T-Bob Posted April 23, 2014 Share Just off to the Breede this long weekend and wondering if any hubbers have been turning the cranks around Matjieskloof (where I'm staying), Malagas or boathouse pub area. I know De Hoop is just down the road and will see if I can get there but would rather just roll out the gate and get peddling. The main dirt road is not the most insprational with fortuners spanking past at 120 every few minutes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NixM Posted April 23, 2014 Share We have a place in Matjieskloof, I ride whenever we are up at Breede, including this weekend. There is access into the Pot berg nature reserve from the main gravel road but it is poorly sign posted and I initailly got very lost. One place to start is you will see an A-frame with a "no motorbikes" sign on it about 10 km past Riverine, towards infanta, on the RHS. This takes you up over the mountain to a very eroded foot path on the reserve side. Once in the nature reserve you can ride for kilometeres through the fynbos. Get out by following the jeep track back towards Infanta and then home along the gravel with the Fortunas. There is also a route from the Seef house on the tar portion of the road which somehow took me to the office area of the Pot berg reserve. But I got very lost and very grumpy on that ride so have not tried it again. You need a permit from the trading post. But if you buy it now it expires in August already, which irks me, but its not much. Hope that helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Bob Posted April 23, 2014 Share Hope that helps Thanks for all the info.Awesome run down. It's made sense of a lot of the things I'd been looking at when cruising the area and wondering if I was allowed / where did it go. My grandparents-in-law have had a place in Matjieskloof since the common was cut up back in the 60s and I've been going down as often as I can since we moved over from Sydney but rarely took my bike. Such a beautiful place. Took my bike last weekend determined to hit out & start taking advantage of what was on the doorstep. Packed the bike & the dogs in the back of the ute along with everything else & headed down, started to unload once we arrived only to find one of my mutts had eaten all the straps on my bike bag and chewed straight through both my brake hoses! Plan aborted. Spent a small fortune sorting out in the past few days and going for round 2 this weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dry Biltong Posted December 29, 2014 Share The trail starts a few km's after the Riverine (towards Infanta) - look out for the little red sign and a wooden fence crossing. This takes you down to the river and through the olive farm. Keep following the red signs and you will find yourself back on the main road (opposite Ziekenhuys farm) towards Infanta where there is another wooden bridge crossing which leads you up towards the mountains. Once on top there is a steep downhill on the other side and some singletrack. You then find yourself on a dirt road which goes on and on for quite a while. Once near Potberg there is a much more interesting section up towards the mountains and over the top. The trail ends at the Seeff house on the tar section in Diepkloof. The total loop is 55.5km (but you could do the Ziekenhuys part only, or the Potberg side only if looking for something shorter). You need to get a permit from the Trading Post. This link will show you a map: http://zaplayground.co.za/potberg-mtb-club/trails Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Bob Posted January 11, 2015 Share That is awesome! Thanks for the info. I was down there for NY and did a bit of riding but didn't actually head up there as some friends who where also down said the farmers and gated the old tracks up for the Seeff house. Will be back in a couple of weeks and will give that a going over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Bob Posted December 14, 2017 Share Joined the Potberg MTB club and got a board last year to support their work and it seems like they have taken off. Membership this year is going up to R300 but they have done some big work with farmers and improved the routes. I recently got this email with some of their work. I'm guessing it's quite flat XC type stuff but I did find quite a fun single track descent a wheel back. Also in the Potberg MTB challenge you go up over the Potberg so there has to be some fun downs there. Heading out for the holidays this weekend to the Breede so will be fun exploring the new stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Bob Posted December 14, 2017 Share Greetings, fellow Potberg MTB cyclists. It seems like only yesterday that I was putting together last year’s newsletter! Due to important breaking news, I have delayed sending this letter- Please see new trails on the Infanta side, below!Mailing list- To kick off- I have used my previous mailing lists and only added on the new names from this year’s permit sales. Many of you may no longer wish to receive Potberg MTB club updates. If that is the case, please contact me by return e-mail and I will remove your name. Trail maintenance- As far as our existing trails go (The ones indicated on the map on the reverse side of your permit), they are all up and running and being maintained by a motivated young lady from Malgas. She is contracted to keep an eye on the trails for any work that needs to be done on them. She will work in approximately 8 months of the year, focusing on times when there will be greater holiday activity, ensuring that all the signage is in the right place and keeping the wilder trails from becoming overgrown. New Trails on the Infanta side-Then, on a completely different note, local Potberg MTB members have negotiated successfully for some mtb trails to be built on the Kuhnskraal/Ballyfar farms, as well as the Poortsrivier farm and the reopening of the Potato trail (just off to the right, as you head up the hill to Sandhoogte). The trails were planned on paper, under the watchful eye of Di McKenzie and some local workers were contracted to see to the clearing of the trails. 