DAY-6 20 December (Knysna to Barrydale)

Assorted video collection from Day 6

We wake up to a bright sunny morning in Knysna. After a large & sumptuous buffet breakfast at the wonderful Simola Hotel, we are ready to rock n roll. So we pack up, load the bike and head back in the west bound direction on the N2 highway with the beautiful serene lake on our left. Once out of Knysna, we soon cross the town of Wilderness and continue on the N2.

MY WIFE TIMED THE CAMERA PERFECT FOR THESE 2 FLOATING PEDESTRIANS!!!

The Indian Ocean is accompanying us on our left, while beautiful mountains flank us on the right side. The road has a series of long sweepers and at one particular curve, many feet above us we encounter a large flock of skydivers in their colorful parachutes encircling overhead. I am sure those guys up there must be having an amazing experience and a spectacular aerial view of the scene below with the mighty Indian Ocean dwarfing everything else.

As we ride further the N2 soon becomes a wide 4-laned divided highway and we loose sight of the ocean. This road continues with farmlands on either side and after a good distance the Indian Ocean once again comes back into view with its dazzling white sandy beaches with a riot of colorful umbrellas on a nice sunny day and we are nearing the harbor town of Mossel Bay. With the warm waters of the Indian Ocean to the south, and the protective barrier of the Outeniqua Mountains to the north, Mossel Bay enjoys excellent weather, combined with white sandy beaches, its one of South Africa’s favourite beach holiday destinations. After our fuel stop & lunch break at Wimpy in Mossel Bay, we continue our journey forward on the silky smooth N2 highway passing Albertinia & Riversdale.

Some more cruising on nice smooth tarmac and we arrive at Heidelberg, where we stop for an early tea break at the well known Blue Crane Farmshop. We savor their fresh homemade African milk tart, Savoury Scone with jam & butter with a nice cup of tea. As I head back to the parking lot, its really windy and I know some more cross-wind wrestling is in store ahead!

We go further and then branch off into R324, which takes us thru the village of Suurbraak and then heading for the wonderful 14km long Tradouws Pass that was originally built in the late 1800’s. Traveling thru it one cant stop marveling at the engineering challenges the builders would have faced in carving the pass from rugged terrain without all the modern technology.

SEE HOW A MISSING ‘P’ CAN CHANGE THE WHOLE MEANING….

After tackling the Tradouws pass and a few kms further down, the R324 road terminates at the junction with the famed Route 62. We turn right at the T-joint and a km later arrive at the quaint and charming town of Barrydale that we had simply ridden thru on day 3 of our ride. In fact the weather, landscape, fertile soil & vegetation here is very similar to the Mediterranean region of southern Europe and winemaking is big business here. Barrydale is a peaceful town where the timeless countryside charm welcomes you. 

We did visit the Magpie Gallery, but it had closed for the day. A little explanation on Magpie- They basically make art creations from all kinds of junk and 2 such funky chandeliers made from discarded plastic trinkets, beads, and old bottle tops, literally gleaned from the streets of this small town, now grace Barack Obama’s home at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue…….

Anyways, we are staying for the night at the Watercourt Lodge in Barrydale near which there are 2-3 restaurants, an internet café and a curio shop and that pretty much is the main street. Although this place was hot when we arrived, as the evening progressed the temperatures started to take a dip and the night was infact cold.

In the evening we went for a nice stroll and ended the day with an authentic mouth watering Mediterranean dinner at the MEZ restaurant that is run by our lodge owner’s sister (pictured above). Basically life in this peaceful farming village along the famed Route 62 comes to a full stop by 7pm. So with no internet in the room, we also hit the bed early.