Chapman’s Peak and Cape Point

A 214 km loop

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Why this ride

A proper escape from Cape Town with roads worth waking up for. 214 km round from Sunset Beach - plan on about 3 h 53 of riding. On the way it passes Scenic stretch near Kraaifontein, near Retreat and Constantia. The climb of the day is near Stellenbosch. The line favours views over speed.

Roadbook

1. Fuel stop near Sunset Beach fuel

   Fuel at 0 km.

2. Scenic stretch near Kraaifontein scenic

   Kraaifontein lies on Cape Town's northern edge, where the suburbs give way to wheat fields, vineyards and the first ranges of the Boland. Its name means crow's fountain, a reminder of a time when this was a farm with a spring rather than a busy suburb on the N1. For riders, it is the threshold between the city and the Winelands.

   From here, a short ride takes you into some of the most celebrated countryside in South Africa. Durbanville's wine valley is just to the west, with cellars on rolling hills. To the east, the R304 and other roads lead towards Stellenbosch and Paarl, with the great granite dome of Paarl Mountain standing over the vineyards. Beyond lies Franschhoek, founded by French Huguenot refugees in the late seventeenth century, and the Franschhoek Pass, which climbs in sweeping bends over the mountains with views back over the valley.

   Roads around Kraaifontein are generally good, but traffic is heavy in the urban belt and minibus taxis stop unpredictably. Keep alert at intersections and traffic lights, keep valuables out of sight and avoid stopping in isolated places after dark, as you would anywhere in a big city. The wind deserves respect too: the south-easter, known locally as the Cape Doctor, can blow ferociously in summer, especially on exposed stretches and passes.

   Fuel stations are plentiful along the main roads, usually attended, and it is customary to tip the attendant. Malls and coffee shops abound. In the Winelands, farm stalls sell biltong, fresh bread and fruit, and many wine estates have restaurants. From Kraaifontein the scenery only improves, so fill the tank, grab a coffee and head for the mountains.

3. High point near Stellenbosch pass

   This is where the road stops climbing.

4. Photo stop near Retreat photo

   Retreat sits on the flat land between the mountains of the Cape Peninsula and the sandy plains that run down to False Bay, a busy, working suburb on Main Road and the railway line south of the city. It is no beauty spot, but it lies right at the foot of some of the finest short rides in Cape Town, and its petrol stations and shops are useful when you are about to climb into the hills or head out along the coast.

   The road that makes Retreat worth knowing is Ou Kaapse Weg, the M64, which starts in nearby Tokai and climbs steeply over the mountains to Noordhoek and the Atlantic side. It is a proper mountain road, with long sweepers, tight bends near the top and wide views back over the southern suburbs and False Bay. At the summit you ride through the Silvermine section of Table Mountain National Park, with fynbos on every side, and the descent to Noordhoek reveals the long white beach of Long Beach and the cliffs of Chapman's Peak. The road is popular, policed and occasionally closed for fires or accidents, so ride it with respect.

   The other good option is Boyes Drive, which hangs on the mountainside above Muizenberg and Kalk Bay, with False Bay below, surfers in the water and, in winter and spring, the chance of whales offshore. Muizenberg itself, with its colourful beach huts, was where Cecil Rhodes had his cottage, and the coast road south leads through Kalk Bay, a fishing harbour with good fish and chips, to Simon's Town and the penguins at Boulders.

   Nature here is fynbos country, part of the Cape Floral Kingdom, the smallest and richest of the world's plant kingdoms, with proteas, ericas and restios that flower at different times of year. Tokai Forest, near Retreat, has old plantations and walking trails, and the Steenberg and Constantia wine farms are just to the west.

   The weather matters. Summer brings the southeaster, which can blow riders around on the flats and over Ou Kaapse Weg, while winter fronts bring rain and low cloud on the mountains. For the long rides to the Cederberg or Clarence Drive, you head out onto the M5 and the N2 or N7. Retreat has fuel and supermarkets, which makes it a sensible place to fill the tank and grab water before the long road out.

5. Constantia finish

   Constantia is where wine began in South Africa, and it still has the air of a place that knows it. The valley lies on the eastern side of the Table Mountain chain, sheltered from the Atlantic, with old oak avenues, whitewashed Cape Dutch farmhouses and vineyards climbing toward the steep slopes of the Constantiaberg. It is one of Cape Town's leafiest and wealthiest suburbs, but the farms are open to visitors and the roads around it are some of the most beautiful in the city.

   The story starts with Simon van der Stel, the Dutch East India Company governor, who was granted the land in 1685 and built Groot Constantia, whose gabled manor house is now a museum. A century later the farm's sweet wine, Vin de Constance, was famous across Europe: Napoleon had it shipped to him in exile on St Helena, and Jane Austen mentions Constantia wine in Sense and Sensibility as a cure for a broken heart. The style was revived in modern times and you can taste it today, along with the region's sauvignon blanc, which loves the cool breezes from False Bay.

