December 14, 2025
To Barrydale
As I left Ladismith this morning, I turned back to look at the mountain, framed by a clear blue morning sky. I had to stop and savour the moment. Birds sang, a gentle breeze blew, and sheep baa'd in a nearby kraal as they were being led to new grazing groups. It was idyllic, and a great start to the day.
A steep climb out of the valley ensured that my legs began their daily routine with no warm up. Route 62 lay ahead of me, with an undulating hilly day in store, with gusty winds constantly changing direction being neither helpful nor harmful, just annoying! I laughed to myself as I got blown about at the top of the climb, and asked myself rhetorically if I was having fun.
The scenery throughout the day was splendid, and certainly helped dull the pain of undulating hills. There was plenty of mountain scenery, farmland scenery, rocky outcrop scenery and vast unending Klein Karoo character. Truly beautiful, and unique in many ways. In many places the road was cut into a rocky hill, leaving steep sides on the edge of the road which displayed the different coloured layers of stone formed millions of years ago and now bought to the surface by tectonic plate movement.
A sweeping 2km descent brought me into the small town of Barrydale. I found a room at the Karoo Boutique Hotel, which had a half decent looking restaurant to its credit. One thing I have found in the Westetn Cape is that the food choices in most restaurants are very meat based with little vegetable or carbohydrate content. I am usually happier buying food from the hot deli at a supermarket where I can choose veg and carbs to compliment my meal. Another disappointment I find in this region is that there is no papa cooked anywhere, as the cuisine is tailored more to the Afrikaaner palate. Food wise, I was certainly happier in the Northern Cape, where papa, meat stew and green vegetables was my (healthy) staple diet, every day. Adapting to changing food availability and quality is all part of long bike touring, so I fully accept it, but I can state a preference, can't I?
Barrydale is built on two steep sides of a valley. Thankfully, my route out tomorrow follows the valley and doesn't involve a strenuous climb out of it. Walking around town, I found it rather touristy, with gift shops, curio shops, and small cafes, all closed being Sunday. The main church in town was pretty, set on a corner on its own, also closed. I asked at a few restaurants if they served dinner - they didn't! The lack of economic activity on a Sunday is something I still find interesting in some parts of the World, and it brings back memories of my youth, when Sundays were quiet days reserved for family time.
I spent a restful afternoon doing admin online, challenging my mind to a couple of crosswords, chatting to Alks and having a surprisingly good pizza for dinner at the only open restaurant in town which happened to be at the place I was staying for the night. As the sun set and the mosquitos came out to play, I contemplated some of the moments I had experienced over the last 5 weeks: many good moments and some not so much so.
Today's ride: 77 km (48 miles)
Total: 2,504 km (1,555 miles)
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