The Tradouw Pass is a short, pretty road, and it has a good claim to being the best-surfaced mountain road in the Cape. It slices through the Langeberg mountains for a few kilometres between Swellendam and the Little Karoo, following the Tradouw river as it cuts a narrow gorge through red and orange rock. The name is said to come from Khoi words meaning pass of the women, though the exact meaning is debated, and the road was engineered in the 1870s by Thomas Bain, son of the more famous Andrew Bain, who built so many of the great Cape passes.
The ride starts in green farmland on the southern side, with orchards, wheat fields and fynbos, then enters the gorge, where the road bends from side to side with rock walls on either side and the river glittering beneath. Corners are smooth and well banked, the surface is excellent, and the pass is short enough to ride twice, once in each direction, which a lot of riders do. A few viewpoints let you stop and look at the layers of rock, which are tilted at dramatic angles, a reminder of the forces that folded these mountains.
Beyond the northern end, the landscape changes abruptly, from lush green to the dry scrub and red earth of the Klein Karoo, where the villages seem to sit in a different country. Nights can be cold, and in winter, snow sometimes lies on the highest peaks. Spring is best for flowers and clear light, and in summer the heat is dry and the air is full of the smell of fynbos. Rock hyrax and baboons appear on the roadside, and birds of prey ride the thermals above.
There are small settlements around the pass, and Swellendam, about twenty-six kilometres to the south-west, is the nearest large town and the best place for fuel and supplies, with Barrydale just beyond the pass offering a few cafés and craft shops. A stop at a roadside stall for a drink and a snack makes a good break, and the quiet at the northern end is a pleasure. If you can, stay overnight in the Barrydale area and ride back in the early morning, when the pass is empty.