To Swellendam

December 15, 2025

Heading out of Barrydale, before leaving Route 62.

I left Barrydale at 7am after a very restful night. I have been using my tent every night recently so that I can leave the windows wide open for fresh mountain air, and not have to worry about mosquitos. I pitch it on the bed, less the flysheet, then use the provided bedlinen inside the tent to create absolute luxury! It works a treat and it means I don't need to use a fan or dreaded air conditioning, so it's a win for me and a win for the planet.

Just outside Barrydale is the left turn into the R324, leaving Route 62. The R324 is a windy road that follows the Tradou River as it meanders through the Zuurberg Nature Reserve, which is actually part of the Langeberg mountain range at the Southern edge of the Klein Karoo. The Zuurberg is home to thousands of Baboons, who hang around roadside watching travellers pass. I felt slightly nevous about the baboons, but thankfully, like the baboons I had met in East Africa, they were least interested in me. The road followed the river, more or less, deviating from it when terrain necessitated a short, steep climb. These occasional climbs, although averaging a km at a time, were formidable, with gradients averaging 10%, and their abundance required me to work a lot harder than I had planned to do today! I counted no less than 8 kickers in the 14km stretch that made up the Tradou River Pass. On one particular climb I felt it unusually difficult, and only noticed at the summit that I had two extra gears left - I blame the beauty I was seeing for my lack of awareness! The scenery was spectacular, under clear blue skies. In the shadow of the towering peaks it felt chilly, then suddenly round another corner and back into the sunshine it was warm. I kept stopping to look around, and worked hard to resist "over-photography". I was actually overwhelmed with the scenes that were evolving around me with each pedalstroke. The sheer rockfaces of the highest peaks looked glorious in the morning sunlight.

The R324 finally levelled off at the junction with the R322, where I turned Westwards towards Swellendam. I was now officially out of the Klein Karoo, having just traversed the Langeberg mountain range. More farmland scenery, with sheep baa'ing happily as they roamed free with plenty to eat, took me into a charming town called Suurbraak. Most of the townsfolk lived in simple houses scattered within the town centre. There was a school at the heart of the town with a sign saying "We love our children, please drive slowly." What gave this town its charm was the lack of shopping mall, just houses and small stores for all necessities. I liked it for being different.

I soon joined National Highway 2, the N2, commonly known as the "Garden Route". It was busy, packed with local tourism making the most of their Summer holidays. There was the usual wide hard shoulder which separated me from the hasty tourists and lorries. The N2 would be my route for the remainder of today, and some of tomorrow. Following the N2 would be the direct route to Capetown, but I had other plans.

After an oat-milk cappuccino at a very flash road side services, I descended into Swellendam and found my home for the night at Aan De Eike guest house. Swellendam is a charming Garden Route stop and is suitably touristy. There are many 18th century buildings, still being used and meticulously maintained, that are the main attraction in the town. Two such buildings have been converted into museums which I visited. Firstly, The Drostdy museum, which was once the administrative building for the Dutch East India company, the colonising legal entity in control of the Cape colonies. The museum preserved the offices and residences of the officers who once presided over colonial "matters". There was a disturbing display on the extensive use of slaves from other lands to build the colony, including gruesome details of how "misbehaving" slaves were dealt with. Included in this display was the old jail, still intact. All very sad. Secondly, the Mayville Museum, a 17th century house owned by a widow back in those days, and preserved with original decor and furnishings. I like looking at old things, and contemplating how life used to be, so I found both museum visits interesting. The Dutch Reformed Church is the other major attraction of Swellendam, so I had a look at that too, from the outside. It is an imposing whitewashed building, and is apparently the most photographed church in South Africa. I added to this statistic, before tucking into my dinner of sushi followed by a giant blueberry muffin for desert.

Today's ride: 46 km (29 miles)
Total: 2,550 km (1,584 miles)

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