For decades, every vehicle crossing from Cape Town to the interior had to climb the Du Toitskloof Pass, and there are drivers who still talk of the queues and the fog. In the late 1980s, a long tunnel was bored under the mountain on the N1 highway, and the old road was given up to riders, cyclists and anyone prepared to spend a little more time. It is now one of the quietest great roads in the Cape, with the traffic thundering through the tunnel below.
The old pass leaves Paarl and climbs the western face of the Du Toitskloof mountains in a series of hairpins and long curves, with granite cliffs overhead and the valley dropping away behind you. The surface is paved and generally good, but rock falls and water can leave debris, and the corners tighten without much warning, so take care in the damp. At the top, a viewpoint offers a wide look back over the Paarl valley, with vineyards, dams and Table Mountain on the far horizon on a clear day, and then the road falls into the Breede valley on the other side.
Cloud sits on the summit more often than not. Cold, thick fog can reduce visibility to a few metres, and in winter snow dusts the peaks and ice forms on the road, so choose a clear day, switch on your lights and slow down. Spring brings wildflowers and rushing streams, while summer is warm and dry, with strong wind funnelling through the gaps. Baboons are seen along the road, and rock rabbits sun themselves on warm stones.
There are no services on the pass, so make use of the nearby towns. Paarl, about sixteen kilometres away, has everything, and Wellington is a similar distance in a different direction, while Worcester, nearly thirty kilometres on the far side, is the next big centre. A drink and snack at one of the farm stalls at either end are a fair reward for the climb. Early morning is the best time, when the road is empty and the light on the cliffs is soft.