“Passe & Poorte”

30 AUGUST – 1 SEPTEMBER 2020

When I woke up Sunday morning (isn’t there a song like that?) we travelled via the R62 in the general direction of Cape Town.

We drove a full 55km when Andre remembered that he had seen the campsite at Calitzdorp Railway Station somewhere in an article on the internet and the owner, Cheryl, welcomed us with open arms. What an amazing setting – underneath the red krantz on top of which Calitzdorp Cellars is situated and slap-bang in the centre of what used to be a working railway station. (Find them on Facebook or Cell: 0814733232; https://www.calitzdorp.co.za/calitzdorpstation.htm ) Cheryl was a treasure trove of information and she also supplied us with a pamphlet and directions to the most scenic routes around Calitzdorp.

After setting up camp, we set off immediately to the spectacular Redstone Hills. The camera cannot really capture the deep red colour of these hills.

They form the entry to the beautiful Kruisrivier Valley. We visited the Kruisrivier Gallery of photographer Roger Young –  his photos reveal the heart and soul of the people of Calitzdorp. Over deep conversations with Roger and his partner, we had lunch in their coffee shop – fresh homemade pies and tasty lentil soup. ( https://kruisrivier-gallery-and-apartment.business.site/ )

After travelling further through the foothills of the Swartberge and the most beautiful farms, we came to the Fish Eagle Eco Caravan Park situated on the Nelsrivier Dam. While Andre went fishing, I had a long conversation with the new manager, Lourens. He told me about all his plans for the Caravan Park. If the weird and wonderful toilet set inside an old “long drop” and the giant swing which will make you feel like a kid again, is anything to go by, I hope he makes a success of the revamp of this camp. (Find them on Facebook or Cell: 082 745 8931)

When the fire was burning, Cheryl came to have a glass of red wine with us. She also showed us her interesting pub with all its movie props. (And thank you, thank you, Cheryl, for the extra blanket which saved me from freezing my butt off for another night!) Cheryl’s enthusiasm for Calitzdorp convinced us to stay another night to experience more of this beautiful town. (Check out my review!)

Andre started off the next morning with a quick dash up the railway line with one of the trolleys which you can pump at your own risk. I can only imagine that this happens quite regularly after a jolly night at the pub!

With a full day planned, we set off through the scenic Huisrivier Pass for Seweweekspoort, only to realise that we might not have enough diesel for everything that we had planned.

We drove through the mission villages of Amalienstein and Zoar in search of a gas station but ended up driving all the way back to Ladismith before we could fill up. We also bought some light food for a picnic lunch.

Just as we turned off the R62 into Seweweekspoort, Andre saw a turn-off to the Tierpoort Dam. When we got to the dam wall, he could not resist climbing all the way to the top of the dam to make a few casts. For a guy with a fear of hights, coming down that wall again was more than just a bit scary!

Seweweekspoort is every bit as spectacular as we have heard. The winding road was spoilt a bit by road works at the small bridges, but nothing can really detract from the natural beauty and majesty of the rock formations. We had a picnic on a small piece of grass underneath an overhanging rock before turning around and driving back through the Poort.

On our way back to Calitzdorp, we turned off on the gravel road to Matjiesvlei. On our way down into the remote valley we had incredible views to the end of the earth! Andre did some fishing at a few spots in the Gamka River. One of the most impressive spots was opposite steep cliffs with the sound of a million bees resounding from their hives in those cliffs.

We ended off our day with quick wine, port and muscadel tastings (and of course purchases) at Boplaas and De Krans Cellars. The muscadel might be just the thing to beat the cold nights!

On a chilly first day of Spring, we headed home the next morning on the R62. We had brunch and a chat with the man himself at Ronnie’s Sex Shop outside Barrydale. We wanted to do quick pitstop in Kleinmond to wish my mom a happy birthday and decided to travel over the Tradouws Pass towards the N2. What an awesome surprise! Of all the spectacular “Passe en Poorte” (mountain passes and gateways/canyons) that we had travelled over and through in the past few days, I think this one was my favourite, perhaps because it was so unexpectedly beautiful. We walked up to a waterfall and stopped at quite a few viewpoints.

After driving through the bright yellow canola fields in the Overberg, we had coffee and snacks with my parents before returning home safely with Ouma’s sago pudding for the kids.