Paarl is named after a rock. In 1657, an explorer saw a huge granite dome glistening after rain and called it the Pearl, and the town grew up beneath it, along the Berg River at the heart of the Cape winelands. The Paarl Rock, which locals say is one of the largest granite outcrops in the world, rises above the valley in a smooth grey whaleback, and you can walk or drive up to its base for views over vineyards and the distant peaks of the Drakenstein range.
The town stretches for a long distance along one main street, lined with oaks and Cape Dutch buildings, with wine estates on every side. Brandy and wine are the main business, and the headquarters of a famous wine cooperative are here. The Taal Monument, built in 1975 on a hill above town, celebrates the Afrikaans language with a tall concrete tower and a curved wall. The Huguenots, French Protestant refugees, settled in the valley in the late seventeenth century and left their names on farms such as La Provence and Picardie.
Paarl also carries heavier history. At the Victor Verster prison on the outskirts of town, Nelson Mandela spent the last months of his twenty-seven years in captivity, and it was from its gates that he walked out a free man in February 1990, hand in hand with Winnie Mandela. A bronze statue marks the spot. It is a sober place to stand, beside a highway lined with vines.
For riders, Paarl is the base for several fine mountain roads. The Du Toitskloof old road climbs east toward Worcester in a series of hairpins, Bainskloof lies to the north, and Franschhoek Pass is a short ride to the south-east. The town is a big place, almost two hundred thousand people in the wider municipality, so fuel, parts, repairs and food are no problem, with good coffee and farm breakfasts. Wellington and Stellenbosch are both a short ride away. Summers are hot and dry, with the south-easter wind blowing hard in the afternoons, so ride early, and take a long lunch under the oaks.