Ups and Downs

The transition between two of the Western Cape’s most sought-after holiday getaways takes riders on many ups and downs, and a burst of singletrack. It is rolling hills from the moment you leave Greyton and riders will approach one particular climb with apprehension: it’s called Pumping Legs for good reason, and as you approach it seems like the road heads up straight into the sky.

Then there is some relief on the Lover’s Lane Descent before cutting through the Klipheuwel-Dassiefontein Wind Energy Facility near Caledon. There riders can marvel at the 100m-high wind turbines with their 58m blades standing like massive sentinels on the hill. Soon after that they will get a sample of the twisting trails at Wildekraans before heading across to the old Houw Hoek Pass (constructed in 1904 and also known as the River Pass because it follows the course of the Jakkals River). Then it is past the Houw Hoek Inn – nearly 200 years old and reputedly the oldest country hotel in South Africa –and on to Oak Valley Wine Estate for a good night’s rest.