capediver

Yoh, some good info here, thanks guys! Walking up a pass.....pffftttt...good at that... 200m...pfffttt, NOTHING I tell you!... Careful down descents...pffttt, luv descents...especially if its cement!!!! Still working on the overnighting, seems a bit of wild camping will be on the cards! Got some practice in Tankwa

Hi, gravel lovers....planning my own Garden Route Gravel adventure... George to Herold then Dysseldorp...via Montagu pass...I see reports about the pass being closed...anyone confirm? Dysseldrop along Kammanassie Road to Uniondale Uniondale to Avontuur via gravel roads (not the R339) - Possible? Avontuur to Die Vlugt via gravel R339 then down to Knysna...a bit concerned about that last bit of the R339 where it comes to meet the N2 at the top of the hill outside eastern side of Kynsna ...sooo...There is a turn just after Diepwalle Forest station that goes across to the Gouna Road and comes into Knysna near Simola....any tips? Out of Kynsna via Phantom Pass Road to the Rheeneldal road then onto Seven Passes road Past Karatara and Hoekwil Back to George I'm looking for accommodation and camp spots along the way...There are a few I see along Kamanassie Road, from Uniondale down to Avontuur and Die Vlught and I'm sure there are a few along Seven Passes, my only gap is between Herold and Dysseldorp?? Lekka!

Throwing the Redshift ShockStop seatpost into the mix, an elegant option for a few dollars more...I cannot compare it to others mentioned here but to solid seatposts, this is the cheese to the chalk!!!! They have stem suspensions that I can also attest to! Go check them out!

Tankwa Gravel Oct 2025: Saw a bit of Tankwa wildlife but only saw this one after it caught my eye during editing! Did a barrel roll over my head! Citrus Swallowtail (Papilio demodocus) Tankwa 2025 Butterfly Barrel Roll.mp4

Is summer here?

Rawl plugs and chemical anchors????

Know that feeling...didn't come out unscathed...day 1 is always a big fight with cramps (inner thigh) that bring tears to my eyes but this time round I suffered the most unusual s/e...you going to laugh..I cut my nails before the trip (wanted to look my best!!) and this initiated a separation! I like wearing full-fingered gloves but the constant bouncing and rotation of skin in gloves on bars rattling pulled the skin from under my nails! Every night was excruciating when I eventually had nothing to do but lie down and try sleep...no distractions to ignore the pain...cut the tips off my nice POC gloves but it was too late!!!😩 It was a great test for the Redshift stem and seatpost suspension system...would hate to think about NOT having it installed! Also BIIIGGG win were the aerobars...I really though I might not have the chance to use them on gravel but turns out they are really comfortable when the gravel is OK even with small bumps...not to mention the tar stretch out of Sutherland....heaven!!!!!!!. Also they are so comfortable to use when pushing the bike...legs don't get caught up on the rear panniers cause you can really lean on the bars and keep the bike leaned out away from your legs! Well recommended! And you can mount all your toys on them! Tailfin Bar Cage was a win as well...rock solid and did not rotate on bars or drop down even 1 mm! Held up 11L bag with sleep gear and a mini camp chair...this last being one the THE most NB pieces of kit! Another great win was the SeatoSummit EtherLight XR Pro mattress inside a liner with the K-Way down multiquilt.(cause I CANNOT do sleeping bags!)..comfort and warmth all night long!!! First Ascent Stamina 1-man was cool...but getting smaller every day! and needs to be pegged so maybe looking for same packed dimensions and weight alternative as in Durston X-dome 1+ as soon as they back in stock as they can't make them fast enough!!!...something that is free standing...oh yes and screw in pegs...Karoo clay is HARD!!! No mechanicals at all! Had electric pump, CO2 and Lezyne mini floor pump...did not need any of that! (Panaracer SK 50mm) The mini braai grind went for a ride!!!!😝

Maybe one of those Flintstone square wheels!!!😝

Awesome place and now a few days later and fully recovered, the memory of jarring corrugations has faded to the point that I have decided I WILL go back and do it again!

Highlights reel....

Day 5...final day...from Tankwa River Lodge back to Da Doer...from the Lodge to the main park road, the surface is good, undulation, slowly rising, typical gravel but from the main road back to Da Doer...about 25k's, its all hard work along corrugations and sand with no place to go..... Finally done and after lots of planning and some changes...(next time it will be down OuBerg pass, come hell or high water!!)...one of my bucket list rides is over...time to start the next plan...Garden Route loop or Die Hel...mmmmmmm, hard to decide....

If you travelling from Op-die-berg to the Oasis, it will be pretty flat and good going until the climb out of that valley, tar for a few k's then gravel.......until you get to Moon River and a bit further to the Aankoms Farm Stall, then its up until you enter the Cederberg then a nice long, mostly downhill with stretches of tar where it is very steep but from the other direction....down to Mount Cedar....then a HUGE climb up Groot Rivier out of Mount Cedar and a drop down the other side to the Oasis...the surface is pretty good with typical corrugations but generally OK. Here's the reverse from Mount Cedar to Heiveld Cottages near Op-Die-Berg Sanddrif to Mount Cedar...via Oasis..

