Matjiesfontein to Cape Town

[Desi]

Hello Hubbers. I'm wanting to do a bike trip from Matjiesfontein to Cape Town (get dropped off in Matjiesfontein because I don't think the normal train is running), then bike-pack back to Cape Town, either camping or staying in accommodation along the way.
Hoping for mostly gravel, to stay off main roads - and we are not RASA riders, so nothing too extreme! 
Routes, ideas, tips please. We've bikepacked before, but haven't done this area.

[ChrisF]

1. Towards Sutherland, then Ceres ....

 

2. Towards Laingsburg (gravel options to avoid most of the N1), then over the pass and back via Anysberg ...

 

ENJOY

 

[ChrisF]

@Prince Albert Cycles may have some routes to share.

[Mook]

2 hours ago, Desi said:

Hello Hubbers. I'm wanting to do a bike trip from Matjiesfontein to Cape Town (get dropped off in Matjiesfontein because I don't think the normal train is running), then bike-pack back to Cape Town, either camping or staying in accommodation along the way.
Hoping for mostly gravel, to stay off main roads - and we are not RASA riders, so nothing too extreme! 
Routes, ideas, tips please. We've bikepacked before, but haven't done this area.

How much time do you have ?

[Shebeen]

2 hours ago, Desi said:

Hello Hubbers. I'm wanting to do a bike trip from Matjiesfontein to Cape Town (get dropped off in Matjiesfontein because I don't think the normal train is running), then bike-pack back to Cape Town, either camping or staying in accommodation along the way.
Hoping for mostly gravel, to stay off main roads - and we are not RASA riders, so nothing too extreme! 
Routes, ideas, tips please. We've bikepacked before, but haven't done this area.

why matjiesfontein specifically?? if you have a lift going on the N1 already, then cool. the train ride (when it was shosholoza meyl) was quite slow there too, goes via tulbagh so the hour plus  car drive to worcestser is about 3 hours. There's a reason the road to the north originally went through Ceres for the first 300 or so years.

 

some good resources here

bicyclesouth.co.za

and here

https://milerclubsa.blogspot.com/

 

 

[Desi]

2 hours ago, Mook said:

How much time do you have ?

As much time as we like, really, but looking for a few days' ride.

Edited August 11 by Desi

[Desi]

1 hour ago, Shebeen said:

why matjiesfontein specifically?? if you have a lift going on the N1 already, then cool. the train ride (when it was shosholoza meyl) was quite slow there too, goes via tulbagh so the hour plus  car drive to worcestser is about 3 hours. There's a reason the road to the north originally went through Ceres for the first 300 or so years.

 

some good resources here

bicyclesouth.co.za

and here

https://milerclubsa.blogspot.com/

 

 

Doesn't have to be Matjiesfontein; just some areas we haven't ridden, not too far from Cape Town. I don't want to ride from Cape Town - we've done that often enough. The Matjiesfontein idea came about when we thought we could catch a train there - something different to do.

[Mook]

38 minutes ago, Desi said:

As much time as we like, really, but looking for a few days' ride.

Two of us did exactly what you plan to to back in 2021. The mainline train service had not yet woken up after lockdiwn and Transnet had a bus service between Jhb and CPT.

We boxed our stuff to get onto the bus at Cape Town station. Got off at Matjies and came back via the R356, 355, Bo-Swaarmoed pass, Ceres, Bainskloof which incidentally happened to be under reconstruction at that time.

Did 1 wild camp in a riverbed 25km out of Matjies. Coldest night of my life in a one-man tent. Left our spot 09:30 the following morning with the temperature on -1.5 °.

Camped at Klondyke Cherryfarm 2nd night and at 2e Tol campsite in Bainskloof the 3rd night. From there we returned home. Three nights out.

If time is not an issue, there would be plenty options as some hubbers have suggested.

We prefer the wild camp and campsite options, hence weather plays a major role in our planning.

We are spoilt with options in the Karoo and Namakwaland. 

Have a great ome.

[Jewbacca]

I've actually done the Matjiesfontein back to Cape Town trip twice. 

Dit it over a weekend trying to find a route that we could create a Munga type race before the Munga existed.