   For riders, the best road begins at the top of the valley. Constantia Nek is the saddle between the mountains, and the road drops from it through forest and down to Hout Bay, which leads to Chapman's Peak Drive, the toll road cut into the cliffs above the Atlantic. Rhodes Drive runs the other way, under trees along the slope past Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden to Newlands. Both are twisty, shaded and slow enough to keep you honest, with cyclists and walkers on weekends. For the longer rides east, to Clarence Drive, the winelands or the passes beyond, you leave on the M3 and the N2, which are busy but quick.

   The weather is a factor. In summer the southeaster, the Cape Doctor, can blow ferociously across the Cape Flats and the N2, while winter brings rain and the mountains catch the clouds. Spring and autumn are lovely, with green vines and long, clear light.

   Constantia has shopping centres with fuel, cafes and supermarkets, and the wine farms have restaurants, though booking is often necessary at the popular ones. Taste with discipline: South Africa enforces drink-driving limits and the roads out of the valley are not the place for a heavy head.

6. Constantia food
7. Atlantis swim

   Atlantis is not a postcard town, and nobody here pretends it is. It was built from scratch in the 1970s on the sandy plains north of Cape Town, part of the apartheid government's plan to move coloured families out of the city and to create an industrial centre far from the suburbs. The result was a planned town of factories, schools and housing estates, some forty-five kilometres from the city, which still struggles with unemployment and crime. It is worth understanding that history as you ride through.

   What the area offers is landscape. Around the town lie the Atlantis dunes, a great sea of white sand that has been used for sandboarding, quad biking and, of course, filming. The flat sandveld here is covered in tough, low scrub, part of the fynbos and strandveld vegetation of the West Coast, and in late winter and spring, roughly August and September, the plains burst into colour as wild flowers bloom after the rain.

   Just north of Atlantis lies Mamre, an old Moravian mission village founded in the early nineteenth century, with whitewashed thatched cottages, a church and a mill, one of the most charming places on this coast. To the west lies the coast itself, with Silwerstroomstrand and other beaches where the Atlantic is cold, clear and sometimes rough, fed by the Benguela Current from the Antarctic. The Koeberg nuclear power station, the only one in Africa, stands on the coast to the south.

   The rides from here are straight and open rather than curvy. The R27, the West Coast road, runs north toward Langebaan and the West Coast National Park with long straight stretches, while the R307 heads inland toward Darling and Malmesbury, through wheat fields and vineyards. Wind is the main challenge, especially in summer when the southeaster blows hard and the sand can drift onto the road. For the Clarence Drive and Bainskloof rides, the route leads back south and east, past Cape Town toward the mountains.

   Atlantis has fuel, supermarkets and fast food, and it is a sensible place to fill up before heading north or into the hills. Stick to the main roads and busy places, keep your bike in sight, and avoid wandering into residential areas. For a calmer stop, ride to Mamre or the coast, where a picnic with a view of the ocean is a better reward.

8. Back to Chapman’s Peak finish

   This is the north end of the metropolitan area, where Cape Town runs out into dunes, wetlands and sand-coloured scrub, with the huge Atlantic on the left. Sunset Beach, Table View and Blouberg have sprawling beach suburbs, and the sea wind makes it a favourite spot for kitesurfers.

   The land here is flat and sandy, the old floor of the Cape Flats, and beside the road lies a large nature reserve with wetlands that draw flamingos, pelicans and a host of other waterbirds. Further north, on the West Coast Road, the R27, the landscape opens into low scrubland that turns to carpet in spring, when the daisies and other annuals flower in late August and September. The Koeberg nuclear power station, South Africa's only one, sits on the coast a few kilometres north and is a landmark on the skyline.

   Riding on the R27 is a different experience from the mountain roads. It is a long, straight, fast road with a view of the sea on the left and the sand dunes beside, and the south-westerly wind can be vicious, so a loaded bike gets pushed around. Traffic is heavy at commuting hours and on weekends. The better riding is on the roads that run inland to Malmesbury and the Swartland, among wheat fields and low hills. Surface quality is good. In spring, the flower season brings crowds, and cars stop suddenly, so ride defensively.

   For practicalities, the area has everything, with fuel stations, supermarkets and shopping centres at Table View, and a long line of cafes and restaurants along the beachfront, where seafood and coffee come with a view of the mountain. Parking for bikes is easy. Further north on the coast, Melkbosstrand has a pleasant seafront and small services. The sunset over the Atlantic from here, with the mountain silhouetted across the bay, is one of the best finishes a day can have.

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