The valley is a quiet pocket of the Winelands ringed by the Witzenberg and Winterhoek ranges, and the town has the longest row of preserved Cape Dutch buildings in the country on Church Street. On the night of the twenty-ninth of September 1969, an earthquake of magnitude six-point-three shook the town, damaging most of those buildings. Restoration took years, and the street today looks as it did in the eighteenth century, a remarkable act of collective repair.
For the Route 62 ride, Tulbagh is a handsome place to start or finish. The way out leads east through Mitchell's Pass, a steep gorge near Ceres built in the 1840s by the engineer Charles Michell, with cliffs close above the road and a good surface. Ceres lies in a high valley that grows apples, pears and stone fruit, and in winter the surrounding peaks often wear snow, which brings visitors from Cape Town to throw snowballs. Beyond Ceres, the road crosses the Karoo, with big skies and dry hills.
The valley around Tulbagh is full of small wineries, including some of the oldest in the region, along with olive groves and a few farm stalls. The colours change dramatically through the seasons, from the bright green of spring to the gold and red of autumn. On the road, the bends are gentle, the surface is good, and traffic is light except on summer weekends. Mornings can be cold, especially in winter, so wear a warm layer.
Fuel is available in Tulbagh, Wolseley and Ceres, but not on the quiet roads in between, so plan your tank. A swim in the valley means a farm dam or a pool at a guesthouse, since there is no beach. Evening light on the mountains is outstanding, with the cliffs turning from orange to purple as the sun sets, and the air smells of dry fynbos.