DAY 3 was a rest day spent in Sutherland...a unique place in South Africa..usually one of the coldest places in South Africa in winter and also home to SALT..(South African Large Telescope), taking advantage of the clear skies and stargazing to study our universe....this has also borne a few side attractions for amateur star-gazing and one of the best is Oom Jurg from Sterland (Starland) who hosts public talks and a look through his array of huge telescopes to spot the Moon and other favorite objects in the clear cold night sky! Sutherland is also the home of the V8 Lodge and the owner of V8 Motors welcomes everyone into his muscle car workshop...where he was tuning a Cosworth-powered, double Weber carb, rocket engine inside a steroid pumped Ford Escort Mark 2 specially designed for hill-climbing!!! A visit to the local watering hole, the Boorgat (Borehole) is also a must and if you are there when the national rugby team are playing then....well...just to say the locals are rabid Springbok rugby supporters! DAY 4.... After a comfortable night at the V8 Lodge, I headed out back to the Tankwa...downhill ....and Tankwa River Lodge...so it was a relief to hit a few kilometers of tar down the escarpment and back into the Tankwa bowl. I had begged and pleaded with Peter from the Tankwa River Lodge for a place...he was full, but said come along, speak to Gerhardus!!!! He of gentle giant stature and hands the size of a standard dinner plate! He took me to a spot in the bush...a typical farm windmill, small reservoir and a sheep's water trough...pointed to a small Acacia Karoo and said "I heard you looking for a tree"! So there I was in the middle of nowhere...an unbelievable experience especially close to full moon!

You can do same route and leave your car for a small fee with Appel at Citrus Creek in Citrusdal...!

Essential gear! I have 2-chop grid fits inside a pannier!!

OK, all a bit weird...I went into the office and there was a distinct lack of interest in my movements....oh well next time I go, I'll offer to pay!

DAY 2: is a pretty straight-foward route along the top ridge of the Tankwa, from Gannaga Lodge to OuPoort Ecofarm.... the road conditions were good, with some scarring and mud tracks near the lodge. This route takes you through MiddelPos, a "town" that doesn't look like it should exist...it looks more like a farm that the main road goes through...a hotel, a shop, two or three other buildings and that's it! There is some fame connected to the place though!.....it's home to a well-respected breeder of short-legged boerboels! The road out of Middelpos does play tricks on your mind and mood! It appears flat but there is a steady climb up a number of steps and just when you think you have done the last, the next little climb appears...it slowly builds up to the point where you question your life choices! Arriving at OuPoort, you are met by Len and Juanie who are the perfect hosts for a bike packing tour...they have a great little garden where you'll be able to cool off after a few hours on the road then taken into the veld to their campsite under tree next to a windmill-filled reservoir of the coolest sweet water around! A nice short day on the bike after the big climb the day before...

Permit? I stopped at the SANpark office for water on my way to Gannaga Pass...was told I don't need a permit...!?

You're right, apologies, I wasn't having a go at the 4 x 4 specifically, just traffic in general, I supppose.

Day ONE is an introduction to the desolation of the Tankwa! FLAT...dry, dusty and empty! Road is varied from hard clay...very little of that...to soft sand and huge corrugations...plenty of that! Day ONE was the biggest, a sufferfest ending with a big push up the final pass to the refuge of Gannaga Lodge....

Ja! I was told at the park office that the graders had been there just 2 weeks ago, and they only come once a year...another lesson learned...find out when they grading!!! Look, its a real issue as it needs constant care and the surface varies so much with some exposed hard clay/rock shelf and then feet of sand as evidenced by the high margins in some areas especially around Sandlaagte and Ongeluks River areas! It only takes a few 4x4 and trucks to ruin it...and there is work on a dam nearby Da Doer so that stretch is under siege by construction activities...

Day Zero....Trek to Da Doer...

OK wow, hectic distances you doing there! I don't like doing more than 50-60k a day so I can rest and enjoy the stops...I also carry the kitchen sink! My "rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it" syndrome! I'm trying to cut down with every trip but always end up "ja, I might need this!"!! BTW I saw you mentioned Houdenbek..that is up at the dam on the property, Charl and Johalet's place??...a very special place to camp!!!! Lessons Learnt.. Water, carry as much as you can Don't forget factor 50 and lip screen/zinc Tankwa Padstal is closed on Wednesdays Day one should be downhill! Even if you dropping elevation, there's ALWAYS an uphill! You just haven't seen it yet!

