Montagu sits where the Little Karoo begins, in a fold of the Langeberg mountains, and the way you reach it is part of the charm. From the west, the road runs through Cogmanskloof, a narrow gorge with a short tunnel, and then the valley opens into a landscape of orchards, vineyards and red rock. The little town, with about fifteen thousand people, lines up along Long Street with Cape Dutch and Victorian houses, many carefully restored, and it has been a favourite weekend stop for people from Cape Town for decades.
The gorge was opened to traffic in the 1870s, designed by the road engineer Andrew Geddes Bain, a name that appears all over the passes of the Cape. The town itself grew around a spring, and the hot springs just outside still draw visitors, though the pools are busy at weekends. The area is known for its dried fruit, apricots and peaches laid out to dry in the sun, and for sweet muscadel wine, made from a grape that thrives in the heat.
Route 62 is the long alternative to the N2 highway between Cape Town and the Garden Route, and Montagu is one of its best-known stops. The riding is relaxed. Roads through the valleys are mostly well surfaced, with long straight stretches and the occasional pass, and the scenery changes from green fruit farms to dry, rocky hills in the space of a few kilometres. Summer afternoons can be intensely hot, over thirty-five degrees, and winter nights are cold, so layering is useful. Early morning light on the cliffs is the best of the day.
Fuel is in town, along with cafes, a bakery and various places selling dried fruit and preserves. If you have time, the short walk into the Cogmanskloof gorge or a drive up to the mountain viewpoints is worthwhile. Book a bed in advance on weekends and public holidays, because the town fills up, and expect a slow pace at lunch.