“Round every bend is a drif and in every drif there is a bend!” CJ Langenhoven apt description of Meringspoort gorge along the Garden Route. Cycling this spectacular mountain pass crosses the river no less than 25 times!
“Round every bend is a drif and in every drif there is a bend!” CJ Langenhoven apt description of Meringspoort gorge along the Garden Route. Cycling this spectacular mountain pass crosses the river no less than 25 times!
“Round every bend is a drif and in every drif there is a bend!” CJ Langenhoven apt description of Meringspoort gorge along the Garden Route. Cycling this spectacular mountain pass crosses the river no less than 25 times!
The road was first built in 1850’s by Thomas Bain which opened up the trade route for the sheep farmers in the Great Karoo, (meaning ‘Land of great thirst’) to get their wool produce to the harbour in Mossel Bay. At the height of the boom in the wool trade saw more than one million kilograms of wool pass through Meiringspoort in the first 15 years.
Cycling through Meiringspoort pass is always a highlight on our Garden Route cycling tours. The gentle gradient of 300metres over the 24kms from De Rust to Klaarstroom gives the impression of a ‘false flat’. After checking your tyres and brakes you realise it’s an optical illusion as you gradually wind your way up the pass and one really has to look for the direction of the flowing stream to realise that you still climbing.
On the pedal through the gorge we stop at Herrie’s stone, the only graffiti in South Africa that is a national monument. CJ Langenhoven; author, politician and protanganist of the Afrikaans language chiselled the name of his famous flying elephant, a fictional character in his well loved Children’s story.
The majestic Cape Fold Mountains do all sorts of wonderful swirls and twists with a final complete turn at the end of the gorge which is so aptly named ‘Wasgat’ (washing hole). Every crossing, or drift as they are known in Afrikaans has its own name and story.
We normally cycle to Klaarstroom, a quaint hamlet with the all in one ‘Boeriediens’ (Farmer Service) including fuel pump, post office and pouch tobacco. A donkey cart is often parked outside as it’s still the means of transport for many locals. A must stop is the quaint antique shop ‘Poort Pourie’ (Poort meaning Gorge in English – a play on the word Pot Pourri) to sample the local home- made Ginger Beer. It’s a delight to wonder through the giant pumpkins, antiques and stuffed ostrich eggs.On the return cycle to De Rust, a swim in the crystal clear mermaids pool at the foot of the spectacular waterfall which drops 60meters down is a refreshing respite from the dry heat of the barren Karoo. By the time we get back to Country lodge we are dry and ready for lunch.
The road was first built in 1850’s by Thomas Bain which opened up the trade route for the sheep farmers in the Great Karoo, (meaning ‘Land of great thirst’) to get their wool produce to the harbour in Mossel Bay. At the height of the boom in the wool trade saw more than one million kilograms of wool pass through Meiringspoort in the first 15 years.
Cycling through Meiringspoort pass is always a highlight on our Garden Route cycling tours. The gentle gradient of 300metres over the 24kms from De Rust to Klaarstroom gives the impression of a ‘false flat’. After checking your tyres and brakes you realise it’s an optical illusion as you gradually wind your way up the pass and one really has to look for the direction of the flowing stream to realise that you still climbing.
On the pedal through the gorge we stop at Herrie’s stone, the only graffiti in South Africa that is a national monument. CJ Langenhoven; author, politician and protanganist of the Afrikaans language chiselled the name of his famous flying elephant, a fictional character in his well loved Children’s story.
The majestic Cape Fold Mountains do all sorts of wonderful swirls and twists with a final complete turn at the end of the gorge which is so aptly named ‘Wasgat’ (washing hole). Every crossing, or drift as they are known in Afrikaans has its own name and story.
We normally cycle to Klaarstroom, a quaint hamlet with the all in one ‘Boeriediens’ (Farmer Service) including fuel pump, post office and pouch tobacco. A donkey cart is often parked outside as it’s still the means of transport for many locals. A must stop is the quaint antique shop ‘Poort Pourie’ (Poort meaning Gorge in English – a play on the word Pot Pourri) to sample the local home- made Ginger Beer. It’s a delight to wonder through the giant pumpkins, antiques and stuffed ostrich eggs.On the return cycle to De Rust, a swim in the crystal clear mermaids pool at the foot of the spectacular waterfall which drops 60meters down is a refreshing respite from the dry heat of the barren Karoo. By the time we get back to Country lodge we are dry and ready for lunch.
The road was first built in 1850’s by Thomas Bain which opened up the trade route for the sheep farmers in the Great Karoo, (meaning ‘Land of great thirst’) to get their wool produce to the harbour in Mossel Bay. At the height of the boom in the wool trade saw more than one million kilograms of wool pass through Meiringspoort in the first 15 years.
Cycling through Meiringspoort pass is always a highlight on our Garden Route cycling tours. The gentle gradient of 300metres over the 24kms from De Rust to Klaarstroom gives the impression of a ‘false flat’. After checking your tyres and brakes you realise it’s an optical illusion as you gradually wind your way up the pass and one really has to look for the direction of the flowing stream to realise that you still climbing.
On the pedal through the gorge we stop at Herrie’s stone, the only graffiti in South Africa that is a national monument. CJ Langenhoven; author, politician and protanganist of the Afrikaans language chiselled the name of his famous flying elephant, a fictional character in his well loved Children’s story.
The majestic Cape Fold Mountains do all sorts of wonderful swirls and twists with a final complete turn at the end of the gorge which is so aptly named ‘Wasgat’ (washing hole). Every crossing, or drift as they are known in Afrikaans has its own name and story.
We normally cycle to Klaarstroom, a quaint hamlet with the all in one ‘Boeriediens’ (Farmer Service) including fuel pump, post office and pouch tobacco. A donkey cart is often parked outside as it’s still the means of transport for many locals. A must stop is the quaint antique shop ‘Poort Pourie’ (Poort meaning Gorge in English – a play on the word Pot Pourri) to sample the local home- made Ginger Beer. It’s a delight to wonder through the giant pumpkins, antiques and stuffed ostrich eggs.On the return cycle to De Rust, a swim in the crystal clear mermaids pool at the foot of the spectacular waterfall which drops 60meters down is a refreshing respite from the dry heat of the barren Karoo. By the time we get back to Country lodge we are dry and ready for lunch.