Taylored Trips – Snow PatrolIt’s June, it’s winter, it’s cold, it’s miserable, we are still in the throes of the worst drought that the Cape has ever seen but halleluiah, we did get a little respite the other day with some very

welcome rain and a bit of snow. We decided to go and have a look.We’ll start off right outside my gate where our property borders on the historic Lady Loch bridge. This little beauty was erected in 1910 after being built in West Bromwich, England by Braithwaite & Kirk and then shipped

out here. This was the first steel bridge in the country and we still use it every day. Don’t forget to check out the snow on the mountain.

Lady Loch Bridge with Sneeukop in the background

We turned left on the R44 and headed out towards Hermon and Gouda. Up ahead the Groot Winterhoek Mountains loomed majestically, covered in a white blanket.

Groot Winterhoek Mountains

Going through the Nuwekloof Pass, the railway and the old road below it are clearly visible.

Nuwekloof Pass

These are the Witzenberg mountains, just past Tulbagh, also covered in snow.

Witzenberg Mountains

It is this mountain range that a bunch of local musicians from Tulbagh, including Rob Nagel of Blues Broers fame, named themselves after. The Witzenbergies.

The Witzenbergies performing at Saronsberg Theatre, Tulbagh

The Elandskloof mountains weren’t outdone and they too were covered in snow.

Elandskloof Mountains

Entering Michell’s Pass the southern beginnings of the Hex River Mountains stand proud with their snow-covered peaks. Wolwekloof can just be seen to the

lower right of the picture.

Hex River Mountains

Wolwekloof used to be a very nice recreation facility with terraced camp sites, 3 swimming pools, a huge hall for any kind

of function, a row of rustic chalets up along the ridge and even a block of flats, which is what you can see in the picture. It was then changed into a training facility and only used sporadically and now it is closed and has been for a good number of years. What a waste.As we continued through Michell’

s Pass, some more great pictures of the Hex River Mountains unfold.

Hex River Mountains

Near the end of the pass, just before descending into the Bokkeveld town of

Ceres, the Matroosberge come into view with Skurweberg in the foreground. These are the mountains that you see on your left when heading north through De Doorns.

The Matroosberg Mountains also form part of the Hex River Mountains. Matroosberg boasts having the highest peak in the Boland and is usually the first and last

mountain to have a snow.We had lunch at the local Spur in Ceres and this view greeted us as we walked down a side street to where we parked.

A little way out of town on the

Warm Bokkeveld R46 road, the colourful shacks of Enduli township are accentuated by the Hex River Mountains.

To the north, on the R303, just beyond the little village of Prince Alfred

Hamlet, the road ascends the Gydo Pass, taking you to the heights of the Koue Bokkeveld. The southern reaches of the Swartruggens Mountains are always impressive when it snows because the snow hangs on the ledges of the mountain creating this amazing picture.

Swartruggens Mountains with the Gydo Pass in the foreground

Up here the conditions are near perfect for apple orchards. Long cold winters creating a deep dormant sleep and hot sunny summers to sun

ripen those delicious juicy fruits as they hang in their millions on hectare upon hectare of fruit trees as far as the eye can see. This pass, usually busy with trucks all year round, becomes a virtual truck-train during the picking season.Still at the lookout point on the Gydo Pass, the Matroosberge

across the valley look like a postcard picture from abroad.

Matroosberge

At one of the stopping places in Michell’s Pass on the way home, the old

Andrew Geddes Bain built-up road can be seen where the road skirted the rocky outcrop. The new road cuts through to the right of the outcrop.

Michell's Pass

From the same vantage point but looking back in the direction of Ceres, the newly revamped railway line can be seen below the road. On the extreme right the black hole of the tunnel can just be seen and just before the cutting on the left of the picture, a person can be seen walking

along the line.

Michell's Pass

Just before entering Bain’s Kloof Pass, there is a lot of new farming activity going on and it looks very promising to see such

progress in the fields. On the right of the picture new tunnels can be seen as well. The Breede River flows from right to left where the trees are so there is plenty of water for irrigation.

New farming activity

Just after entering Bain’s Kloof Pass, there is a pub called the Calabash Bush Pub. Unfortunately they had a fire in the kitchen one morning a little while ago and

nearly lost everything. They are operating in a room that didn’t burn while they try to recover and rebuild the place after such a devastating disaster.

Calabash Bush Pub

From Calabash looking towards Worcester

Bain’s Kloof Pass, one of the finest examples of

road building excellence follows after the pub and takes you up and over the Limietberge and down the other side to the buzzing metropolis of Wellington and the Lady Loch bridge, which is where we started our journey.Until next time, “Keep on Tripping!”