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Stellenbosch to Franschhoek

To get to Stellenbosch, take the N2 out of Cape Town. Once you are on the highway, you can either follow signs for the R300, which leads through residential areas, straight to Stellenbosch. Or, you can continue on the N2 towards Gordon’s Bay, and follow signs for the R310. Either way, the drive is about 50 k’s, and it should take you 45 minutes to an hour to make the journey.

An alternative route is to start in Muizenberg and follow the R310 from its beginnings as an obscure coastal road. This intriguing route is 70 k’s long, and should take around an hour. From Stellenbosch, you can continue to Franschoek by going up the Helshoogte Pass (R310), and then turning right onto the R45, which has come down from Paarl. Franschoek is about 25 leisurely k’s from Stellenbosch.

4 Passes Scenic Drive

The Helshoogte Pass is also the first leg of the 4 Passes Scenic Drive, which takes you around the circumference of the Hottentots Holland mountain range. From Franschhoek, this route continues over the Franschhoek Pass (R45) towards Villiersdorp. At Theewaterskloof dam, turn off onto the R321 to Grabouw, over Viljoen’s Pass.

From Grabouw, you will get back on the N2 and head down to Cape Town via Sir Lowry’s Pass. The 4 Passes Drive is a round trip of around 250 k’s, but allow the whole day (or even two) so that you have time to explore the wine estates and towns en route. An interesting detour to the established 4 Passes Scenic Drive is a gravel road that leads from the R321 to Botrivier, via the mild Van Der Stel Pass.

This little-used track takes in some wonderfully unspoilt country scenery, with sleepy farmsteads dotted along a rolling river valley. The gravel section is 30 k’s long, and it took me just under an hour to drive. From Botrivier, you can head back to Cape Town on the N2, via Houw Hoek Pass, Grabouw and Sir Lowry’s. Alternatively, from this side of the Hottentots Holland mountains, you could drive on to Betty’s Bay and take the spectacular R44 around the coast to Gordon’s Bay, if you have the time.

Paarl

To reach the Paarl side of the Winelands, take the N1 out of Cape Town. Paarl is 70 k’s away from the centre of Cape Town, and the drive should take about 50 minutes (traffic permitting). From the N1, you can follow the R304 or the R44 to Stellenbosch. At Paarl, you can also take the R45 to Franschoek.By David Fleminger