy mountainside. It was quite slippery though !
Just before the Longtom cannon I spotted this little dirt road heading into the forrest. The smell of pinetrees filled the air and water appeared from all over the mountain side.
Heading into the valley I could see a waterfall in the distance, unfortunetly the trail led away from it so no chance of getting close.
At least I snapped it with maximum zoom.
Eventually I had to turn back as it was getting late and I decided to head home and cover as much distance as possible before sunset. I did the Korfnek section again as well as a nice stretch of dirt that led past the Loskop dam. Riding into the west proved tough with the sun being directly in front of me ! Combine that with a dirt road and wandering donkeys, let's just say it was interesting The last 50 kays was done in darkness and with the DRZ's poor headlight I just sat behind a car which I followed all the way to Pretoria. Got home by eight and did a total of 710 km ! By far my longest ride for one day, monkey but for sure but what da hell it's all good !
on the other side of Middleburg and according to this sign I was now in the cultural heartland.
I had to stop a couple of times to check my map, we did some of these trails on the wrong way round trip but I could not remember it anymore. Not far from Stoffberg I found the turnoff that lead to Dullstroom and my first dirt for the day. The countryside was green and the rivers flowing, what a nice day to ride a bike 8)
Korfnek pass, a little eroded from the rain but nothing too severe.
I arrived in Dullstroom at 10 'o clock, that's about five hours to cover 266 km ! Shows just how much I stopped to check maps and take pictures ! Dullstroom as usual were packed with people from GP coming through to pay ridiculous amounts for expensive coffee and just sitting around looking cool. I filled up and did a quick sum, 26.6 km per liter, not bad. About two k's outside Dullstroom I hit a right and got onto another dirt road. This proved to be a nice little road and the scenery was spectacular.
I spotted this little waterfall close to the road.
The trail itself had some loose rocks and some unexpected decents.
In the distance I could see the Lunsklip river.
A couple of kays later and I ended up crossing the Lunsklip river. The little river meanderd through the countryside, a perfect place to stop and have a little rest
After the river the road leads back to the N4, this trail is called the T5 and forms part of the fly fishing routes which are all over Mpumalanga. According to the map I only had to do six k's on the N4 before taking another dirt road which led towards Lydenburg and the R577. It's always a good sign when a trail has alot of zig zags, this trail did not dissapoint. It is also home to giants, not sure if they are talking about fish or GS's
The trail snakes it's way up the mountain passing trout dams and farm buildings from yesteryear.
The last bit into Lydenburg was a 17km tar stretch, it was also lunchtime and I was starving :shock:
Plenty of time left to explore so I headed towards Longtom pass to get to Sabie. On the pass I saw a little dirt road leading up the mountain so I had to follow.
The views were fantastic, as for the trail well it dissapeared into the grassy mountainside. It was quite slippery though !
Just before the Longtom cannon I spotted this little dirt road heading into the forrest. The smell of pinetrees filled the air and water appeared from all over the mountain side.
Heading into the valley I could see a waterfall in the distance, unfortunetly the trail led away from it so no chance of getting close.
At least I snapped it with maximum zoom.
Eventually I had to turn back as it was getting late and I decided to head home and cover as much distance as possible before sunset. I did the Korfnek section again as well as a nice stretch of dirt that led past the Loskop dam. Riding into the west proved tough with the sun being directly in front of me ! Combine that with a dirt road and wandering donkeys, let's just say it was interesting
The last 50 kays was done in darkness and with the DRZ's poor headlight I just sat behind a car which I followed all the way to Pretoria. Got home by eight and did a total of 710 km ! By far my longest ride for one day, monkey but for sure but what da hell it's all good !
