Route 62 and Swartberg Pass
3 passes in 459 km, topping out at 1780 m
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Why this ride
Built for flow, views and useful stops rather than navigation busywork. Out of Grabouw and back again: 459 km, roughly 8 h 20 in the saddle. The climbs: Retreat, Constantia and Cape Town.
Roadbook
- Grabouw
fuel
Apples built Grabouw. The town lies in the Elgin valley, a high basin in the mountains east of Cape Town, where cool nights, good soil and plentiful water make ideal conditions for fruit. Orchards of apples and pears cover the valley floor and the lower slopes, and in spring the trees are white and pink with blossom. In recent decades vineyards have joined them, producing some of South Africa's best cool-climate wines.
The valley is surrounded by mountains, part of the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve, one of the richest areas of fynbos in the Cape, with proteas, ericas and restios covering the slopes. The Palmiet River flows through the valley toward the sea, and the Theewaterskloof Dam to the north is one of the largest reservoirs supplying Cape Town's water. Baboons are common on the passes, so keep food out of sight and do not feed them.
The riding into Grabouw is the main attraction. From the west, the N2 climbs Sir Lowry's Pass from Somerset West, a long, steep ascent with sweeping bends and spectacular views back over the Cape Flats, False Bay and Table Mountain. The viewpoint at the top is worth a stop. To the east, the N2 continues over the Houw Hoek Pass, a smaller pass through the mountains toward Bot River and the Overberg. The R321 north to Villiersdorp and the Franschhoek Pass offers a quieter route with curves and views. Wind can be fierce on the passes, especially in summer when the southeaster blows, and fog sometimes rolls over the mountains.
The rides from here go in two directions. The Route 62 and Swartberg ride heads east into the Little Karoo, with its dry landscapes, ostrich farms and the gravel climb of the Swartberg Pass. The West Coast Flower Road heads north to the plains of Namaqualand, where in a good year the spring flowers carpet the land in orange, yellow and purple. Both are long rides, so start early and plan for fuel stops.
Grabouw has fuel, shops and fast food, and the farm stalls along the N2 sell fresh fruit, juice, pies and coffee. Elgin's wine estates offer tastings and lunches with views over the orchards. In spring, when the blossom is out, the valley is at its loveliest, and a slow ride through the orchards with the mountains around you is a pleasure in itself.
- Retreat
pass
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.
- Constantia
pass
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.
- Cape Town
pass
Cape Town sits at the foot of Table Mountain, a flat-topped sandstone wall about a kilometre high, and on a day when the tablecloth of cloud spills over the edge it is one of the great sights of the world. The city lies between the mountain and the Atlantic, with a harbour that was founded in 1652 by the Dutch East India Company as a supply station for ships on the route to the East. It grew into a port of many cultures, and the mix of Dutch, Malay, African and British influences is still visible in its food, language and architecture.
Robben Island, visible from the waterfront, was where Nelson Mandela spent eighteen of his twenty-seven years in prison, and ferries run from the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. The city centre has the Company's Garden, the Castle of Good Hope, the colourful Bo-Kaap quarter and the lively bars of Long Street. The winds can be fierce, especially the southeaster known as the Cape Doctor, which blows in summer and can make riding hard work.
For riders the city is a base and a beginning. Route 62, the long scenic alternative to the coastal N2 highway, starts inland and heads through wine country and the Karoo, with a few passes along the way. For a taste of coastal riding, Chapman's Peak Drive on the Atlantic side cuts along cliffs above the sea, and the Cape Peninsula leads to the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point. Traffic can be heavy at rush hour, and in the city centre you should watch for minibus taxis, which stop without warning.
Fuel, repair shops and hotels are everywhere. Keep your valuables out of sight, and park in guarded areas where possible, since car and motorcycle crime exists in some neighbourhoods. The best months are from October to April, when the weather is warm and dry. Winter brings storms and cold rain from the Atlantic, but also bright clear days after the front has passed. Eat fish and chips on the harbour, and see the sunset from Signal Hill.
- Food stop near Moorreesburg
food
Food at 354 km, roughly 7 hours into the riding.
- Cape Town / Western Cape return
swim
The valley is a quiet pocket of the Winelands ringed by the Witzenberg and Winterhoek ranges, and the town has the longest row of preserved Cape Dutch buildings in the country on Church Street. On the night of the twenty-ninth of September 1969, an earthquake of magnitude six-point-three shook the town, damaging most of those buildings. Restoration took years, and the street today looks as it did in the eighteenth century, a remarkable act of collective repair.
For the Route 62 ride, Tulbagh is a handsome place to start or finish. The way out leads east through Mitchell's Pass, a steep gorge near Ceres built in the 1840s by the engineer Charles Michell, with cliffs close above the road and a good surface. Ceres lies in a high valley that grows apples, pears and stone fruit, and in winter the surrounding peaks often wear snow, which brings visitors from Cape Town to throw snowballs. Beyond Ceres, the road crosses the Karoo, with big skies and dry hills.
The valley around Tulbagh is full of small wineries, including some of the oldest in the region, along with olive groves and a few farm stalls. The colours change dramatically through the seasons, from the bright green of spring to the gold and red of autumn. On the road, the bends are gentle, the surface is good, and traffic is light except on summer weekends. Mornings can be cold, especially in winter, so wear a warm layer.
Fuel is available in Tulbagh, Wolseley and Ceres, but not on the quiet roads in between, so plan your tank. A swim in the valley means a farm dam or a pool at a guesthouse, since there is no beach. Evening light on the mountains is outstanding, with the cliffs turning from orange to purple as the sun sets, and the air smells of dry fynbos.
- Near Constantia
finish
Hout Bay sits in a deep green bowl on the Atlantic side of the Cape Peninsula, a short hop over the mountains from Constantia, and this point lies in that valley or on the slopes above it. Steep peaks surround it on three sides: the Sentinel guarding the harbour mouth, the Karbonkelberg to the west and the long ridge of Table Mountain's back table to the east. The fishing harbour, the beach and the village spread out along the valley floor.
The harbour is still a working one, with fishing boats, a fish market and stalls selling snoek, the local fish, as well as boats taking visitors to see the Cape fur seals on Duiker Island, just off the coast. The beach is broad and pretty, but the water is cold, fed by the Benguela Current, and swimming here is bracing even in summer. In the forests and on the slopes above the village, tracks lead up toward the peaks, with views out over the ocean.
The famous road here is Chapman's Peak Drive, a toll road cut into the cliffs between Hout Bay and Noordhoek, with tight bends, rock overhangs and sheer drops to the sea. It is one of the most spectacular coast roads in the world, and is sometimes closed because of rockfall or bad weather, so check before you go. The road over Constantia Nek, the saddle between Hout Bay and Constantia, climbs through forest on a series of curves, offering an alternative route into the city's southern suburbs.
The rides from here head north and east to some of South Africa's most famous roads. The Cederberg ride goes north up the N7 to a wilderness of red sandstone, rock art and rooibos tea farms around Clanwilliam. The Route 62 and Swartberg Pass ride heads east through the Little Karoo, the semi-desert of ostrich farms and wine towns, to the Swartberg Pass, a gravel road built in the late nineteenth century by the road engineer Thomas Bain, with dramatic views over the mountains. Both are long journeys, demanding preparation and plenty of time.
Hout Bay has fuel, shops, cafés and restaurants, and the harbour has fish and chips with a view. The weather is changeable: the southeaster can blow ferociously in summer, and winter brings rain. Start early, check the forecast and enjoy the view of the bay from the road as you leave.
- Back to Grabouw
finish
Back at Route 62. That is the ride.