The ‘Land van Waveren’ and the wild beauty of Bain’s Kloof part 1 October 12, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Africa, Cape Town, Hotels, Restaurant, Tickets, Wellington , trackbackThis drive starts with the famous view of Table Mountain from across Table Bay, then heads north in the footsteps of early searchers for the fabled treasure of Monomotapa. The wealth they found was in the soil — rich farmlands flank our route to the ‘Land van Waveren‘ beyond the mountains. The entire route is on good tar.
Turn of the Table Bay Boulevard (N1) onto Marine Drive (R27). Drive past Milnerton, with the lagoon on your left.
Soon after passing Rietvlei on your right, turn left for Bloubergstrand, noting your kms. There are a number of parking areas along the beach- front which afford magnificent views of the sweep of the bay and Table Mountain.
After 3,6 km turn left into Sir David Baird Drive, then turn left into Stadler Road to reach a parking area on the beachfront. The small restaurant here is housed in an old thatched building which is a national monument. The wide beach offers a pleasant short walk — and at low tide it is possible to walk across a sand bar to an outcrop of rocks in the sea.
Bloubergstrand to Tulbagh
Follow the painted arrows from the parking lot, and turn left at the T-junction onto Sir David Baird Drive — then turn left again at the next T-junction towards Melkbosstrand. Continue on this road as it turns inland, and cross the R27. After a further 8,3 km turn left at the T- junction onto the N7, noting your kms.
The road now passes through rolling farm‑lands. After 33,9 km turn left onto the R315, and follow the signs into Malmesbury. Turn left into Voortrekker Street at the traffic lights. After 100m turn right into Rainier Street, then after 200 m turn right into Piet Retief Street. After a further 3,9 km turn left onto the R46 for Riebeek-Kasteel/Hermon, noting your kms.
Roughly 11 km later, the road reaches the summit of the Bothmaskloof Pass. After driving just a short distance down the pass, turn left to reach a parking area from where there is a splendid view over the town of Riebeek-Kasteel and the surrounding countryside. A monument here records the passage of a party of explorers sent out by Jan van Riebeeck in 1661. Return to the R46, noting your kms as you turn left.
Pass roads on your left to Riebeek-Kasteel and Hermon. After 12,3 km turn left at the T- junction onto the R44. Pass a road on your right to Voëlvlei Dam after a further 11,5 km.
About 8,5 km later the road crosses the Klein Berg River in the Nuwekloof Pass, built by Thomas Bain in 1873. An older road, which led to the valley known then as the ‘Land van Waveren‘, can be seen clearly on the right. Roughly 4,5 km after entering the Nuwekloof Pass, turn left to reach the town of Tulbagh. There is not enough time on this drive to explore fully the historic area of the town, but a drive along Church Street gives a glimpse of Tulbagh’s beautifully restored 18th and 19th century buildings. Several establishments in Tulbagh offer lunch. On the corner of Church Street and Twee Jonge Gezellen Road there is a municipal picnic site (braai places, toilets, water), and on the banks of the Klip River there is the Tulbagh municipal holiday resort, which has a swimming pool as r well as braai and picnic facilities — entrance on Van der Stel Street.
Tulbagh to Bain’s Kloof
Leave Tulbagh by travelling south on Van der Stel Street for Wolseley. Note your kms as you pass the road on your right to Gouda and Cape Town. The peaks of the Witsenberg range on your left and of the Watervalsberg and Elandskloofberg ranges on your right are frequently snow-clad in winter.
After 13,2 km turn right for Wolseley and Worcester. Continue straight through the town of Wolseley. About 3,3 km beyond the town on your right there is a stone blockhouse of the Anglo-Boer War which, with the better preserved blockhouse on your left 400m beyond, was built to guard the railway bridges.
Turn right (towards Worcester) at the T- junction 900 m later, noting your kms. Pass the R43 to Worcester on your left after 6,9 km. Cross a single-lane bridge over the Breë River 500m later at the beginning of Bain’s Kloof, and another single-lane bridge within 200m, followed by a sharp left bend.
After a further 5,5 km there are picnic places on both sides of the road next to a small stream (no facilities). Cross a single-lane bridge after a further 2,2 km, and turn right 100 m later into the Tweede Tol (second toll) camp and picnic site (small entry fee, braai places, toilets, water). There is a short walk from here under the road to a group of beautiful natural swimming pools in the Wit River.
2,4 km beyond Tweede Tol the road is overhung by a mass of rock known as Dacres’ Pulpit, after a clergyman who was a member of a party which explored the kloof. . Pass the Bishop’s Arch rock formation on your left 1,5 km later, and stop at the parking area 400m beyond for excellent views along the gorge.
2,8 km later, at the crest of the pass, there is the Eerste Tol (first toll) campsite on your right, opposite a burned out hotel. A plaque on the right records the construction of the pass in 1853. Park at the viewsite on the right 1,5 km later for magnificent views over Wellington and the Berg River Valley.
Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)
The ‘Land van Waveren’ and the wild beauty of Bain’s Kloof part 1
- The 'Land van Waveren' and the wild beauty of Bain's Kloof part 2
- South African Travel Guide: 'Gem of the Karoo' in a spacious mountain setting
- A Sunburned Haven for Sea Birds and Hardy Fishermen part 1
- Touring Paradise, St George's Street — 'memory mile' of a Naval Town part 1
- A Sunburned Haven for Sea Birds and Hardy Fishermen part 2
- A Thundering Waterfall in a dry, Desert Landscape
- The Drums of Nefta
- Quaint old roads through the land of the copper mountains
- Traversing Rugged Mountains and Sheltered, Bountiful Valleys
- The Cedarberg — a Wilderness of Sculpted Rock and Unspoilt Valleys
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