West Coast Flower Road · part 2

Scenic road chapters

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Photo stop near Atlantis

   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.

   Read the complete Atlantis write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Photo stop near Atlantis is where the day begins. Next is Cape Town / Western Cape return.

2. 2. Near Grabouw, on the way back

   Grabouw is the heart of the Elgin valley, the apple-growing capital of South Africa, a high, cool basin surrounded by mountains about an hour east of Cape Town. Orchards of apples and pears cover the valley floor, and in recent decades vineyards have been planted too, producing crisp cool-climate wines. This stop is a few kilometres from the town, in the hills and forests on the western side of the valley, near the Palmiet River.

   Read the complete Near Grabouw, on the way back write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Cape Town / Western Cape return comes up about 101 km into the recorded legs. Next is West Coast Flower Road food stop.

3. 3. Grabouw

   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.

   Read the complete Grabouw write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   A break here. Next is Back to West.

4. 4. Back to West Coast Flower Road

   Planning note

   Back to West closes the day.