A good start is up to the mast then down towards the game farm. Skirt that and head parallel to the N1.

One place that boxes you in is getting out of de Doorns. The old railway tunnels get you so far but it all funnels you back to the N1 or train tracks. If the train isn't running then get out that way. we waited for a train to come past then hot footed it through the gap assuming another wouldn't come in the 15 minutes.

Then hop over the ridge into the breede river valley, stay at the callabash and the next day ride up Bains Kloof, descend the single track down towards wellington then hit Tableview and the bike path and finish with a beer at the waterfront

You can really get creative on the first section and if you find a rideable route out of de doorns I'm all ears. 

Granted the last trip was a while ago now, so there may be something easier to follow that gets you over the hill now. 

It's a fun trip. Less fun if you get stuck fighting a head wind, but you can link it all together via JC le Roux estate area as well. 

There isn't a lot of accommodation early on though, so that's something I can't help you with. We just slept in a bush when needed

[Shebeen]

15 hours ago, Jewbacca said:

I've actually done the Matjiesfontein back to Cape Town trip twice. 

Dit it over a weekend trying to find a route that we could create a Munga type race before the Munga existed.

A good start is up to the mast then down towards the game farm. Skirt that and head parallel to the N1.

One place that boxes you in is getting out of de Doorns. The old railway tunnels get you so far but it all funnels you back to the N1 or train tracks. If the train isn't running then get out that way. we waited for a train to come past then hot footed it through the gap assuming another wouldn't come in the 15 minutes.

Then hop over the ridge into the breede river valley, stay at the callabash and the next day ride up Bains Kloof, descend the single track down towards wellington then hit Tableview and the bike path and finish with a beer at the waterfront

You can really get creative on the first section and if you find a rideable route out of de doorns I'm all ears. 

Granted the last trip was a while ago now, so there may be something easier to follow that gets you over the hill now. 

It's a fun trip. Less fun if you get stuck fighting a head wind, but you can link it all together via JC le Roux estate area as well. 

There isn't a lot of accommodation early on though, so that's something I can't help you with. We just slept in a bush when needed

this should help with the first bit, there are two sections of Hex river tunnels, the new and the old. Must be a bit of adrenalin dicing with trains on the new one.

https://fullsus.co.za/the-two-tunnels-trail-de-doorns/

A lot of railway has service roads alongside, you're not 'allowed' to ride it but transnet won't always be there anyway so a good excuse and ignorance might get you out of a jam. Bit risky if your schedule is tight and definitely not fun getting sent back the way you came and then having to do the N1.

One also has to remember that farmers have got a lot more tech on their properties these days. A lot of gates with cameras and remote alarms and stuff, they don't always like surprises.

 

 

Edited August 12 by Shebeen

[Desi]

Thanks for the ideas, people - now I'm hitting the drawing board!

[Baracuda]

Really interested in this. I have been trying to plot a route home from Prince Albert, but Majtiesfontien sounds more do-able without taking protracted leave.

There is the north route, straight over the N1,  and after a few km, turn left and onto the gravel road to the Tankwa, Ceres,....

An alternative is to head south to Montagu (via Touws River or Laingsburg), then to Greyton, then Franschoek,....

[100Tours]

We rode George - Cape town 2 years ago via Matjiesfontein.

From Matjiesfontein we crossed the N1, through the windfarm to Karoopoort and then turned North up to the Tankwa farmstall. We stayed over at Hartnekskloof. There is nothing along this road between Matjiesfontein and the farmstall. Hartnekskloof hospitality was fantastic. 

From Hartnekskloof we climbed Pereboomkloof / Katbakkies pass (*****) aka Skitterykloof (for the effect it had on the sheep), thorugh to Op die Berg (coffee), and down to Ceres over Gydouw pass, then Mitchells Pass and over Bainskloof to Wellington, where we slept over again.

Finally Wellington to Melkbos/Blouberg, and into Cape Town along the west coast cycle route 

If you wanted a 4-day version you might push up to one of the lodges in Tankwa, then sleep at Op die Berg and Wellington. the final day would be the same 

Edited August 12 by 100Tours