Honestly, the marker for this pull-off has landed in the Atlantic, a hundred kilometres west of Cape Town, so I will write about the place the ride is really after: the Swartberg Pass, one of the great mountain roads of southern Africa. It crosses the Swartberg range between Oudtshoorn and Prince Albert, and it was built between 1881 and 1888 under the direction of the engineer Thomas Bain, using convict labour and little more than picks, shovels and dry-stone walling. Those walls still hold up the road today, and they are astonishingly neat.
The pass is gravel, graded and generally passable on a sensible bike, but steep, narrow and without protection at the edges. It climbs in tight switchbacks to a summit of about fifteen hundred metres, then drops on the northern side into the dry Karoo. At the top, a sign marks the high point, and the view stretches over folded rock layers like the pages of a giant book. It is often closed after snow or heavy rain, and ice can lie in the shade in winter, so check conditions. Riders should take it slowly, use low gears and watch for oncoming vehicles on blind bends.
The route leading to it, Route 62, is a long road through the Little Karoo that has become a kind of legend. It passes through wine villages, ostrich farms and dusty towns such as Montagu and Barrydale, where the pub, with its quirky name, has become a pilgrimage point for bikers. The valley between the mountains grows apricots, peaches and grapes, and farm stalls sell dried fruit, jams and brandy. The Meiringspoort pass, a gorge with waterfalls, offers another dramatic route.
Fuel can be scarce, and it makes sense to fill up in Oudtshoorn and Prince Albert, and carry extra. Summers are fiercely hot, and winters can be freezing at altitude, so check the weather and carry water.