The last time I visited this area by bike was in 2007 so I decided a ride out that way would make for an enjoyable Saturday. I loaded my GPS track and off I went, the total distance would be 570km round trip. I used the same route as before but I'm sure with some Google Earth help there would be some extra bits you can add.
It was a cool morning as I made my way to Hekpoort, it looked like rain @ 6am on the highveld surely not ? Well it turns out rain did fall just before my arrival, not alot just enough to reduce dust to a minimum and make for some good traction. Perfect riding weather.
In the distance some Roan antelope, not a lively bunch - when I returned past this spot 8 hours later they were still there
The route started with the famous Breedtsnek, well known to dual sport riders and mountain bikers alike. Have not ridden it for ages so can't really say if it was good or bad but the guys with pedle power sure were huffing and puffing alot.
Old church just outside Hekpoort, filled up close to here and managed 3.5 L per 100km.
First dirt of the day.
Top of the pass.
I headed West passed Olifantsnek dam, some people were trying their luck at catching some fish or maybe it was just an excuse to "Hengel" and "kuier"
Heck who wants to stay home and mow the lawn on a Saturday ! As you ride past the dam you get quite a nice view off the dam wall on the left.
From Wikipedia - "Olifantsnek Dam, is an arch type dam located on the Hex River, near Rustenburg, North West, South Africa. It was established in 1929. The dam has a capacity of 14,200,000 cubic metres (500,000,000 cu ft) and a surface area of 272 hectares (670 acres), the wall is 30 metres (98 ft), and has a length of 129 metres (423 ft).[1] The dam serves mainly for irrigation purposes and its hazard potential has been ranked high"
From here it was a short run to the next dirt section, at the petrol station keep right. They have life size elephant statues on the front lawn, wanted to park the bike next to them for a picture but decided to stay of the grass.
It seemed I was just missing the rain as I went along. You could still smell it in the air.
Back on the R52 and then a right back to the dirt as I headed in the direction of Derby. This is a nice bit of road, nice and sweeping. I rode past a game farm and saw Bushpigs for the first time in my life believe it or not. Seen plenty of Wharthogs but no bushpigs before. I'm told they smell bad but taste quite nice !
Another bike shot, there are plenty I warn you in advance
Through Koster I had to make a couple of U turns to get back onto the route, I zoomed in and out on the GPS but still managed to get thrown offcourse by a pesky fly over - the only one in town !I have to be honest the West Transvaal would not be my first choice as a riding destination. Most off the tracks are flat and open, also not much to see unless you are into mealie fields or the like. I actually felt quite depressed riding through this bit, sure the seat eating into my ass also did not help ! I knew as I got closer to
Marico that the terrain would change quite quickly
The terrain became lush as I made my way north to get to Groot Marico. On a previous trip we ran into problems with a tyre in this valley and a local farmer assisted us, we also ended up spending most of the day here and doing some site seeing. I took pictures of the same buildings as you can see in these Google Earth snapshots. Nice valley to explore with it's old water mills.
I rode through an area named Bokkraal and took a pic of this monument dedicated to the Voortrekkers, it is a heritage site so warrants some further research.
Just after Bokkraal you need to make a sharp almost 180 degree turn which leads you to Groot Marico. This is the most scenic part of the ride as the track is fast and sweeping as it crosses the Marico river a couple of times. The area is unspoilt and beautifull. Had to stop at one of the bridges and take some photos and have a snack. Looking at the countryside I was convinced there had to be leopards in this area. As I bundu bashed down towards the river I had visions of one of them jumping on my back
The dry river bed looked ridable but I decided to stay on the main road.
Groot Marico itself is not an idillic hamlet to write home about although some mampoer may change that. The town has fuel and some spaza shops, there seems to be one arty farty restaurant and that is it. If I'm missing something please share. I was made famous by the writings of Herman Charles Bosman.
I was now close to the furthest point on my trip, I rode through a village called Pella. Been to a Pella before but that was in the Northern Cape.
Then onto the direction of Koster, rode for about 50km before I found a shady tree for another snack break.
The last bit of dirt took me past Boons and then onto Naaupoort, the poort had some nice scenery which I marked on my GPS. It was also insanely hot. At first I thought my bike's radiator was emitting exsessive temps but turned out to be a heat wave in the valley. The last bit saw me return through Magaliesburg and then home. Thanks for reading.
