Riding in and around George

[Mike Mac]

Hi

I am going to be spending two days in the Oudshorns, but ther isn't anything listed on Trailforks for Oudtshoorn, I am looking at the George area. I am looking for recommendations on two MTB routes to ride (1 on Sat and 1 on Sun). Distance of 30-50km is in order. I want to avoid roads and any suspect areas (I will be riding alone) as much as possible and focus mainly on blue equavalent single track. 

Any suggestions greatly appreciated.   

[Ispeed_V]

Montagu pass is a good option. Not single track but still a good measure of fitness. Road a bit gnarly in places but and awesome ride.

There is also a hidden gem on the Oudsthoorn side of the pass in the way of Herold Wines. 

[corrie.kuilder]

There are some trails in Oudtshoorn, will find and share it as soon as I can find the reserve names

[Jewbacca]

George has one of the BEST trail parks in the country. 

We did an Enduro there last year and I was blown away by the amount of trails and the quality of the trails. The climbs up aren't too bad either, so you can loop the longer ones without too much hassle.

Get hold of Christofsen (bike hub handle). He will point you in the right direction.

The trails are epic. Seriously.

[Mike Mac]

14 minutes ago, corrie.kuilder said:

There are some trails in Oudtshoorn, will find and share it as soon as I can find the reserve names

That would be great. Thanks

[Mike Mac]

12 minutes ago, Jewbacca said:

George has one of the BEST trail parks in the country. 

We did an Enduro there last year and I was blown away by the amount of trails and the quality of the trails. The climbs up aren't too bad either, so you can loop the longer ones without too much hassle.

Get hold of Christofsen (bike hub handle). He will point you in the right direction.

The trails are epic. Seriously.

Thank you. 

No Christofsen coming up in members search. Hopefully he will see post.

M

Edited May 31, 2021 by Mike Mac

[Jewbacca]

16 minutes ago, Mike Mac said:

Thank you. 

No Christofsen coming up in members search. Hopefully he will see post.

M

Christofesen? Something like that.

If you use the forum search function you will see a number of 'George Trails' threads in which he has been active

[Mike Mac]

2 minutes ago, Jewbacca said:

Christofesen? Something like that.

If you use the forum search function you will see a number of 'George Trails' threads in which he has been active

Thank you. 

I was being lazy and hoping that someone in the know would provide me with "must do" routes . 

 I will have a look and see what I can find

[marshace]

Hillbillies operate an maintain a great network of trails in George.

Check out https://www.hillbillies.co.za/details#ourclubtag  and click on trail forks link.

 

[Robbie Stewart]

Do NOT ride anywhere near Montague Pass or Witfontein forest alone. Seriously. There are some serious miscreants lurking around those parts and wait for cyclists and hikers to pass and then attack. There have been fatalities there in the past. I stayed in George until 2013 and those areas have always been dodgy. 

You can ride by the George dam and most days you will find a bunch of likeminded folks out on their bikes. From there you can loop to Saasveld and on to Wilderness, Hoekwil, 7 Passes and even end up by Garden Route Trail Park by Karatara if you so please. But none of these should be attempted alone if possible.

Its a sad state of affairs, but nothing is being done about the crime in the mountains in George and sadly innocent folks are the ones that are hurt.

Apart from that, the trails above George are really, really good. Just make sure you can ride with other folks around.

[DJR]

I know you said you are looking for single track, but truly, the one thing you should do if based in Oudtshoorn, is to ride the Swartberg Pass. Yes, you will have to take the car to the start of the pass, but it is a safe a place to ride with no crime or dodgy settlements anywhere. The views are to die for, vehicles will be traveling slowly and most will smile and clap and start a chat. Once at the top, you can ride down to the Prince Albert side, the more spectacular part, but just give yourself enough time to climb back up and home. Otherwise get someone to meet you for lunch in Prince Albert and hitch a ride back. Unless you are like Copperhead, then you ride back with a few detours thrown it too. Thank me later for directing you to the best gravel pass in SA, some would say the world!

[Vetplant]

11 minutes ago, DJR said:

I know you said you are looking for single track, but truly, the one thing you should do if based in Oudtshoorn, is to ride the Swartberg Pass. Yes, you will have to take the car to the start of the pass, but it is a safe a place to ride with no crime or dodgy settlements anywhere. The views are to die for, vehicles will be traveling slowly and most will smile and clap and start a chat. Once at the top, you can ride down to the Prince Albert side, the more spectacular part, but just give yourself enough time to climb back up and home. Otherwise get someone to meet you for lunch in Prince Albert and hitch a ride back. Unless you are like Copperhead, then you ride back with a few detours thrown it too. Thank me later for directing you to the best gravel pass in SA, some would say the world!

(...Scurries off to see what overnight facilities are in the area for our drive down in December...)

[Kranswurm]

1 hour ago, Robbie Stewart said:

Do NOT ride anywhere near Montague Pass or Witfontein forest alone. Seriously. There are some serious miscreants lurking around those parts and wait for cyclists and hikers to pass and then attack. There have been fatalities there in the past. I stayed in George until 2013 and those areas have always been dodgy. 

You can ride by the George dam and most days you will find a bunch of likeminded folks out on their bikes. From there you can loop to Saasveld and on to Wilderness, Hoekwil, 7 Passes and even end up by Garden Route Trail Park by Karatara if you so please. But none of these should be attempted alone if possible.

Its a sad state of affairs, but nothing is being done about the crime in the mountains in George and sadly innocent folks are the ones that are hurt.

Apart from that, the trails above George are really, really good. Just make sure you can ride with other folks around.

What fatalities?

We used to ride from the riding club up over Montague Pass down then along to Louvain where we camped overnight and then over Ou Wapad the next day, Bergplaas along 7 Passes Road and back to the riding club every December and there was never a word about fatalities

[Kranswurm]

38 minutes ago, DJR said:

I know you said you are looking for single track, but truly, the one thing you should do if based in Oudtshoorn, is to ride the Swartberg Pass. Yes, you will have to take the car to the start of the pass, but it is a safe a place to ride with no crime or dodgy settlements anywhere. The views are to die for, vehicles will be traveling slowly and most will smile and clap and start a chat. Once at the top, you can ride down to the Prince Albert side, the more spectacular part, but just give yourself enough time to climb back up and home. Otherwise get someone to meet you for lunch in Prince Albert and hitch a ride back. Unless you are like Copperhead, then you ride back with a few detours thrown it too. Thank me later for directing you to the best gravel pass in SA, some would say the world!

You can park at the Kango Caves Caravan Park

[Maarz]

3 hours ago, FondTF2 said:

Montagu pass is a good option. Not single track but still a good measure of fitness. Road a bit gnarly in places but and awesome ride.

There is also a hidden gem on the Oudsthoorn side of the pass in the way of Herold Wines. 

pls tell me more about the GEM

[Maarz]

pls tell me more about the GEM