Wine Routes to Follow
There are many wine routes in the southwestern Cape, but they are not really routes in the way serious travellers understand the term, being designed more for the crabby sniff-and-spit brigade.
When we say 'wine route' we're talking Cape Town to Robertson, at least. Serious tasters have been known to get carried away, ending up on the Orange River, tasting glass in hand and moerse confused.
Here's a brief taste (no spitting) of what you could do: start at Groot Constantia with lunch at Jonkershuis. Head up the N1 to Paarl for the farms along the Suid Agter Paarl Road, then go past Plaisir de Merle to Franschhoek and all its fancy French delights. Now take a lekker back road to Worcester, through Villiersdorp and past the back of Brandvlei Dam. Don't linger there, but press on for the Breede Valley and kuier at Robertson, Bonnievale and Ashton.
If the bug has bit hard, either continue on to Montagu and take the Route 62 to Boplaas for a cleansing Port, or go to McGregor for some hearty Tanagra Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay. If you head back via Du Toitskloof, just remember that serious winos never go through the tunnel. But better yet, stay over somewhere so you don't have to drink and drive.
Route 62
This entire touring route of the Little Karoo runs from Kareedouw, just off the N2, to Worcester on the N1, although technically the R62 runs only between Montagu and Oudtshoorn (about half the full distance).
This route has been well marketed in South Africa, including the creation of a Route 66-style logo and a roadside stop with a resplendent eagle in slate as the facade. However, it was probably Ronnie's Sex Shop that put it on the map - a mere pub that has no doubt disappointed many a traveller.
Four Seasons in One Day
When Crowded House sang about four seasons in one day they were clearly thinking about the Boland Mountains. Not only can you experience four seasons in a day here, you can also experience four passes. Starting from Sir Lowry's Pass in Somerset West, climb through Gantou Nek (the original wagon trail over the 'Mountains of Africa', or Hottentots Holland). When you reach the high Elgin Valley, the epicentre of the country's apple industry, turn left, going through Grabouw.
A short way thereafter, take Viljoen's Pass away from the Nuweberg and down to Theewaterskloof Dam, then go over the bridge through the middle of it. Before Villiersdorp, turn left towards Franschhoek and take Franschhoek Pass back over the western side of the Boland Mountains — Jan Joubertsgat Bridge, at the base of the pass, is part of the very first road commissioned at the Cape.
Now head through Olifantshoek (or the Franschhoek Valley as it is now called), then turn left towards South Africa's second-oldest town -- Stellenbosch — going over Helshoogte Pass to get to there. And there you have it, four passes and four seasons in one day.
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The Route 62 Wine Route is regarded as one of the world’s best road road trips. As one of the longest wine routes known to man, this self-...