We had been talking about doing a road trip for some years, specifically Route 62 which runs from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth and takes in the small towns of Paarl, Worcester, Robertson, Montagu and Oudtshoorn along the way. Our first days travel was from home to Beaufort West and after that our next stop over was the charming town of Montagu to visit and stay over with old friends Rob and Marilyn. From there we would continue on through Ladismith and Oudtshoorn, and then head to the Swartberg Pass. ‘Die Hel’ - Gamkaskloof is a remote valley situated right in the middle of the Swartberg Pass and had for many years supported an isolated community of people who farmed there since 1830. I can see where it got its name as the road in is an endurance event, 50kms of winding dirt with a final nervewracking descent into the valley via the Elands Pass. We stayed 4 nights in this little piece of Karoo paradise with little to do but relax, read and go for walks. No cellular signal completed the ultimate getaway! From here we drove North and descended the other side of the Swartberg Pass, through Meringspoort and De Rust and then a long hot drive northwards through the ‘Valley of Desolation’ to Graaf Reinet and then Nieu Bethesda. This was the home of Helen Martins ‘Owl House’. Helen was a shy and reclusive loner who spent most of her life after her parents died, creating her own world of colour and light by covering interior surfaces with ground glass. Windows, mirrors and lights further added to the illumination inside. She later built sculptures in her garden using wire and cement, (‘ The Camel Yard’ ) with the help of a local man. She met a tragic end in 1976 when she took her own life ingesting caustic soda requesting that her Owl House be left as a museum to showcase her work. We enjoyed Nieu Bethesda, a quaint little Karoo town complete with dusty streets and one corner shop. We even came across the horse of one horse town fame - the entire place is a photographers dream!
Our last stop was the tiny village of Rhodes in the Eastern Cape. After passing through Berkley East we endured a horrific 50km drive over very bad roads to get there, and suffered a puncture along the way. Rhodes is a pretty little place surrounded by the mountains of the southernmost end of the Drakensberg. We drove home on the last day through snow and sleet on the Barkley Pass which made for an apt ending to a great road trip!
Beaufort West to Montagu
Ladismith through to 'Die Hel'
Swartberg Pass
Start of 'Die Hel"
Swartberg Pass, De Rust and Nieu Bethesda
One horse town!
Helen Martins Owlhouse
Road to Rhodes Eastern Cape
