December 17, 2025
To Agulhas
The R319 is the remote road from Bredasdorp to the southern tip of Africa. I say remote because it passes through what seems like no-man's land consisting of windswept vast plains where shrubs and thorny hedges are the only vegetation for kilometres. No farms, no sheet, no cattle, no windmills. Just nothingness. Its was quite eerie in the early morning light, and somewhat atmospheric. The road was leading me to the furthest South that I could possibly go on this magnificent continent, so a bit of remoteness and wind was not untoward.
After 40km into the headwind, I arrived at Struisbaai, a small town just East of where I was heading. The people of this tiny town who were lucky enough to have jobs hung out on the roadside waiting for lifts to take them to work. They seemed distant and not very responsive when I said hello as I cycled past them. I didn't blame them. They were waiting for an uncertain ride to work, whereas I was on a fun ride for the hell of it. Stuisbaai soon merged into the larger town of Agulhas. This coincided with my first sighting of the Indian Ocean. The two settlements couldn't be more different. Agulhas was the playground of the rich. Large houses, clearly holiday homes of wealthy South Africans, dotted the slopes that leaned towards a promenade on the rocky coastline. The houses were magnificent, and it being holiday time, the town was a hive of tourist activity. I rode though town and onwards towards the West. The imposing Agulhas lighthouse emerged into view around a bend. The lighthouse was built in 1849, modelled after the lighthouse in Alexandria, Egypt, known as the Pharos of Alexandria. So the two lighthouses at either end of Africa share some common modelling between them. I recall being at the Pharos of Alexandria at the start of my Egypt tour, and now, here I stood at Agulhas lighthouse, years later.
About 2km further West on the same road, I arrived at Point Agulhas, the southern tip of Aftica. There is a monument, a plaque, a line where the Atlantic and Indian oveans meet, and a large raised map of Africa showing its varied geography from all directions. All pretty impressive. I took a few photos, watched the waves crash on the rocks, smelt the sea air, and wished that I could have ridden here continuously through Aftica, not having skipped Ethiopia and half of Tanzania and Zambia due to politics and civil war. Missing those sections dampened my spirits at being where I was, even though I knew that missing those sections was done keeping safety paramount. I was feeling a little disheartened, like I didnt deserve to be here, despite all the efforts I had expended to get here today. Those who know me well will understand my sentiments, and probably not be surprised by them. I hope to return to fill in those missed sections of Africa, some day.
I rode a little further West, along the Atlantic coastline, to the famous Meisha Maru ship wreck site. The Japanese vessel ran aground in 1982, with all 17 crew members swimming safely to shore. I then turned back towards Agulhas where I enjoyed a cheese and tomato toastie and large oat capuccino at a nice cafe, full of local tourists, before riding back to Bredasdorp for a second night stay.
Tomorrow, I begin my ride North West to Capetown, which I anticipate will take 3 days if all goes to plan.
Today's ride: 82 km (51 miles)
Total: 2,706 km (1,680 miles)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 2 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |