Today is a relatively short day to our overnight stop at the Rooiberg Lodge. Our day will start with the Swartberg pass followed by the Rooiberg pass just past Calitzdorp. If there was one thing we were all certain about it was that the Swartberg pass will be covered in a blanket of mist. We start the day with breakfast at the Prince Albert hotel and wisely decided to put on the rain gear.
As always Swartberg does not disappoint. The road is a bit worse than on our previous visit but it is still a stunning pass. The lower slopes are clear but as we go higher we go into a thick blanket of mist.
Going up is fine because you are not moving fast but going down will be a bit trickier. The Ural is heavy, the brakes average, the road wet and the visibility low. What could go wrong? Luckily for us nothing did and just past Kobus se gat we turn onto the Calitzdorp road. This is a beautiful gravel road that takes you all the way to the R62 just before Calitzdorp.
We stop at the Boplaas distillery to buy some wine and do a quick tour of their facility.
The Rooiberg pass just behind Calitzdorp is our next waypoint and once at the top we stop for a lunch break. While the pass is not very technical the decent is very rocky so you are definitely shaken and stirred by the time you get to the top.
At the bottom of the pass we arrive at our overnight stop of Rooiberg Lodge.
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