after 51,5 km turn right again onto the R323, after 54,2 km turn left onto gravel road. Ride as far as Van Wyksdorp, where you will turn right after 94 km, to the Rooiberg Pass, and finally to Calitzdorp.)
As with all routes in this area, part of the enchantment lies in the names of the farms, each of which tells a story, or paints a picture of words in your mind. You ride over and past Klein Begin, Boerbonefontein, Opsoek and Olyvenrivier before you reach Van Wyksdorp. The Western Cape’s very own Mount Ararat is the greatest carbuncle on your left-hand side. About 31 km after you hit the gravel road, it is time for the first turn-off – to the left.
It’s easy to miss it, as directions are scarce. Look out for the big sign advertising Assegaaybosch – just beyond it the Rooiberg route begins in earnest.
The dirt road initially twists and turns through a short, nameless pass and just beyond Dwars-in-die-Weg it swings north. One of the problems of riding Rooiberg from Van Wyksdorp is that the best panoramas are behind you. So, stop often and look back – the ridges roll on to the Langeberg horizon.
Only 20 km beyond Assegaaybosch you hit the true Rooiberg Pass, which, understandably enough, takes you over the limbs of the Rooiberge. The highest peak is in the distance to the left, 1 490 m high.
Ride slowly as there is plenty of game here. On our last outing three klipspringers pranced along with us for a couple of hundred metres. Watch how the vegetation changes too. On the seaward side it is still protea country, but beyond the crest it is all Karroo bush.
And then: the most striking view of the day is when you descend the Calitzdorp side.
It’s not just the broad green band of the Gamka River Valley that takes your breath away; it is also the view over the mountain beyond: the Klein Swartberg far to the left, where you can see the ravines of Seweweekspoort on a clear day. And the Groot Swartberg far behind Calitzdorp. Even Oudtshoorn is visible in the haze.
At the bottom of the pass you ride through the farmyard of Rietvlei and then the road becomes flat and tame until you hang left at Rose Villa for the last few kilometres to Calitzdorp. Usually you will see literally thousands of ostriches in one feedlot after the other – and like clockwork they run along with the motorbikes, as if they share some obscure family bond.
The last secret that this route yields is the vineyards of Calitzdorp. People who normally travel the R62 tar road are seldom aware of the extensive, irrigated grapevines that are cultivated in abundance beside the Gamka River. We were last there during harvest last, and managed to beg a bunch or two from a heavily laden tractor and trailer. Pure, edible sunshine.
2
Barrydale
From Barrydale to Calitzdorp it is 146 km.
4 hours
In Calitzdorp’s backyard
Groenfontein sounds like the kind of destination that would make sokkie kings Die Campbells wax lyrical:
Gedaan en moeg
Vir die stad se pyn?
Vat jou bokkie
Vir ’n sokkie
op Groenfontein
Worn out and tired
of the city’s pain?
Take your bokkie
for a sokkie
at Groenfontein
Or it might be more fun simply to take your bokkie on your adventure bike and explore one of the most beautiful dirt roads in the Little Karoo – between Calitzdorp and the R328 at the Swartberg Pass, via Groenfontein and Kruisrivier. The turn-off to the left is plumb in the middle of Calitzdorp’s R62 main street, a block or so past the charming stone church. And, before you are properly out of town, the tar ends and the adventure begins.
This route has multiple pleasures. First, the road surface is usually excellent, which means you can take a passenger along and even beginners can master it easily. Second, you will struggle to find a straight stretch longer than a few hundred metres. You are barely out of town when the curves begin. And they don’t stop until you are back on the tar at Matjiesrivier.
Third, the architecture. You frequently ride close to and sometimes right through farmyards with the most wonderful Karoo architecture you will see in the Western Cape. Outbuildings whose walls create pleasing textures and sheds that have recently been restored according to historical tradition – it’s all there.
The farm names tell stories of abundant water, prosperity and perhaps a setback or two: Groenkloof, Welgevonden, Witfontein, Vinknesrivier, Voorbedacht and, last but not least, Gatplaas.
Then there is the landscape.
First, the Calitzdorp dam on your left, which at certain times of the year is nearly pitch-black from the mountain water, provides a surprising visual effect. Then you will see the nameless hills to your right, while the road almost disappears every now and then between sky-high reeds and bulrushes.
Sometimes the Swartberg beckons far ahead and then you’ll know: due north, over Boesmansnek, lies Gamkaskloof, less than 15 km away as the crow flies. Oh, and ride slowly so that you can appreciate the aloes on show. When we were there in June, the red masses took our breath away.
At Kruisrivier, about 28 km from Calitzdorp, the valley opens up for the first time, but don’t open the throttle too much, because you have to turn left here, towards Matjiesrivier. The road swerves and curves less now, but it is up and down over one ridge after the next, each opening up a new feast for the eyes.
Even though the last stretch of road is tarred before you reach the R328 T-junction, the scenery is still striking. The ideal way to do this route is to ride it there and back – mainly because the scenery from various angles is so dramatically different. One direction only will grant you only half the show.
The one thing to be careful of is the width of the road. Here and there it’s only wide enough for one inconsiderate 4x4 and, if there is unexpected traffic ahead, you might be in a pickle. With so many blind corners and rises, it’s wise to watch your speed.
Please consider staying over at Marie and Grant Burton’s Victorian
