Down South Ride – 20-23 Jan 2022

The down side to planning a trip a couple of months in advance, is that one can never be too sure what the weather gods have in mind, and as luck would have it, the weekend we chose to ride the Down South tour, from Arniston to Stanford, in the Overberg region on the western cape, would see the warmest weather the cape has experienced in 50 years.

However, as Thursday afternoon approach, the riders began arriving in Arniston. Unfortunately, the tides were not in our favour, meaning a visit to the Waenhuiskrans cave would not be possible (the cave is only accessible during low tide), but those that arrived early went off to enjoy a swim at the beach, before freshening up for dinner, and an opportunity for the whole group to get acquainted, and get a ride brief for the following day, over some delicious seafood platters. The Arniston Hotel absolutely outdid themselves here, and set a precedent for meals that would be hard to beat throughout the rest of the journey. But, we were thankful, because the next days ride would force us to dig deep into our energy reserves. After dinner, it was off to bed, as we all needed a good nights rest.

Friday morning we were all up nice and early, and after a quick breakfast, and loading all of our kit into the support vehicle, it was time to hit the road just after 07:00. The first section of the ride this morning was flat and relatively fast. A short bit of tar to lead us out of the village of Arniston, and then on to gravel roads winding between farmland would lead us through to the town of Struisbaai, and then along the coast to Aghulas, and Africas southernmost point. A quick coffee stop in Aghulas, followed by the mandatory photo op at the lighthouse, as well as the Southern Tip signpost (it is called the “down south” ride after all), where the Indian and the Atlantic oceans meet, it was time to get a little bit serious. 

From the Southern tip of Africa, we continued along some rocky jeep tracks, and a little bit of gravel, before entering the Aghulas National Park, for a long and winding jeep track climb, that would take us to the top of the ancient sand dunes, with a Magnificent view of both the coastline, and the large inland wetland and lake systems that stretch for miles in every direction. Once everyone had regrouped at the top of the climb, there was a couple of km of fun, slightly technical single track, dropping back down the dunes, and then leading us onto a really tough section of jeep track. The really hot conditions did not help, and had also dried out the sand, making it very loose, and hard to ride in places. The tough conditions meant one was often forgetting to enjoy the scenery, but every now and then, while stopping to catch your breath, you had chance to take this in.

At the end of this “character building” session, we were very glad to be re-united with our support vehicle, where we could refill bottles, and gorge ourselves on some dry wors, nuts and fruit, as well as a few sugary snacks, and everyone was very quickly re-united with their sense of humour. The ride was however not done yet, and another 20km lay between us, and the finish for the day at Black Oyster Catcher Wines. Luckily, this was again a flat and easy ride along well maintained gravel tracks, the final km were quickly completed, followed by an immediate splash in the beautiful infinity pool in front of the restaurant, followed by a few craft beers, gins or wine, and then settling in to the rooms for some well deserved rest for the afternoon, for most of us at least. One of the riders in the group had a catastrophic footwear malfunction, and we were fortunately able to arrange for a replacement set of riding shoes from Hermanus, but it was a bit of a mad dash for them to get there in time to collect them. They fortunately made it back just in time to join the rest of us for the braai dinner on the verandah.

After the previous days very taxing 80km ride, there was some apprehension about the ride that lay ahead for Saturday morning. But everyone was still in high spirits as we set off for the 62km that lay ahead. Although much easier than the day before, with the whole ride on well maintained gravel roads through the farms, we made out way from Black Oystercatcher, through Wolvengat and the tracks leading to Die Dam and and then on to Pearly Beach, where we joined the tar road for the final kilometres to our finishing point in Kleinbaai at the Great White House. There were a few challenging climbs throughout the day, but cooler weather in the morning, and a bit of light rain, did help a lot in order to keep the moods up. However, the final few km of gravel before Pearly Beach were so corrugated, it seemed at times there was no smooth line to follow, and I think we were all secretly very relieved to be on tar for the final kilometres of the day. 

After arriving at Kleinbaai, a bit ahead of our planned schedule, we were grateful to be able to make use of the showers at the Great White House to get freshened up and into clean clothes, and then had some time to relax at the bar, before a light lunch and the safety briefing for todays highlight, Shark Cage Diving.

We headed out of the harbour on a colossal aluminium craft, powering through the swell, and then onto the open sea, towards the preselected dive site, before the caged was lowered into the water, and the first 6 divers made their way apprehensively into the cage. It wasn’t long before the boat was surrounded by at least 6 large Bronze Whaler sharks, and they continued to show up en masse, and put on a show for us. there was great excitement both in the cage, and from those viewing from the boat. Unfortunately, there were no Great Whites to be seen, and apparently they have not been spotted around here for nearly two years, but nevertheless, this was a great experience for all, and certainly provided memories that will last for a long time to come. But after nearly two hours out on the water, we were all happy to be heading back for dry land, and a well deserved afternoon nap, followed by a really delicious dinner again served up at the Great White House restaurant, and then some well deserved rest back at the guest house. 

Sunday morning was another early start, and we were greeted by a great breakfast at Aire del Mar, ensuring we had all the energy we needed to tackle the final 60km ride, that we would take us up towards Baardskeerdersbos, then onto gravel tracks through Lomond, and towards Papiesvlie, followed by a big climb next to the Salmonsdam reserve, and then an exciting descent into the Klienriver valley, an on towards a brunch stop at Bluegum Estate and then the final 15km towards the finishing point at Stanford Hills. After brunch, it really started to warm up, and this made the last 15km particularly tough, especially the last climb of the day, over what the locals refer to as “kots built”, meaning literally throw up hill. fortunately, no one in our group deposited their brunch on the top of the hill, but it did take a lot of determination to get everyone over the top. From there though it was a quick and easy ride to the finish at Stanford Hills, where we could enjoy a splash in the pool at their beautifully restored Manor House, as well as make use of the showers to freshen up, before getting shuttled back home.

All things taken into consideration. Super hight temperatures, tough climbs, character building hot sand, white knuckle descents, stunning views, great atmosphere and superb food and hospitality, this 4 day trip, and its 200km of tough but rewarding riding, was really a great way to spend some time exploring a beautiful part of the country from the saddle of your mountain bike.

This trip can be booked for any dates of your choice. If you would like to book this now for you and your mates, please click here to book online today.

An Africranks Original Experience