Ktid Posted April 10, 2015 Posted April 10, 2015 Hello! I'm from London, England and looking to do a cycle trip along the coat of SA with my OH. We are stuck on which way to go, Cape Town to Durban or Durban to Cape Town? And also what the best route would be with some interesting/beautiful/exciting things along the way. I'm a fairly novice cyclist (Once this trip starts to get some ground i'll be starting long distance training) and my partner is an experienced cyclist, but uses a hand-cycle as he is a wheelchair user. We're very much up for a challenge so happy to take all kinds of suggestions! I hope you can help!
Marius Posted April 10, 2015 Posted April 10, 2015 You'd want to finish in Cape Town as it's the better city.
HappyMartin Posted April 10, 2015 Posted April 10, 2015 You'd want to finish in Cape Town as it's the better city.Really? I beg to differ. I also think time of year will impact. What fun to arrive in Slaapstad on one of those lovely wet windy days.
Rocket-Boy Posted April 10, 2015 Posted April 10, 2015 I think you will need to plan very carefully, the transkei is not really somewhere you want to cycle through.
NixM Posted April 11, 2015 Posted April 11, 2015 DONT ride through the Transkei, you will get mugged. In the year I worked there we had a trailer full of wheelchairs stolen from a hospital parking lot, an ambulance hijacked, and a physio stabbed in the chest for stopping her car to take a photo. Rather go inland - Draakensburg is beautiful. Just remember SA drivers are a nightmare.
Stretch Posted April 11, 2015 Posted April 11, 2015 the generally accepted route for bike trailing (described cape town to durban) is along the garden route to Kysna and then up the N9 to middleburg then along the r56 to kokstad and then onto the N2 through harding down to port shepstone. Then making you way to durban via the old coastal road. The N9/R56 is going to take you inland and high (so bloody cold if you do it in winter) but significantly safer than doing it on the N2 through the transkei. I certainly would not like to ride my bike on that stretch. The route i described parts of the N9 will be a bit *** because the yellow line is very narrow and then is a high drop from tar to dirt. Expect to be blown over by a few trucks. The R56 is incredible but also has some sections you need to be alert through Mt fletcher and near Matatiele. The section between Harding and Port Shepstone will also have some places you need to be alert
DJpak Posted April 11, 2015 Posted April 11, 2015 I saw some people were walking and cycling on the gardenroute to CT... Im not sure where they were coming from;;; good luck!!
Shebeen Posted April 11, 2015 Posted April 11, 2015 Really? I beg to differ. I also think time of year will impact. What fun to arrive in Slaapstad on one of those lovely wet windy days.durban definitely the better place to be. But only in July. CT wins on most people's checklists. +1 for stretch's suggestions
Ktid Posted April 13, 2015 Author Posted April 13, 2015 DONT ride through the Transkei, you will get mugged. In the year I worked there we had a trailer full of wheelchairs stolen from a hospital parking lot, an ambulance hijacked, and a physio stabbed in the chest for stopping her car to take a photo. Rather go inland - Draakensburg is beautiful. Just remember SA drivers are a nightmare. I think you will need to plan very carefully, the transkei is not really somewhere you want to cycle through. That's for the tip about not going through there, it's the most direct so had been somewhere we were planning to go through but we definitely don't want to get mugged! the generally accepted route for bike trailing (described cape town to durban) is along the garden route to Kysna and then up the N9 to middleburg then along the r56 to kokstad and then onto the N2 through harding down to port shepstone. Then making you way to durban via the old coastal road. The N9/R56 is going to take you inland and high (so bloody cold if you do it in winter) but significantly safer than doing it on the N2 through the transkei. I certainly would not like to ride my bike on that stretch. The route i described parts of the N9 will be a bit *** because the yellow line is very narrow and then is a high drop from tar to dirt. Expect to be blown over by a few trucks. The R56 is incredible but also has some sections you need to be alert through Mt fletcher and near Matatiele. The section between Harding and Port Shepstone will also have some places you need to be alert Thanks, that's really great i'll map that out and see what kind if mileage we're looking at. What time of year? We had been thinking June as it works for our schedules here and we'll be training through the English Winter so didn't want to go from one extreme to another! But looking at the temperatures I'm worried that it might get a little cold, especially as we'd have to do a lot of camping.What do you guys think?
DJR Posted April 13, 2015 Posted April 13, 2015 See if you can pm FRAIL, he is a regular Hubber. He has done it both ways more than once. I think he did it twice last year on his way to and from races in Durban. He did a full year of riding his bike for charity, to and from every race he did, and he lives in Cape Town. Just think advice from someone with hard experience could be useful. Frail, where are you?
Stretch Posted April 13, 2015 Posted April 13, 2015 That's for the tip about not going through there, it's the most direct so had been somewhere we were planning to go through but we definitely don't want to get mugged! Thanks, that's really great i'll map that out and see what kind if mileage we're looking at. We had been thinking June as it works for our schedules here and we'll be training through the English Winter so didn't want to go from one extreme to another! But looking at the temperatures I'm worried that it might get a little cold, especially as we'd have to do a lot of camping.What do you guys think?If you go the route I described you go through some of the cooler parts of the country. Molteno had the lowest recorded temp in south Africa. June you will have well below temps every night and any sign of moisture it will snow. Basically from Graaf reinet to just past Harding will be very cold
Shebeen Posted April 13, 2015 Posted April 13, 2015 It will be **** cold then. Camping,only for the hardcore. Bike camping you will have to include noupoort on your route. Google freedom challenge, you'll be intersecting with that route about then, is cold.https://dustbustersblog.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/3.jpg
Shebeen Posted April 13, 2015 Posted April 13, 2015 I would do cape town => pe => baviaanskloof=> klein karoo => cape town. Then fly to durban if you really into your horse racing
Ktid Posted April 13, 2015 Author Posted April 13, 2015 Thanks for all the advice on the weather and route, I'm going to have a chat with my other half and suggest we change month so we don't have an awful time of it!Can anyone recommend a better month?
DJR Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 I would do cape town => pe => baviaanskloof=> klein karoo => cape town. .................I like this plan
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