The R355 is the back road between Springbok and Ceres, famous for huge views and tyre-chewing gravel. But why drive, thought Henko Roukema, when you can ride a bike?
I’m an adventurous person. I enjoy rock climbing, ice swimming and riding my bike. I’m a navigation officer for a Canadian shipping company so I spend months at sea, but I also get long periods of leave when I’m on land. I use my leave to do as many exciting things as I can.
That’s how I found myself in Springbok in the Northern Cape last year, having just done a cycle tour of southern Namibia and the Richtersveld. The thought of sitting in a cramped car for a day’s drive back to Cape Town wasn’t appealing, so I looked at my map. The R355 caught my eye – I’d heard that it goes through an open, arid landscape full of nothingness, where sharp stones will almost certainly rip your tyres to shreds. From Springbok to Ceres, it’s about 600 km of gravel. This was the road I’d ride to get home…
DAY 1 Namaqualand becomes Bushmanland
At the start of a big adventure, the hardest part is swinging your leg over the saddle and getting started. Once you’ve done that, there’s no turning back: You have to see it through to the end. The excitement of doing something new soon erases any doubts.
The terrain on the first day consisted of endless uphills – just steep enough to tire out my legs. A pesky headwind wasn’t helping either, but my bike and I made it to the top of the escarpment.
Look at a map of the Northern Cape and you’ll see there’s no clear transition from one region to the next. My journey began in Namaqualand and soon I’d enter Bushmanland. I approached a goatherd next to the road and asked, “Where does Bushmanland begin?”
He smiled. “You’ll know when you get there. When the people you meet lose that look in their eye and start to smile, you’re in Bushmanland!”
Esta historia es de la edición April 2017 de go! - South Africa.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición April 2017 de go! - South Africa.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Rolling out the big guns
If you're still scanning the horizon for a Chinese automotive invasion you're looking the wrong way. It's already happening, and the new GWM Tank is the off-road spearhead into the highly lucrative and hotly contested lifestyle market.
TAKE A HIKE
The beautiful agony of Tienuurkop
Time out in Dullies
A long weekend in Dullstroom is just long enough to make you realise you need to spend several more weekends here! There's food, drink, art and action in abundance. Here's your guide.
Gallivanting in the Galápagos!
The Galápagos Islands are on many a traveller's wish list. They were on Hanlie and Vivian Gericke's too, even though the price of visiting made their eyes water. Was it worth it? Read on...
BURCHELL AND THE COUNTRY OF THE BUSHMEN
How many times have you driven through a landscape and wished you could have seen it centuries ago? In 1811, the English artist and explorer, William John Burchell, travelled through South Africa. Join us as we follow in his footsteps.
Long live the Hibiscus Coast
The KZN South Coast is a national treasure. It's still the place to go if you want a classic seaside holiday complete with warm waves, cold beer, soft serve and good vibes. Here's your guide.
The island at the end of the earth
Imagine adlace-with the cleanest air arid:the clearest seawater, where_no human.oranimabwants to:harm you: A placewhere the climates balmy. year-round:-with a sekrhistory ahd wwild scenery. A place like this:exist8” and it’s called St Helena.
A day on the road
You never know what the road will bring. Toast Coetzer heads south on the N1 and discovers South Africa.
The wilder shore
The final leg of a 30-day trek across East Africa sees lan Tyrer and the Africa - Wild & Untamed crew explore both shores of Lake Malawi. Get ready for an overloaded ferry, a croc attack and being surrounded by elephants...
A river runs through it
Sabie is onthe Drakensberg escaromentialongMpumalanga’s famous Panorama Route. Want a weekend away surrounded by forests and waterfalls? Here's wnat you need to know.