Archive of BMW Motorrad Club Cape (2006 - 2019)

===Day 1: Cape Town – Bonnievale=== We set out late Monday afternoon for Bonnievale at 17h00. The weather was good…..that is no pumping cape doctor, “anything else is good in my book”, but once we hit the R60 to Robertson the cape doctor gave us a woes snot klap making it difficult to maintain 140km/h. We were packed reasonably light, only the absolute essentials for a one night camp out, no rain gear, a cell phone to use for any major repairs, and a basic supper of noodles with tinned tuna. (The rest of our meals were to be had on route.) Our first night was with friends on their wine farm on the Breede River. After a really good braai and good wine it was off to bed before many dusty back roads to tomorrows destination….Die Hel! ===Day 2: Bonnievale – Die Hell – Prince Albert=== It was a lekker morning in Bonnievale - fresh and crisp with a light drizzle…by 7o’clock all was clear. Then it was a quick goodbye with next stop Montague for a quick fuel stop and tyre pressure down to 1.5bar. Once we left Montague it was a dirt road to the Ouberg Pass. The dirt road leading up to the pass must have had at least 20 something weirs…..I stopped counting after that. If you are travelling light one could get some good air going through some of those weirs. After a long a straight road above the pass, including riding over the tail of a sleepy Cape Cobra sun tanning on the road (I mistook it for a dried out reed), we entered the Anysberg protected area. The map we were using varied a little to the actual road and as a result was we road right through the Anysberg area and only realized it at the end at a signposted intersection. It has some interesting twists and turns but on reflection I wouldn’t rush back. After Anysberg it was onto Ladiesmith then Calitzdorp for a solid home cooked lunch at The Dorpshuis. “Sit on the porch, order a cold beer/white wine and watch time go by very slowly”…you can feel that good old country feeling starting to set in……one more beer and I would have pitched my tent at the next bit of open land I saw. That was not to be…..we still had to make good time to get into Die Hel and make camp before sundown. From Calitzdorp we took a dirt road that runs along the foot hills of the Groot Swartberg Mountain through Kruis River up to the start of the majestic Swartberg Pass. If you haven’t done this route yet you’re missing out. The Swartberg Pass was definately one of the highlights of this trip. Our trusty steed made good time on the road up and before we realised it we were at the top overlooking the Little Karoo....a sight to behold. The trip into Die Hel was equally interesting and beautiful with some amazing rock formations along the way. Once we reached the valley floor I had to ask myself “What the Hell am I doing here? It definately was not going to be camping…..although that was the original idea. By all means camp there if you enjoy camping in a dust bowl with a troop of baboons as your only companions. With all these baboons running around I had visions of having to re-assemble my bike the following morning. So it was with little hesitation that we decided to head back out of Die Hel. It was now 18h00’s still enough time to get to Prince Albert and look for a place to crash for the night. The whole way back out of Die Hel I could not stop thinking about why anyone would build such a beautiful road to nowhere. I thought the road was in really good nik, for a dirt road, it makes for an awesome ride with its steep drop offs and amazing views. They also built a few large speed humps especially for us bikers. The lighter you travel this road the more fun you will have on it. We, on the other hand, were two-up and loaded for camping so I had to consider that before my youthful enthusiasm. Once we arrived back at the start of the road into Die Hel is was down the Swartberg Pass into Prince Albert, about another 10km’s. It is now that you really appreciate the pass and marvel at the colour and the amazing rock formations and even the road it self is spectacular. By the time you reach the bottom of the pass you a dwarfed by the scale of the valley on either side you…..well worth the trip. Once in Prince Albert, (and I must say what a beautiful and quaint Karoo town it is), we immediately fell in love with it. We decided to stop at the first guest house that struck our fancy. Die Bergkant Lodge at the start of the town looked perfect, and it was. Charles, the owner, came out to meet us and welcomed us in before we could even ring the bell. This little oasis was definately a much softer (and more expensive) option than our original camp spot in Die Hel but oh was it worth it with double shower, king size bed, lap swimming pool, heated stargazing pool, and beautifully maintained buildings and garden. We ended the day with a stunning meal at Millers restaurant which is, I think, the first spot on the left as you enter Prince Albert from the Swartberg Pass. ===Day 3: Prince Albert – Cape Town=== The following morning we finally convinced ourselves to leave this beautiful little town for Cape Town at 11h00’s - much, much later than originally planed. We decided to have one last ride on and look at the Swartberg Pass and so headed for Outshoorn via the pass. From Outshoorn it was the famous R62 to Robertson in the searing heat of the day, 37° – 39°, the whole bloody way. To keep cool we drenched our gear but within half an hour we were bone dry again. We left so little time for our return trip that we didn’t have enough time for a lazy lunch on route. Something I would not repeat as we flew past so many amazing looking little spots just calling out to us to pull in and chill out for a while. We had to pick up our kids by 17h00’s. So our return trip to Cape Town was as direct as possible and all a little bit of a blur. All in all it was a fantastic trip and highlighted what a beautiful country we live in and what an amazing wife I have. Wishing all of guys and gals out there….. “Many more adventures to you all”. Cheers Tristan and Alison Enjoy the pics that follow.... A cool start to day 2Top of Ouberg Pass"Now where is that snake??":-0The road to Anysberg :-(I guess that was Anysberg??A cold beer & Wine in Calitzdorp :-)A view from Swartberg PassDown to 'Die Hel''Die Hel' valley floor below"I'm ready to leave when you are!"A picture of days gone by...Leaving 'Die Hel' for 'Prince Albert' :-)Red rock formation in the 'Swartberg Pass'About to leave the 'Swartberg Pass'Breakfast at 'Die Bergkant' lodge'Die Bergkant' garden and pool'Prince Albert' the one way.......'Prince Albert' the other way.Leaving 'Prince Albert' via 'Swartberg Pass''Prince Albert' pass 1'Prince Albert Pass' 2A picture view from the top of 'Swartberg Pass'Next stop 'Cape Town' non stop. An adventure is outthere...