I do...run up in Ride With GPS... https://ridewithgps.com/routes/52956797 Let me know if you get to see it.. Tankwa 5 Day Gravel.GPX

So after over 6 months of the seed planted, the tree grew arms and legs and bore fruit, thanks to all who watered it along the way (PS Tankwa demands OBS!!): Da Doer to Gannaga...stayed the night at Da Doer and Danielle and her team were awesome...wind was up so I pitched my tent inside the kombuis of the camp site!!! I'll be taking screw type tent pegs with me next time.... long day in the saddle and donnered by the poor roads (sand and corrugations that would not look out of place on a BMX pumptrack...i swear almost 6 inches high in some places...and long stretches of it!!) and then a long climb at the end of "only" 6k's up Gannaga Pass, a spectacular place where you will only see the ancient mudstone fossilized wave patterns outcrops if you pushing a bike slowly uphill! I saw 3 different levels of evidence of seas/lakes on the way up! Gannaga to OuPoort Ecofarm....road was mostly good except near the lodge where it is scarred with deep ruts from the rain a few months back...via Middelpos, meeting Koos and getting cokes in glass bottles while the ladies from the hotel started the fire for roester cook for the afternoon annual Middelpos bazaar! Long slow gradual undulating climb from Middlepos is a mind bender!! At Oupoort, I was hosted by Len and Juanie and they showed typical Karroo hospitality, supplying a braai basket of local lamb chops, P salad and Malva pudding!!!! Under the stars under a tree in the veld...they are from E Slummies so we had a great skinner over a few zamaleks! OuPoort to Surtherland...plan was to go to top of Ouberg and wild camp then head down back down into Tankwa...but heard from a number of folks on the road...very bad condition and snakes! Easy choice to skip for now! (I'll be back!) Len also gave me ride and running commentary of the goings on the area, I couldn't believe how fertile that stretch is along the Vis River, and just down the hill in the Tankwa its barren! Sutherland...stayed at the V8 with Shelley and met Johan tuning a Cosworth-powered, double Weber carb, rocket engine inside a steroid pumped Ford Escort Mark 2 specially designed for hill-climbing!!! Watched the rugby with the locals at the Boorgat...if you ever in town, this place is a must see...think the set of MadMax...Also went to Oom Jurg at Sterland to check out the moon on International Moon Watching day!! Yoh, we on this tiny planet Earth are but a speck of dust in the cosmos!!! BTW Oom Jurg has an excellent setup for tents and vans...1km outside Sutherland towards Matjiesfontein. Sutherland to Tankwa River Lodge....begged and pleaded with Peter from the lodge for a place...he was full, but said come along, speak to Gerhardus!!!! He of gentle giant stature and hands the size of a standard dinner plate! He took me to a spot in the veld...windpomp, small reservoir and a sheeps water trough...pointed to a small Acacia Karoo and said I heard you looking for a tree! So there I was in the middle of butt...F8...an unbelievable experience especially close to full moon! Tankwa River Lodge to Da Doer...the wind that almost blew the windpomp off its bearings over night, didn't slow down and I had in on the head and right shoulder for 35 of the 56 ks back to Da Doer...and oh it was also back in the park and those roads mentioned above! From Tankwa River Lodge until the main park road, the surface is ok with a few drops and then a constant slow stepped climb again, after that the road was a killer all the way back to Da Doer, and I remembered how excited I was the first day to be out and how the reality of the conditions smacked me directly between the eyes and on my wrists! Saw plenty of Springbok, rooibok, a few zebras and 2 gemsbok, was woken at night by a roaming aardvark and meet so many amazing people at the accommodations, lodges and even those that stopped me on the road or rode slowly next to me chatting from the comfort of their super-hyper deluxe 4x4 complete with rooftop tents or trailers... Would I recommend it?..absolutely but know what you getting into..distances are big, work out how much water you will need then double it Would I do it again?..maybe but shorter loops cause there are spots I still would like to see eg Apollo De Karroo. Definitely a massive tick in the box and now I got to trawl through my footage to create a montage of the experience that may possibly convene to anyone the magnificence of the place Summary: 247.49ks excluding 67 between OuPoort and Surtherland 5 days Max elevation was about 1600m just outside Sutherland en route Matjiesfontein..I still need to check elevation gains etc etc Temps ranged from 35 on day 1 down to 4.5 on morning of day 5 just outside Sutherland Sleeping out was no issues under a K-Way Multi-quilt with standby First Ascent Compact Down (which I only pulled over early one morning) on a lined SeatoSummit Ether Light XR Pro all inside a First Ascent Stamina one-man tent...all packed into Thule 22L x 2 panniers and Tailfin Bar Cage and bag combo...carried by Pardus Uragano 11 spead GRX shode with 50mm Panaracer Gravel Kings SK's, powered by hooman muscle and mental prowess! and a not small pinch of malness! PS some sample pics below...one looks just like a stoney ridge line...but look very carefully along the line...when you see it, you'll know how elusive these guys are!!!