Trip Report – Cederberg

This past weekend (10-12/12/2010) a friend of mine, Jan, on an 800GS, his wife, Annemie, in the backup Toyota Hilux and myself on my Dakar took to the Cederberg mountains for a little weekend getaway. Unfortunately my wife could not make it due to work requirements.

I started out from Hermanus via Sir Lowry’s Pass, Strand, Stellenbosch, Malmesbury, Darling to Yzerfontein where I was to meet Jan. I initially wanted to do a more scenic route via Villiersdorp, Franschhoek, Wellington, but got away a bit late so I took the more direct route. Jan SMS-ed to say he will continue on and meet me at Dwarskersbos. Well, as luck would have it, I got a flat rear at the Yzerfontein turn-off and pulled into the farm stall. I had no tools, so Jan had to come back all the way to “bail me out”. We eventually got on the way to Clanwilliam via Velddrif (tar), Dwarskersbos (tar), Redelinghuys (first tar, then sandy gravel), Eendekuil (tar), the old Piekenierskloof pass (gravel), Citrusdal for petrol and then along the old Cape Rd (gravel) to the Municipal campgrounds along the Clanwilliam dam.

The area isn’t called the “Sandveld” for nothing. The gravel roads between Dwarskersbos and Redelinghuys are corrugated and littered with sandy patches that require some skill and some prayer to get through safely. We wanted to cross over the “Engelsman se berg”, but found that the route from Redelinghuys towards it was closed and running the long way around to it would’ve taken too long. The old Piekenierskloof pass was an excellent ride and is recommended when travelling in the area. Not much skill required, but it beats sitting in the chugging truck traffic on the main road.

Although we rode the Old Cape Rd from Citrusdal to Clanwilliam in fading light to darkness, it was still a fun ride. It is twisty and up and down all along the river and dam; Very beautiful. The campground was almost empty so we could pick a spot. We met Lindsay and Delilah, a South African couple living in the UK. They were on the last day of their Trans-Africa journey, which started in the UK, made its way down the East African Coast, then crossing over from Tanzania via Zambia and Caprivi to Namibia and RSA. He rode an 800GS, she a 650GS. We sat and chatted until late, listening to their stories. Man, it sounds like an adventure. They had some rear shock trouble on the 800 and steering bush issues on the 650, and NO flat tyres. Amazing.

After a good night’s rest I woke up to strip my Dakar. I had an issue with the “over-heat” light coming on the previous day and although the fan was working and the level was OK, we couldn’t enter the Cederberg with an issue like this. I thought it was the water pump, but it turned out that it was probably an airlock somewhere in the cooling system which made the reservoir level seem OK, although it wasn’t. With the water pump checked and replaced again, I filled the radiator and reservoir and topped it up while letting the bike warm up and then cool. The light hasn’t come on ever since.

Our next leg took us from Clanwilliam to the Cederberg past Jamaka farm and Algeria. At Jamaka farm I saw the best parking job ever, although the vehicle was a write off. A Daihatsu Terios left the road the previous night and came to a halt 2m below the road, nestled between two huge boulders.

Cederberg trip: Parking for Terios only

The road all along Algeria forestry station has been very nicely paved. Just keep an eye out for crazy (read: stupid) Elwierda bus drivers speeding down the mountain and flicking cigarette butts out the window into the open dry mountain veld. Unbelievable. The Uitkyk Pass has beautiful views and all the bends have been either paved or cemented. A very nice ride indeed. We continued onwards past Cederberg Cellars and took a right at the T for lunch at Cederberg Oasis at Matjiesrivier. This is a great place with cold, cold drinks, camping sites catering for bikers (R35/person/night), a pool and very good toasted sandwiches.

With our thirst quenched and stomachs filled, we headed out towards Wuppertal via Eselsbank. This is a two track all the way. The first section has lots of loose stones and protruding rocks. It was while taking evasive action for one of these rocks that resulted in me suffering from LTS (locked throttle syndrome) and then lost the rear tyre as it spin out from under me. My own stupidity and this resulted in some required panel beating on the gear lever and foot peg.

Cederberg trip: Makeshift hammer and anvil

Fortunately we had a “hammer” and “anvil” readily available and we were back on the road again in no time. Temperatures were souring and with the wind from behind we were cooking in the protective clothing. Eselsbank is a very, very small little place that makes you wonder what there is to do there. Just beyond Eselsbank we hit some more sand. Much deeper this time and BAM, down I went again. Fortunately this was a slow soft one, more of a lay-over than a fall. I have to admit, the last 5 kms of this route wasn’t fun anymore. I was hot and tired. We finally reach the mountain above Wuppertal and what a beautiful sight with the town nestled way down in the ravine, palm trees and all. We met one of the locals and I tried to have some conversation, but the communication was tough, although we both apparently spoke Afrikaans. Legend has it that this guy walks around like this in shorts all year long.

Cederberg trip: Wuppertal local (in blue shirt)

From Wuppertal we headed out to Barry Lubbe at Biedouw Valley 4x4where we stayed the night. We took a much needed swim in the reservoir, and then did a bit more panel beating on the left foot peg, this time with a real hammer and anvil. It was quite windy, but this helped a lot to stay cool. Barry (the owner), his daughter and father-in-law joined us for drinks that night. These are great people and we had a good time.

Sleep that night was good, but with many interruptions due to the very strong wind gusts. We woke the next morning, packed our stuff and headed out to the “Old Post Road” (Indicated as “Witkrans Eco-trial on Google Maps.). Barry pointed us in the right direction and off we went. This is a phenomenal road for any biker. It has everything in it except cement and tar. You start out climbing the two track to the top of the mountain, the conditions vary between sand, sand and round pebbles, and round pebbles alone. This is slippery as hell and feels like you are riding on ball-bearings all the time. Tricky, but fun and requires a lot of concentration. I was looking around too much and next thing a very sandy turn popped up. Only option was to go straight and I stopped, buried in the bushes. Oh well, no harm done and I guess that’s all part of it. You have the most beautiful views from the top. There is a canyon (The second largest in Africa next to the Fish River Canyon.) off to the South, open Tankwa Karoo to the East and mountains to the North and West. The track winds down the mountain towards the Doringrivier. There are some VERY steep downhill sections with lots of loose and protruding rocks.

Cederberg trip: Downhill towards Tweefontein

Cederberg trip: Doringrivier crossing at Tweefontein

Then some thick river sand, two river crossings and finally you arrive at Tweefontein.

From here we took the Tankwa Karoo road, R355, towards Ceres. This is the ideal road for the long haulers – long, straight, smooth and dusty. Awesome ride and much faster than the 45km in 3hours of the first section.

Like all trips, this one also ended too soon. We parted in Ceres, with Jan & Annemie heading back towards CT and me heading to Hermanus via Worcester.

Cederberg trip: Until next time....

To anyone wanting to go to the Cederberg, DO IT!!!! It was wonderful. I will definitely go again, although I’ll make sure next time is in October or April when the temperatures are a bit lower. The ride is challenging and fun, the people are friendly and accommodating and prices aren’t ridiculously high. A definite must on any real GS’s list.

Enjoy your next ride.

Christiaan

PS Thanks to Eendstop and Dale for their info on routes to take.