December 18, 2025
To Caledon
Janet cooked a lovely full English breakfast for me at 6:30am, which I complimented with a bowl of my trusty oat porridge. Proper fuel for what promised yo be a hilly day to Caledon. I set off after saying goodbye to my very generous host for the last two nights, with whom I had shared some very interesting conversations. I got my second hug from a guest house host in South Africa, and was on my way.
Soon after heading off my phone pinged on receipt of a WhatsApp message. I glanced at it and to my surprise it was Pauline, the lady who hosted me in Setlagole, which was my second stop in South Africa. She was asking how I was! Four days ago, I received a call from Jeff, who had hosted me in Taung, also asking how I was. It is so heart warming to get messages like this from people who I often feel I will never hear from again. The fact that I popped into their minds weeks after having stayed with them shows how caring and genuine they are. I replied to Pauline to which she replied saying how proud she was of me. She said all her friends know about me now. I smiled to myself as I got back on my bike, and headed into the hills.
Today's route had no flat sections. It was either up or down for the whole day. A mild tail wind, and an absolutely beautiful 23 degrees under a clear blue sky made it an most enjoyable day despite the constant sharp climbs and steep descents. Granny ring got a lot of usage today for sure! The scenery today was stunning and completely different to the mountains of the last few days. I rode through a delightful town called Napier, with its tree lined streets and colourful buildings. The open road took me through vast acres of wheat fields and grazing lands, with more hills as far as I could see. Motorists hooted at me in encouragement and one particular lady in the passengers seat made me jump as she screamed something in Afrikaans really loudly as her car passed me.
Caledon appeared at the bottom of the final steep descent of the day. A quiet town set in the Overberg region, famous for its mineral rich hotsprings. There was a lovely Holy Trinity Church in the town centre built out of sandstone, and the usual mix of old buildings and supermarkets both large and small. Most mimi-markets I have encountered tend to be run by Indian businessmen who always look at me curiously because they cannot quite place me ethnically.
After my usual post dinner stroll through town, I settled down to plan my route into Capetown. Many reports and people I had spoken to advise against the route into Capetown from the East, which is exactly the one I had in mind, for safety reasons. The route from the East passes through some of the poorest and crime ridden townships of the Western Cape. "You are passing through very angry neighbourhoods where bad thing happen all the time. I like to think that it would be fine and be positive about the ride in, but personally I would not take the chance." said a bike tour opeartor based in Cape Town when I enquired. I will have to reconsider my options. As always, as frustrating as it is, safety first.
Today's ride: 74 km (46 miles)
Total: 2,780 km (1,726 miles)
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