Anyone who loves old guns has heard of Long Tom. In the Anglo-Boer War of 1900, the Boers dragged a few of these huge French-made siege cannon, with barrels long enough to throw shells across valleys, up and down the escarpment to slow the British advance, and the pass takes its name from them. A replica gun stands beside the road near the summit, pointing out over the hills, and it is worth a pause and a photograph before you carry on.
The pass, at roughly 2,150 metres, is one of the highest in Mpumalanga, and it carries the R37 between Lydenburg on the highveld and Sabie in the green hills below. Before the road it was an ox-wagon trail, used by traders hauling goods to the coast at Delagoa Bay, and later by prospectors heading for the goldfields of Pilgrim's Rest. The climb out of Lydenburg is long and gradual, across open grassland, then the road rolls over the top and starts down in a series of bends and curves, with views of misty valleys, rock faces and plantations of pine and eucalyptus.
The weather is the main character. Fog and drizzle are common on the escarpment, particularly in the afternoons, and can reduce visibility to almost nothing, so go slowly and use your lights. In summer, thunderstorms roll in with hail and sudden downpours, while winter mornings can be cold and frosty, with ice in the shade. The best time to ride is a clear morning in autumn, when the air is crisp and the colours of the hillsides are rich. The road surface is good, though some patches deteriorate after storms, and timber lorries use the route all year, so expect slow traffic on the climb.
Around the summit there are no services, so be sure to start with a full tank. Lydenburg, seventeen kilometres away, is the nearest town and has fuel and food, while Sabie, on the other side of the descent, is a small tourist town with cafés, waterfalls and craft shops. Pilgrim's Rest, a preserved gold-rush village, is a short ride beyond, and the whole region is a rewarding place for a few days on a bike. Bring a warm layer for the top, even if it is sunny at the bottom.