Where the Treur River meets the Blyde, the water has carved a set of smooth, round potholes into the rock, some of them deep enough to swallow a car, and the effect is a little like looking into the inside of a giant's pocket. The potholes are cylindrical bowls of yellow, orange and grey dolomite, created over thousands of years by whirlpools spinning sand and pebbles against the riverbed. A series of footbridges and paths lets visitors look down into them from above, with the river rushing through the channels below.
The names tell a story. Treur means mourning in Afrikaans, and Blyde means joyful. In the 1840s, Voortrekker families travelling through the area left their wives behind while the men went to scout. When the men failed to return, the women named the first river mourning, but the men came back safely and the river where they were reunited was named joyful. The potholes themselves are named for Tom Bourke, a prospector who staked a claim here in the nineteenth century and was sure there was gold in the river bed. He found little, and his luck proved to be mostly a name.
For the rider, this is a short stop on the Panorama Route, the road linking the great viewpoints of the Blyde River Canyon, one of the largest green canyons in the world. The surface is generally good, the bends gentle, and the scenery is a mix of forest, grassland and rock. Rain can come quickly in summer afternoons, and the footbridges become slippery, so go carefully in wet weather. The morning light is best, with fewer crowds and a cooler, clearer atmosphere.
There is an entrance fee at the gate, paid on the spot, and a small café and a craft market are on site. Fuel is not available at the potholes, so fill up in Graskop or Hoedspruit before you set out. Wear shoes with decent grip and keep to the paths, because the rock can be treacherous. Allow an hour, and take time at the lower bridge, where the river leaves the potholes and tumbles into the canyon.