RIDING THE ROLLER-COASTER
Simon Brooke tackles the Swartberg Pass on a bicycle
BUILT to provide access for Karoo farmers to the port of Mossel Bay, the Swartberg Pass is now a provincial heritage site and a tourist destination in its own right.
Considered one of the most spectacular mountain passes in the world, it carves a swathe into the heart of the dramatic Swartberg, offering spellbinding views of the Little and Great Karoo.
Another of well-known engineer Thomas Bain’s creations, the pass was completed in 1888. Its building was a daring undertaking in the rugged surroundings, with steep drops to the river and large boulders overhead. There were no helicopters to survey the route or bulldozers to cut away the sides of the mountain. Instead, Bain made use of labourers armed with picks, shovels, sledgehammers, crowbars, wheelbarrows and gunpowder while he plotted the route ahead on foot and horseback.
We decided to explore the pass on mountain bikes, to enjoy the views and the isolation.
Just outside the village of Prince Albert, we turned off the tar onto a gravel road and headed for the mountains. Initially, it was easy pedalling but soon we were surrounded by steep rock faces — twisted and contorted to form tortured shapes and patterns — on either side of the narrow road.
Gradually we began to climb. Then, for the first time, we had a view of the pass ahead as it switched back and forth, clinging to the mountain side and climbing relentlessly. I began to wonder if I had bitten off more than I could chew. I paused, ostensibly to look at the view, not wanting my fellow cyclists to think I was tiring already.
Fortunately, we could see only the next bend, though I knew full well that beyond that there was another and another. A car passed slowly — one cannot drive much faster around the hairpin bends — and the occupants asked if we needed help, looks of sympathy on their faces. Ominous grey clouds began to swirl around the peaks, hiding the height we had to climb.
Again, we took a break, this time to admire the stone retaining wall lining the road, a remarkable feat considering the stones were all sized by hand and packed without mortar but are still firmly in place some 120 years later. Gingerly, I looked over the wall to the valley far below.
When we reached the turn-off to Gamkaskloof, close to the summit of the pass, we had climbed over 1 000m in 17km. The dark grey clouds turned to black and a cold wind picked up. It was time to head back down for the safety of Prince Albert.
The downhill ride turned out to be just as challenging as the uphill. The sharp bends make constant braking essential, my hands were stiff from the cold and the light rain made visibility poor. The corrugations, which I had not noticed on the ascent, turned the descent into a roller-coaster of a ride. Turning sharply on the loose gravel and stones is perilous. Suddenly the retaining wall seemed smaller and the drop on the other side bigger.
Soon the rain stopped and, as the road levelled out, the temperature rose. I was sorry it was over.
Share your travel experiences with us in
Readers’ World. We need a high-resolution photo — at least 500KB — and a story of no more than 800 words. Winners receive R1 000. E-mail
travelmag@sundaytimes.co.za