Lancer
Pack Dog
- Joined
- Jul 5, 2010
- Messages
- 55
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- Plettenberg Bay
- Bike
- Honda XRV 750 Africa Twin
Having moved to the Garden Route at the end of September, I have been quite occupied with settling in to my home – and have had a lot of work to do. On Sunday, I did a ride which was filled with memories of riding with various friends in the past.
It was a beautiful morning as I rode out of Plett on the Piesangs Valley Road, and turned left onto the N2 in the direction of Knysna. About 4 km along the N2, I took the turnoff to the right (Wittedrift/Avontuur), which is a dirt road to the little hamlet of Wittedrift. (For future reference, the Butchery in Wittedrift has excellent meat and friendly service)
The road is tarred as you come into Wittedrift. At the T-junction, I turned left and this is the R340 (which is the start of the Prince Alfred Pass). The road is immediately twisty and fun, but there are roadworks in progress and I was stopped at a Stop/Go for about 5 minutes. Once through the roadworks, the road is in poor condition (just what the Africa Twin loves) and I headed up into the mountains.
The air was extremely fresh and with the abundance of rain that we have had in the area, there were some wet patches that required a bit of caution.
It was great to leave the tar road behind and I remembered the stop that Claus, Dave, Heike, Michael and I made in 2007 at the sign which indicates the end of the tar road and the start of the dirt road.
Near the top of one of the hills, I stopped to breathe the pine-scented air. The light was really beautiful and the scenery totally breathtaking. It is quite amazing to look down on clouds and with the light filtering through the forests and with lush green meadows below.
At the junction of the R340 and R339, I took a left for Knysna. I was specifically looking for the viewspot that Claus and I had found all those years ago. About 5km from the intersection, there is a picnic spot (Spitskop) and just after that there is a turnoff to the right which is to the Spitskop view point. It is marked for 4X4 vehicles only, but that is nothing to an Africa Twin. (NB – this is not a technical ride, but this section is a little challenging, but can be done by all but the very novice rider.)
On top of Spitskop, you have a view that is quite amazing. From the Knysna Heads, you have a view all the way along the coastline, including Plettenberg Bay and further North.
I took a breather at the top of Spitskop and I am planning to return there for a picnic at some time soon. I was all alone at the top of Spitskop and it was so peaceful and quiet there – really a great spot to get some quality thinking done.
The ride down from the top of Spitskop is fun – particularly with some of the water on the path/road, but I got down without any incident. I then continued along the R339 towards Knysna. The road is in good condition overall, but there is quite a mix of surfaces and you have to be constantly vigilant for other vehicles on the road – i.e. don’t do anything stupid. There are sections of tree-tunnels that are also just beautiful to ride through and I was fortunate to see a Bushbuck and quite a few Baboons.
The dirt road ends near the N2 highway as you come to a township which is nestled above Knysna. There are some spectacular views across Knysna from here. On reaching the N2, I turned left and headed home for Plett. This stretch of the N2 is really nice to ride, with several long-flowing bends.
About 10 km from Plett there is the turn-off to the Plett Airport. I took this turning and was immediately back on dirt roads. This is quite a well-used road and is in good condition, but with variable surface conditions. There are a few stunning properties along this route, and it is worth riding at a more leisurely pace to enjoy these. There is also one section that you can really open the throttle, albeit that you have to be mindful of the fact that you are on dirt and that the bike is going to move around a little.
All too soon, I was back on Tar Roads near the Plett Airport and was stopped at more roadworks. Fortunately the delay wasn’t too long and then I continued on to my home. I covered some 100 km in the round-trip and I was away for just under 2 hours.
This is really a worthwhile route to ride and I will ride it again soon (and often).
It was a beautiful morning as I rode out of Plett on the Piesangs Valley Road, and turned left onto the N2 in the direction of Knysna. About 4 km along the N2, I took the turnoff to the right (Wittedrift/Avontuur), which is a dirt road to the little hamlet of Wittedrift. (For future reference, the Butchery in Wittedrift has excellent meat and friendly service)
The road is tarred as you come into Wittedrift. At the T-junction, I turned left and this is the R340 (which is the start of the Prince Alfred Pass). The road is immediately twisty and fun, but there are roadworks in progress and I was stopped at a Stop/Go for about 5 minutes. Once through the roadworks, the road is in poor condition (just what the Africa Twin loves) and I headed up into the mountains.
The air was extremely fresh and with the abundance of rain that we have had in the area, there were some wet patches that required a bit of caution.
It was great to leave the tar road behind and I remembered the stop that Claus, Dave, Heike, Michael and I made in 2007 at the sign which indicates the end of the tar road and the start of the dirt road.
Near the top of one of the hills, I stopped to breathe the pine-scented air. The light was really beautiful and the scenery totally breathtaking. It is quite amazing to look down on clouds and with the light filtering through the forests and with lush green meadows below.
At the junction of the R340 and R339, I took a left for Knysna. I was specifically looking for the viewspot that Claus and I had found all those years ago. About 5km from the intersection, there is a picnic spot (Spitskop) and just after that there is a turnoff to the right which is to the Spitskop view point. It is marked for 4X4 vehicles only, but that is nothing to an Africa Twin. (NB – this is not a technical ride, but this section is a little challenging, but can be done by all but the very novice rider.)
On top of Spitskop, you have a view that is quite amazing. From the Knysna Heads, you have a view all the way along the coastline, including Plettenberg Bay and further North.
I took a breather at the top of Spitskop and I am planning to return there for a picnic at some time soon. I was all alone at the top of Spitskop and it was so peaceful and quiet there – really a great spot to get some quality thinking done.
The ride down from the top of Spitskop is fun – particularly with some of the water on the path/road, but I got down without any incident. I then continued along the R339 towards Knysna. The road is in good condition overall, but there is quite a mix of surfaces and you have to be constantly vigilant for other vehicles on the road – i.e. don’t do anything stupid. There are sections of tree-tunnels that are also just beautiful to ride through and I was fortunate to see a Bushbuck and quite a few Baboons.
The dirt road ends near the N2 highway as you come to a township which is nestled above Knysna. There are some spectacular views across Knysna from here. On reaching the N2, I turned left and headed home for Plett. This stretch of the N2 is really nice to ride, with several long-flowing bends.
About 10 km from Plett there is the turn-off to the Plett Airport. I took this turning and was immediately back on dirt roads. This is quite a well-used road and is in good condition, but with variable surface conditions. There are a few stunning properties along this route, and it is worth riding at a more leisurely pace to enjoy these. There is also one section that you can really open the throttle, albeit that you have to be mindful of the fact that you are on dirt and that the bike is going to move around a little.
All too soon, I was back on Tar Roads near the Plett Airport and was stopped at more roadworks. Fortunately the delay wasn’t too long and then I continued on to my home. I covered some 100 km in the round-trip and I was away for just under 2 hours.
This is really a worthwhile route to ride and I will ride it again soon (and often).
