M
masehare
Guest
Here's a report of a trip we did about a month ago. More pics may follow soon...
It was time again to do what GS'es do best - touring the less used roads, no matter what the conditions. And a summer weekend trip to Lambertsbay sounded like just the thing. There were so many different routes to choose from, but after a few beers at lunch on Friday, the five of us decided that the route simply had to include Ceres and Middelberg pass. Early Saturday morning everybody met up at Wellington, ready to take on Bainskloofpass. The twisties on the pass were great, but the recent fires destroyed a lot of scenery. Luckily the rest of the trip only had lush, unharmed fynbos to admire.
First stop was Ceres, where we had breakfast at the Spur. After topping up the fuel tanks, we set off for Gydopass.
An unscheduled stop was made at the top of the pass to scratch around for some fossils, which were to be used as evidence of the trip for when we got back home.
The road took us past Op-die-berg and we stopped on a bridge for a drink just before the road became gravel.
The gravel road took us through incredible scenery up the Middelberg pass, with the layer of sand on the road surface providing just enough "moments" for it to have been "entertaining".
At Citrusdal we stopped for another drink and a breather (and a smoke for some) before setting off to Clanwilliam. We opted for the gravel road that runs parallel to the N7, east of the Clanwilliam dam. The 2nd half of the road isn't in the best conditions. It twists quite a lot and the sandy patches are, well, unpredictable. Nothing that these fine machines can't handle anyway. It's fairly technical too and you have to stop now and then to be able to take in the beautiful scenery next to the dam. The day turned out quite hot and the ice cold beers in Clanwilliam hotel didn't even touch the sides as they went down. The last stretch to Lambertsbay went by in a flash where we stopped at the harbour for a late lunch. The local kids amused us by posing for photos while we enjoyed probably the best calamari in RSA.
The accomodation was just the right size, providing us with a garage for the bikes and a braai for the chops. Plenty of laughter, fine wine and tall stories saw us into the night.
The next morning we left for Elandsbay via the railway service road (R20 permit cost).
Best to deflate your tyres for this section, at least until you reach tar again. The sandy sections and corrugated surface will test your skills (and denture fittings, if you have them). The road took us past Dwarskersbos and into Veldrif where we filled up again.
From there we took the West Coast road and turned off to Darling, through Malmesbury, and then home to Somerset West. Total distance for the trip was about 750km.
It was time again to do what GS'es do best - touring the less used roads, no matter what the conditions. And a summer weekend trip to Lambertsbay sounded like just the thing. There were so many different routes to choose from, but after a few beers at lunch on Friday, the five of us decided that the route simply had to include Ceres and Middelberg pass. Early Saturday morning everybody met up at Wellington, ready to take on Bainskloofpass. The twisties on the pass were great, but the recent fires destroyed a lot of scenery. Luckily the rest of the trip only had lush, unharmed fynbos to admire.
First stop was Ceres, where we had breakfast at the Spur. After topping up the fuel tanks, we set off for Gydopass.
An unscheduled stop was made at the top of the pass to scratch around for some fossils, which were to be used as evidence of the trip for when we got back home.
The road took us past Op-die-berg and we stopped on a bridge for a drink just before the road became gravel.
The gravel road took us through incredible scenery up the Middelberg pass, with the layer of sand on the road surface providing just enough "moments" for it to have been "entertaining".
At Citrusdal we stopped for another drink and a breather (and a smoke for some) before setting off to Clanwilliam. We opted for the gravel road that runs parallel to the N7, east of the Clanwilliam dam. The 2nd half of the road isn't in the best conditions. It twists quite a lot and the sandy patches are, well, unpredictable. Nothing that these fine machines can't handle anyway. It's fairly technical too and you have to stop now and then to be able to take in the beautiful scenery next to the dam. The day turned out quite hot and the ice cold beers in Clanwilliam hotel didn't even touch the sides as they went down. The last stretch to Lambertsbay went by in a flash where we stopped at the harbour for a late lunch. The local kids amused us by posing for photos while we enjoyed probably the best calamari in RSA.
The accomodation was just the right size, providing us with a garage for the bikes and a braai for the chops. Plenty of laughter, fine wine and tall stories saw us into the night.
The next morning we left for Elandsbay via the railway service road (R20 permit cost).
Best to deflate your tyres for this section, at least until you reach tar again. The sandy sections and corrugated surface will test your skills (and denture fittings, if you have them). The road took us past Dwarskersbos and into Veldrif where we filled up again.
From there we took the West Coast road and turned off to Darling, through Malmesbury, and then home to Somerset West. Total distance for the trip was about 750km.
