Best MTB towns in the Western Cape

[Mtbiker404]

10 minutes ago, andreas17777 said:

Just stay in Somerset, what else do you want? Your property here will just increase in value. We have Lourensford, Winelands and Jonkers is a stone throw away. We also have an abundance of restaurants and wine farms and the best woolies in South Africa "waterstone". You can visit all the small towns anytime.

Agreed, I think I will purchase a house there if only there was a good option available. The only drawback is that it has become like a city, lots of traffic and dirty air. CoCT is not great.

[ALBERT MICHAEL]

Swest is great – especially in the older, more established neighbourhoods like Steynsrust, Heldervue, or along Old Stellenbosch Road. Easy Access to the R44, trails and vineyards. Minimal traffic and clean air – thanks to elevation and orientation

[I FLY]

17 hours ago, Me rida my bicycle said:

Durbanville and Kraaifontein border (Kraaistantia) with over 150km trail network on the doorstep, not even thinking of the 100's of km's of farm roads. Fancy riding somewhere else, Bottelary, Stellenbosch, Paarl, Wellington all only couple of minutes away. 

To be honest there are so many great trails and places to live all over the Western Cape it's a difficult decision that I am glad I don't have to make. 

So here is how I have handled this quest for good mtb trails on my door step.

I bought a holiday place in Somerset West in 2019 but ended living there two weeks a month until December 2023.

Moved down to Kraaifontein from Johannesburg in December 2023 so I am in the middle of Tyberberg and the Winelands trails. I joined a housesitting forum and so far this year I have spent a week in each of Greyton, Gordons Bay and Prince Albert. I am currently doing a two week housesit in McGregor. 

My wife is also a cyclist so we take our bikes and explore the different options every day. I work remotely a few hours in the afternoons. 

In May we are going to spend a week in St Helena Bay.

 

 

[Shebeen]

So all you want is a small town with great mtb trail network, a woollies and a midsize unicorn farm?!

 

 

30 minutes ago, Mtbiker404 said:

4. Swellendam

- excellent mtbing

- very small town with no great new options for houses, no woolies food

I would not have said that Swellendam has a great trail network, but happy to be proven wrong.

 

 

[Shebeen]

18 minutes ago, I FLY said:

So here is how I have handled this quest for good mtb trails on my door step.

I bought a holiday place in Somerset West in 2019 but ended living there two weeks a month until December 2023.

Moved down to Kraaifontein from Johannesburg in December 2023 so I am in the middle of Tyberberg and the Winelands trails. I joined a housesitting forum and so far this year I have spent a week in each of Greyton, Gordons Bay and Prince Albert. I am currently doing a two week housesit in McGregor. 

My wife is also a cyclist so we take our bikes and explore the different options every day. I work remotely a few hours in the afternoons. 

In May we are going to spend a week in St Helena Bay.

that is very cool!!!

[guidodg]

1 hour ago, Mtbiker404 said:

Currently my options are:

1. Somerset West

- excellent mtbing

- house purchase options limited

2. Outeniquasbosch

- smallish isolated area to ride in, 35km far from other trails

- the best option to buy a house of all the options

3. George

- better/more mtbing than Outeniquasbosch, but not as great as Somerset West

- good house purchase options, but seems slightly far away from the trails

4. Swellendam

- excellent mtbing

- very small town with no great new options for houses, no woolies food

I will go to George and Outeniquasbosch soon to have a look/rip some trails.

Greyton...

We go to Hermanus every 10 days or so for a Woolies shop...otherwise everything is available in Greyton..

[BMCfan]

I read this thread and is on the verge of opening a Woolies in Swellendam and Greyton .....

[I FLY]

10 minutes ago, BMCfan said:

I read this thread and is on the verge of opening a Woolies in Swellendam and Greyton .....

McGregor residents are also keen on a local Woolies.

[PhilipV]

20 hours ago, Mtbiker404 said:

Thank you, I will investigate your recommendation. I did look at Sandbaai last year, but the area seemed slightly unsafe while I looked at houses. The army was deployed to calm taxi related violence. A not very good area is very close-by. But I will check out Flamingo bay.

Doesn’t happen often, but has a potentially paralyzing effect on getting in and out of town without driving a massive detour.

On 4/2/2024 at 10:43 PM, Mtbiker404 said:

I am 49 with no kids, only work and mtb. I just need fibre and good trails, but I would also like to buy a good house as an investment, preferably a new/ish house. I lived in Somerset West, it has great mtb riding, but it has become too crowded and city like for me. There is also no new housing developments there that interest me. I might still return to Somerset West, it has great trails, but I just want to explore smaller towns before I make my decision.

The riding is getting better every year, but so are the other issues you mentioned. I love it here, so my advice about S-west  is rose colored.

18 hours ago, Mtbiker404 said:

Yes I need to be sure that a small town is really for me. I would like to live close to a good woolies food shop. This makes Swellendam a bit less attractive. I need good nutrition or else Nino and Matt will leave me behind.

For a town to have a Woolies food, it will need to have buying power, and people, and will be crowded and city-like. 
Hermanus, S-West, Stellies and Paarl all have a WW, but all have traffic issues, occasional striking issues, expensive housing, and you’ll be between everyone else who made a similar move recently. 

