Stellenbosch is the second oldest town in South Africa, founded in 1679, and the heart of the Cape winelands, and this start and finish lies on its western edge, on the way to the Helderberg and Somerset West. The old town has oak trees, whitewashed Cape Dutch buildings and a university with a large student population, and the surrounding hills are covered in vineyards. The grapes grown here, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage and Chenin Blanc among them, have made the district famous, and many estates have tasting rooms and restaurants.
The Cederberg, however, is far away, a wilderness about two hundred kilometres to the north, and the road there is a journey into a different landscape. The mountains are a rugged range of orange-red sandstone, shaped by wind and water into arches, pinnacles and caves, including the Wolfberg Cracks and the Maltese Cross. The rock art of the San people is preserved in shelters, some many thousands of years old, showing animals and human figures. The Cederberg is the home of rooibos tea, grown on the slopes and harvested by hand, and the town of Clanwilliam is its centre. The Clanwilliam cedar, the tree that gives the range its name, is now rare and survives in a few high places.
Riding in the Cederberg means mountain passes and gravel. The Pakhuis Pass, near Clanwilliam, is a good tarmac road that climbs through rock formations, and beyond it, many tracks are unsealed, with corrugations and loose sand. Summer is very hot, with temperatures often above forty degrees in the valleys, while winter brings snow on the peaks and cold nights. Spring, from August to October, has wildflowers, and autumn is mild. Clear nights give extraordinary stars.
Fuel is easy near the start, with stations around Stellenbosch, Somerset West and Kraaifontein, the larger towns nearby. In the north, stations are in Citrusdal and Clanwilliam, but nothing lies in the mountains between, so fill the tank and carry water. Mobile coverage fades away from the towns, so tell someone your plans.
Stop at a farm stall on the way for rusks and biltong, and enjoy the sense of the country opening out as the vineyards are left behind.