Dirt Busters. Deon Meyer

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      The old Montagu Pass

      It’s only 20 km from George to the N9 over the old Montagu Pass, but metre for metre this route may just be the most beautiful in the country.

      In preparation for the media launch of the R1200 GS in 2004, I had the good fortune to help the BMW production team from Munich run in the bikes. I rode this pass every day for two weeks and I never grew tired of it.

      The pass was named after John Montagu, the Cape Colonial Secretary. Built by prisoners, the pass was completed in 1847. In those days, it took three days by ox wagon to cross the Cradock Pass. The Montagu Pass shortened the journey to just one day. These days it is possible to cross it in half an hour on your big dog, should you be daring, and in a hurry.

      By the way, the road engineer for the Montagu Pass was Australian Henry Fancourt White. Today, his name lives on in the famous Fancourt estate near George – and the small town of Blanco. Don’t forget to stop at the old tollhouse, where travellers paid tuppence per wheel and a penny for every pulling animal more than a century ago.

      From George you take the N9 to Oudtshoorn. Just 3,5 km outside the town centre a road sign will indicate where you should turn right onto a gravel road. At first the road is wide and in good condition, but, when you’re up against the mountain’s flank, it becomes very narrow, with untold blind corners. Be careful – then you can also enjoy the awe-inspiring vistas.

      We also recommend that when you rejoin the N9 you turn right again. Travel a mere 170 m further and you can take the Perdepoort gravel road to Oudtshoorn. It’s an easy and quick route that offers a different kind of beauty.

       Route grading

      2

       Starting point

      George town centre

       Distance

      From George to where you rejoin the N9 it’s 20,5 km (if you ride to Oudtshoorn via Perdepoort, it’s an additional 43,1 km, for a total of 63,6 km).

       Duration

      90 minutes for Montagu (this will give you enough time for photographs), and two and a half hours to Oudtshoorn via Perdepoort

      Follow the Kammanassie (Oudtshoorn to Uniondale)

      I always thought I was quite the expert on the Little Karoo. It is, after all, the most popular playground for dirt-road bikers from the Western Cape and, a few years ago, I crisscrossed it rather extensively in a quest to find the best routes for a BMW event. But, when I took two German friends on a trip to show off our amazing country recently, I needed a creative gravel-road solution to get from Oudtshoorn to Uniondale. That’s when I discovered the thin black squiggle running from Dysselsdorp through the mountains to the Kammanassie River. I had always wanted to go and look for this stream and the legendary spookmeisie of Uniondale that Anton Goosen sings about in ‘Blommetjie gedenk aan my’.

      What I saw was better and prettier than I ever expected. The route runs through historic Dysselsdorp in the foothills of the Kammanassie Mountains. (It is well worth your while to stop there and walk up the footpath to the small church on the hill. Hundreds of people do this every year as part of the Good Friday pilgrimage.)

      Please study the GPS map (at www.deonmeyer.com/bike/bike.html), because a substantial number of roads lead from Dysselsdorp, and they are not well marked. Once you find the right one, take it easy – there are lots of sharp, blind curves. And be aware of animals. Once the road starts following the Kammanassie River, you’ll be tempted to enjoy the picturesque views down the long valleys. It might be better to stop and stare, as there is lots of unexpected agricultural traffic.

      Oh, and by the way, we did not see the spookmeisie. Perhaps, next time, we’ll do the route in the moonlight …

       Route grading

      1

       Starting point

      Oudtshoorn

       Distance

      106 km from Oudtshoorn to Uniondale

       Duration

      Two hours of relaxed riding

      The Marlboro man in the Knysna forest

      A whole string of old-fashioned sayings was applicable to me when I last fell off my bike in the Knysna forest. There is Afrikaans writer Langenhoven’s warning about niet wat tot iet kom (if you set a beggar on horseback he’ll ride to the gallows), my mother’s admonition to keep my feet on the ground and the hard truth about none so deaf as those who will not hear …

      But the saying that describes it best is that pride comes before a fall. Literally and figuratively.

      It all began so innocently: we had to take a bunch of American journalists through the Baviaanskloof on the new BMW R1200 GS Adventure, so they could test this iron horse thoroughly for their motorbike magazines. And, right from the first evening at the Cape Town Waterfront, I began digging my own grave. Though not on purpose.

      Over dinner the Yanks started to interrogate us about СКАЧАТЬ