I reckon longer term rental in each of your options is the key. Live in these towns for 3-6 months, see wether you like the climate, people etc before you invest. Or learn what compromises you can live with ie planning/buying food in advance.
You have the flexibility, use it to your advantage, such a lovely conundrum to have. 
 

16 hours ago, Shebeen said:

So all you want is a small town with great mtb trail network, a woollies and a midsize unicorn farm?!

 

 

I would not have said that Swellendam has a great trail network, but happy to be proven wrong.

 

 

There is trails built by the locals. A nice weekends worth of riding. Nowhere near the big Boland trail centers though. 

 

now if it wasn’t for Woolies food, OP could have moved into Tulbagh. That is definitely where I’ll be buying a second house if that uncle with the 12m Euros finally replies to my email.

[ChrisF]

On 4/3/2024 at 11:31 AM, Mtbiker404 said:

Thank you, I will investigate your recommendation. I did look at Sandbaai last year, but the area seemed slightly unsafe while I looked at houses. The army was deployed to calm taxi related violence. A not very good area is very close-by. But I will check out Flamingo bay.

 

I would stay well clear of Sandbaai, unrest has a way of spilling over to Sandbaai ....

 

Onrus or even Vermont is very nice.   5km from the start of the Hermanus trail start

 

 

LOVELY .... 8 months of the year ..... the rest you get trampled by visitors ....  This applies to most every coastal dorpie ...

Edited April 4 by ChrisF

[PhilipV]

I see that Malmesbury has spawned a woolies food. Nearest trails are in Darling though.

[ChrisF]

42 minutes ago, PhilipV said:

I see that Malmesbury has spawned a woolies food. Nearest trails are in Darling though.

 

Golf estates

 

Big shopping malls

 

Even the volunteer fire fighting has been upgraded to a full time fire fighting department.  Actually a very nice setup they have there.

 

No longer "platteland" ....

 

 

And people best make sure to check the HOT dry climate before making the move ....  personally I prefer the hot and dry over the humid coastal climate.  But certainly not everybody's cup of tea.

[NickGM]

On 4/2/2024 at 8:57 PM, Prince Albert Cycles said:

Don’t move to Prince Albert allready too many people here to my liking 😇

A few months ago I got a puncture (in my car, not bike) at the top of Swaartberg pass in the evening. I change to the spare, drove back down to Prince Albert and grabbed a beer at the lazy lizzard (I think that's it's name). The next morning I drove to some tyre replacement spot off the main road. It was about 7:45am and the mechanic said "I've been expecting you". I asked how on earth that could be true and he said he cycled past my car the previous evening while I was parked at the Lizzard and saw I had a replacement wheel. Within 15 minutes he had fixed the puncture, put the old wheel on and charged me something like R90. I felt like I was robbing them so I bought some home-made rusks while I was there. I was expecting to have to limp along to oudtshoorn to a tiger wheel and tire and wait around a few hours, but instead I was back on the porch of my BnB by 8:15am, dunking a rusk in my coffee and admiring my car's 4 matching wheels. 

On another evening, a few years ago, I was at one of the nice restaurants on the main road. I heard a rather difficult overseas visitor at the table next to me ask for "Baked Beans on Toast - because that's just what I feel like". It wasn't on the menu and I could hear the stress in the waiter's voice, but a few minutes later I saw someone from the kitchen staff run out into the night and return a bit later, presumably with baked beans because the guy got his wish. I returned to the same restaurant on the more recent trip and, low-and-behold, they had added Baked Beans on Toast to the Dinner Menu.  

So if you want people to stop moving there you must stop being so flippin nice!

Or maybe time to adopt the "Montana" approach after everyone fell in love with movies like "Legends of The Fall" and "A river runs through it":

[KatjieStewels]

Consider Paarl. The houses are affordable, we have access to world-class cycling routes, and we have great fibre (I work from home as a full-stack web developer). I hit the trails here every day. 

My wife and I moved to Paarl at the beginning of 2020 and we love it. Friendly people, and a strong cycling culture. It has all the benefits of a large city but feels like a rural town. 

[Paul Ruinaard]

You need to probably listen to the comments above about other criteria however no one seems to be mentioning Paarl. FWIW you have access to everything and more in the area. I have been here for 18 months and continue to discover more trails. 

Paarl is often overlooked but its 3 x the size of Stellenbosch and has all the access to the major trails nearby never mind most of the trails that everyone rides.

FWIW The Boland is much more friendly than CTN itself so if you enjoy a small town vibe its really a great place. Stellenbosch, Paarl, Franschoek, Wellington etc all in the same winelands area. Somerset West around the corner. Tulbagh etc up the road. Durbanville and Tygerberg withing riding distance.

The list of trails and trail destinations is as long as my arm. Banhoek, PLasir, Jonkers, Paarl Mountain reserve , Wellington - pick your poison. these are just front of mind now.

I suggest you go have a lok at a Strava heat map to get an idea. 

FWIW theres a lot more in the towns as well. But R 3 to R 4m will buy you a nice little place in any of these towns. Winelands wrt food, drink and coffee shops - next level.

 

Edited April 5 by Paul Ruinaard

[Robbie Stewart]

6 minutes ago, Paul Ruinaard said:

Banhoek, PLasir, Jonkers, Paarl Mountain reserve , Wellington

This will keep anyone busy for a loooooong time