Montagu Pass
The Montagu Pass links the coastal plain around George with Outeniqualand - the high valley that lies between George and Oudtshoorn.
A road, like a city, is seldom built in one day, or by one person. First came Frederick Trenk, who built a 10 km section up the foothills of Cradock Peak. Next came HO Farrel, around 1815, who used convict labour for the first time. The road progressed from the open mountainside towards Cradock Kloof.
But it was Henry Fancourt White who built a lovely stone arch bridge over the Keur River at the mouth of the kloof, and by 1848 completed what remains one of the loveliest historic passes in the country. Indeed, it is an example of engineering mastery and environmental harmony to match the roads the Bains later built.
Route 62
Taking its name from Route 66 in the US, Route 62 meanders along a lovely byway through the Little Karoo from Montagu to Oudtshoorn in the Western Cape, offering a scenic alternative to the busy N2 highway. It’s an area of magnificent landscapes and towering sandstone formations, fruit orchards, gushing streams and a wealth of indigenous flora.
The wines of the region, particularly the sweeter and port varieties, are justly famous. The route’s quaint towns offer visits to wineries and game reserves, hot springs, cultural tours and museums. For the more adventurous there’s hiking and mountain climbing, 4x4 routes, canoeing, horse (and ostrich) riding, fishing and caving. Route 62 is also renowned for its old-world country inns and guest houses.