Text: Marion Whitehead. Article from the April 2012 issue of Getaway Magazine.
One of the most scenically dramatic routes in the country, Bain’s Kloof Pass between Wellington and Ceres is a remarkable feat of engineering that has endured for more than 150 years.
Tasked with finding a good route for the Great North Road from the Cape to the interior, master roadbuilder Andrew Geddes Bain chose a valley in the Limietberg which he described as a ‘frightful terra incognita’ where everything was ‘savagely grand’. The optimistic Scot, after whom the pass was named, has left us a ribbon of road that provides access to a wild mountain adventure playground just an hour out of Cape Town.
Today, Bain’s 28-kilometre pass is tarred and sweeps in great curves from the vineyards surrounding Wellington to a saddle in the Limietberg Mountains, where picnic spots with panoramic views invite day-trippers to linger. The descent to the east, however, is dramatic as the narrow road clings to the side of the mountain, creeping around huge boulders and across krantzes high above the foaming Witte River.
This is great hiking country and the rock pools of the Witte River are legendary spots for cooling off on hot summer days.
What you’ll see
It’s best to drive this route from the eastern (Ceres) side as most of the viewpoints will then be on the left shoulder of the road. The one-way Darling Bridge over the Breede River has a height restriction of 3,8 metres – a warning that needs to be taken seriously as overhanging rocks obstruct large vehicles.
The Witte River emerges from a narrow fold between craggy mountains where even the hardy fynbos is sparse. Entering the kloof, precarious boulders look as though they’re about to come crashing down the steep slopes to the river below. Large, white-painted rocks line the road’s edge, offering some protection from the yawning drop without blocking the view as the route climbs gradually but steadily.
Borcherds Bridge has been modernised, but remains a single-carrier stone span over the Wolwekloof River, which joins the Witte River at Tweede Tol. This was originally the site of the second toll house on the pass and the main station housing convict labour during construction of the pass. It’s now a CapeNature camp and picnic site.
As you continue up the mountainside, stop at one of the lay-bys to peer down at the deep, dark river pools and check out the stonework on the dry-packed retaining walls and culverts, which support the road ahead.
The gradient gets steeper just before the Preekstoel rock formation and twists sharply. The sheer drops are breathtaking, as are the views down the valley. At Montagu Rocks, the route has been blasted right through the hard, quartzose sandstone.
The road levels off at the saddle at the highest point of the pass. The little village here developed around the first toll house and Bain’s Trading Post is worth a stop.
On the descent, there are a couple of picnic spots. The stone culverts at Gawie se Water are original, except for the cement topping on the walls. Watch out for a sign indicating the first road tunnel attempted in this country. The sealed east entrance is partly obscured by trees, at a point before the road turns sharply around a shoulder of the mountain.
Building the pass
Andrew Geddes Bain, inspector of roads for the Western Cape, started work in 1849 on the gentler, western approach from Wellington, using convict labour on a task that would take nearly four years. The first 11 kilometres to the saddle included two substantial stone bridges with wooden decks. Bain ambitiously planned South Africa’s first road tunnel. Dug through the mountain, it was 122 metres long and five metres high. However, there were problems with washaways from the beginning and, when part of the roof collapsed during heavy rain, Bain abandoned it. This side of the pass hasn’t changed much, apart from being tarred and widened.
On the steep, craggy eastern side, gunpowder was used to blast the route, followed by crowbars and wheelbarrows – dynamite was invented only in 1863.
The retaining wall and backfill method used on the Wellington side of the pass wasn’t sufficient in the Witte River Valley, so large blocks of rock, weighing up to 10 tonnes, were used to build solid foundations. Cranes had to be used, secured by iron rings to the cliffs.
By 1853, the pass was 28 kilometres long; 10 kilometres of this was blasted out of rock, using 15 tonnes of gunpowder. The route clung to the northern wall of the kloof, with steep drops into the ravine, ‘stolen, as it were, from the frowning krantzes above,’ said Bain. Retaining walls were up to 20 metres high in places and, even though they were constructed without mortar, have stood firm for more than 150 years.
The first cars travelled over the pass in the early 1900s and it was tarred in 1934. Bain’s Kloof Pass remained the main road to the north until Du Toitskloof Pass was completed in 1949. It now enjoys provincial heritage site status.
Highlights
Best view point: the lay-by just past Dacre’s Pulpit
Most interesting shop: Bain’s Trading Post
Coolest picnic spot: Witte River at Tweede Tol. Tel: 023-355-1607
Best hikes: Rock Hopper, a 7,5-kilometre trail from Tweede Tol to Bain’s Kloof Corner Lodge, and Happy Valley, a 10-kilometre return route along the banks of the upper reaches of the Witte River to Junction Pool, one of the most popular swimming holes in the Boland. Permits and maps can be obtained from Bain’s Kloof Corner Lodge or Tweede Tol.
Travel planner
Note: A devastating fire swept through Bain’s Kloof Pass in January, destroying large tracts of mountain fynbos. Fire is part of the lifecycle in this vegetation system and it’s fascinating to watch it regenerating on the rocky, exposed slopes. ‘The first few rains will bring a flush of flowering bulbs and other interesting things,’ says Sandra Steytler of Friends of Bain’s Kloof.
Recommended route
Combine this pass with a trip over the old Dutoitskloof Pass outside Paarl. From the N1, take the road past Goudini Spa up the lovely Slanghoek Valley’s vineyards and join the R43 to Ceres. At the T-junction, take the R301 over Bain’s Kloof Pass to Wellington.
Tip: A detour up the R43 and R46 to Ceres allows you to include Michell’s Pass, the baby brother of Bain’s Kloof Pass.
Where to eat
Mill & Oaks Restaurant, off the junction of the R301/R43 and R46, serves country cuisine under the trees beside a swimming pool with mountain views or in a cosy dining room beside a crackling fire. Among the most popular dishes are chicken livers wrapped in bacon, stuffed aubergine with cheese sauce, ready-cut spare ribs with homemade basting sauce and creme brulee. Tel 023-231-0860.
Calabash Bush Pub, at the eastern end of the pass, serves pizzas and burgers. The festive atmosphere is popular with bikers. Tel 023-355-1844.
Bain’s Kloof Corner Lodge Kitchen, at the top of the pass, serves good salads and burgers, an excellent meze platter, a variety of main dishes with a Lebanese touch and delicious home-made cakes. Tel 021-864-1159.
Useful contacts
Wellington Tourism Bureau, tel (021) 8641378, email.
Friends of Bain’s Kloof, tel 021-797-8289.
Where to stay
* Tweede Tol in Cape Nature’s Limietberg Nature Reserve has 25 campsites, each with a braai facility. Six sites have private bathrooms. Pools and hikes along the Wolwekloof River are for the exclusive use of campers. Tel 021-483-0190, email, website.
* White Bridge Farm, a working fruit farm near Wolseley, has two simple, rustic cabins on a riverbank and a two- bedroom cottage. Tel 023-231-0705, email, website.
* Bain’s Kloof Corner Lodge offers backpacker- style accommodation to hikers. Tel 021-864-1159, email.
* Bastiaanskloof has three renovated farm cottages beside the R301, while the tiny Kraal Cottage and a luxury lodge are up a side kloof. Tel 021 – 424-4001, email.
Accomodation price ratings: a person per night, usually B&B, sometimes full board.
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