3 bridges/stiles have been built to provide access onto and out of the properties. If you do decide to explore these new trails, please be sure to adhere to our code of conduct, by staying on the demarcated trail and ensuring that gates are left closed once you are through them. As these trails still have a way to go before they become fully groomed, please do stop during the first few laps and remove stones, branches and other obstacles from the trail. Whilst the trails on the two farms will have been worked on, the Potato trail will need a concerted effort from all of you to be cleared and set up as a trail. We will be calling for assistance on one or two days early in season to get that set up. Please be aware that a lot of time, negotiating and financial outlay has gone into the preparing of these trails and dealing with bad blood caused by rogue riders. Please view the use of these trails as a privilege and not a right and always adhere to our code of conduct. Any bad behavior could lead to these trails being closed. By the end of the school holiday, we should also have a clear way forward to being able to do a cross country link between Infanta and half way up the hill to Sandhoogte. If we can get a go-ahead from the various land owners, that trail should be up before the end of 2018. This is very exciting news! By the end of next year there could be a trail starting at Infanta, loop along the potato trail, through Poortsrivier and Kuhnskraal and back up the hill and along to Infanta; with only a tiny section of dirt road to ride. A huge thank you goes to all who have put in time, effort and funds to make this all possible. Trail funding-I think we will all derive a lot of pleasure from the new trails, and can look forward to further access as landowners see that we can ride sustainably and responsibly. The development and upkeep of these trails, this year, has cost quite a bit! Up until now, our overheads have been quite low and permit fees kept everything running. Some of the costs associated with clearing and cutting trails have been absorbed by sponsors, or the trail developers, but there will be funds required for structures like stiles and ongoing maintenance. Please support us by buying annual permits and encouraging once-off visitors to buy seven day permits, obtainable at the Trading post or Bent head pub. As always, you could face possible prosecution, if you are found to be riding on these trails without your permit board or signed permit form, particularly if you go into the reserve. Please remember, also, to sms/Whatsapp the Potberg officials (the day) before entering the reserve. Permit fees and justification-Permits will be available from 16th December. If you have a 2017 permit, it can be used until then. If you need a permit desperately, the shops have been given permission to sell you a permit. In order to be able to meet costs for trail upkeep and new projects next year, we are obliged to make a significant increase in permit fees- R300 for an annual permit and number board and R180 for a seven day permit. We have some funds in the club account which will serve as a buffer for next year’s expenses, and so we are able to curb the increase slightly. In comparison to Cape Town trail permits and race entries, these amounts are really very good value. We rely on honesty and goodwill, when it comes to buying permits. Please assist us in the administration, development and maintenance of these trails by ensuring that everyone in your family or circle of friendshas their own permit. Be assured that all the club funds are ploughed straight back into the club. If you really enjoy the new trails and feel that you can contribute more than the annual permit fee, please contact me by return e-mail to get banking details. Several club members have already assisted with donations or the sponsoring of trail signage and building of stiles and we are hugely grateful to them. Facebook page- A Potberg MTB Facebook page has been started. Please do join it and become an active member, showing photos of rides, ride descriptions, etc. Let’s hope it’s going to be a good holiday for cycling and that our page becomes an entertaining and interesting one. Please keep posts on that page related to riding our trails or cycling activities participated in by our members. As the club is committed to conservation of the area, conservation related posts are also welcome. Please, also keep an eye out for poaching related activities and/ or something which you feel needs attention, when cycling in the reserve, and drop a note or phone call to our Cape Nature contact people. Here’s to a bumper season of Potberg trail riding Thank you, and kind regards Xavier Zylstra Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Bob Posted December 14, 2017 Share More info about the local trails here: http://zaplayground.co.za/potberg-mtb-club/trails Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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