It takes a while to get used to the longer nights down here in the South. We managed to get on the road just after 07h00 and even managed to experience some “peak hour” traffic in Knysna. One of the disadvantages of travelling between Plettenberg Bay and George is that after many, many repeats over the years, we have become rather blasé about the road and the truly amazing scenery.
It was nice though to be back on the road after 4 days in Plett, which was mostly taken up by family affairs. We did manage a few hours alone though which included a stroll around Old Nick’s (nothing to do with me), and surveying the new Lookout Beach. This beach disappeared a few years back when the Bitou River mouth moved about 300 meters down the coast. It has now reversed and moved almost back to its previous position again. This is quite an interesting phenomenon on the South African coastline and in this case caused quite a stir and some significant damage to properties.
Back to the road. We soon passed through Wilderness and then George on the way to Mossel Bay. After Mossel Bay one passed by Albertinia which has become well known for their Aloe-based products. There are two factories here which produce a host of skincare and health products from the abundant aloe ferox found and cultivated in the area.
Just outside Riversdale we stopped at the Bali Trading complex and enjoyed a really nice breakfast. It was quite chilly and so we enjoyed the crackling fire, good coffee and interesting “blikbrood” which is bread baked inside a round tin and results in round slices of toast. The little store has all the usual bric-a-brac found in these roadside stores. In the complex there are a number of shops selling all sorts of home furnishings.
From Riversdale we headed towards Heidelberg shortly after which we left the N2 and headed for the Langeberg Mountains. We opted for this more scenic route to as it takes one through the Tradouw Pass towards Barrydale where we joined the iconic R62. This is another of the Thomas Bain’s masterpieces which was completed in 1873 and is considered to be technically the better of all his construction projects. The purpose of this pass was to provide a link from the interior to a small harbour at Port Beaufort at the mouth of the Breede River. There are several scenic spots along the pass and so it was nice to stop a few times and enjoy the view although it was pretty windy in the poort.
Joining the R62 just outside Barrydale we once again headed west through a Karoo landscape and then many farms, mainly fruit producing. The area is pretty dry at the moment and hopefully the winter will bring some much needed relief. We stopped at Montagu which is really pone of the gems of the region. Here we visited the Dried Fruit producers and stocked up on some goodies.
Ashton and Robertson both follow in close succession and it is clear that this is a centre of fruit and brandy production. We stopped for lunch at Rooiberg Wine Cellars where they have really nice facilities, and wine of course. I have always found it difficult to stop at a wine shop and not buy some! Anyway, the missus needed some stock for the few days in Durbanville so it was an easy decision.
After a good break here we hit the road again for the last leg of the trip. Soon after Rooiberg we were in the traffic of Worcester and then through the spectacular du Toit’s Kloof pass and tunnel. Again we decided to detour from the main road. We left the N1 and headed for Klipheuwel which provides a nice short trip to Durbanville from a northerly direction through the village of Phisantekraal.
It was good to arrive at the folks place again and we looked forward to a few days visiting the family.
Where To Now? 