Starting from George take the N12 towards Oudtshoorn.  As you drive up the Outeniqua Pass enjoy the soft green folds of the mountains, because soon you will leave it behind  you.  Once you have reached the top of the pass and descend on the other side into the Waboomskraal valley the Klein Karoo slowly unfolds all its secrets.  Take the Oudtshoorn turn-off as soon as you exit the Waboomskraal valley.

As you approach Oudtshoorn you will notice the blue haze of the Swartberg mountains on the horizon.  In winter it will be dusted with some snow and in summer the fynbos will be in full bloom.  There are several things to do in and around the town of Oudtshoorn, but we will be heading to Prince Albert via the Swartberg mountains.  Take the R328 out of town and follow the road through Schoemanshoek to the Cango Caves and the mountains. The route via the Swartberg mountains is a gravel road, which can sometimes be very rough, but is always very spectacular.  

We recommend that you plan your day to have lunch in Prince Albert and allow some time to visit some of the finest olive and fig farms, wineries and art galleries in the region.  Remember that this is a small town and some of the establishments might not be open on a Sunday so plan accordingly but what we can vouch for is that African Relish surely serves the best pizza in Prince Albert!

A Saturday morning is a good time to visit as you will catch the local market and the Fransie Pienaar museum open where you will find an interesting pamphlet about all the different gable styles of Prince Albert. Take a walk or drive through town and identify them all.

To complete your circle route return via the tarred road (R407), passing Klaarstroom, back to George. Stop at the Klaarstroom Hotel to get something cold (or hot if you travel in winter) and most of the time you will meet some interesting people at the hotel.

This tar route is (R407) a bit longer than the Swartberg route, but it takes you through the impressive Meiringspoort which changes it face many times a day depending where the shadows fall.  Allow some time to stop in the poort to admire the rock formations or take a walk to the waterfall and discover Herrie se klip. 

Continue with the  N12 past ostrich farms and feather palaces to Oudtshoorn and head back via the Outeniqua pass to George.  It is worthwhile to travel the N12 between George and Oudtshoorn in both directions as you will notice some different scenery going each way. 

oOo

Distance from George via Swartberg pass: 135 km (R328 – gravel)

Distance from George via Klaarstroom: 172 km (R407 – tar)

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The Great Karoo with its vast openness and many tumbleweeds, offers beautiful gems in between the hard rocks and dry veld.  Prince Albert is certainly one of these diamonds in the making.  Prince Albert was established in 1842 with town layout on the De Queekvaleij farm.  The farm was granted to Zacharias de Beer as a loan farm and the town was initially called Albertsbrug. It was renamed in 1845 to its current name of prince Albert, after the husband of Queen Victoria.

Spending a weekend in the town at the foot of the Heritage Site, which is the Swartberg Mountains, recharges the soul.  The many accommodation options, such as Skrywerskop, offer a country feel stay and the opportunity to stroll through the town from wherever you lay your head down at night.  Nothing is too far from the main road in this little town.  Referring to a little town will probably not stick for much longer.  The town is growing, that is for sure.  With the Zoom town concept taking flight with people streaming in from elsewhere to put down their roots and work remotely, this gem is not exclusive to non-South Africans anymore.  Where you used to mostly hear French, German, Italian and British accents to name a few, you will now hear more Cape Townian, Gauteng, Free State and Natal accents (if you can distinguish between them) while sitting at one of the eateries.  We replenished our hungry souls at African Relish for the night and while the venue seems like it was fully booked with reserved tables everywhere, we still had some of the best pizzas that I have had in a while.  Not your ordinary fast food restaurant pizzas, but flavours so unique to the Karoo.  This Cooking School is going the extra mile when it comes to quality.

Saturday morning is the perfect time to take a walk through the open Karoo plains.  While the breeze is still cool and the sun is starting to show its rays, the area around Gordon’s Koppie with its multiple zigzag trails is bound to get the blood flowing while pure air is filtering through your lungs.  Being very fond of anything rocky, we soon found ourselves dwindling off the paths after the most interesting rock formations. The Saturday Market where locals offer anything from good old-fashioned jaffels and pannekoek to artisanal fudge, preserves and fresh produces, makes for a good start to your day.  Nothing is rushed and a day’s planning will soon happen when you sip on your morning coffee while locals greet each other and strike up a conversation or two.

A good place to start is the Fransie Pienaar Museum.  Here you need a clear mind as there are so much information to process.  The ladies at the museum are so knowledgeable and will take you back all the way from where the town originated, and how the museum came into existence, up until the goldmining stint (yes, it seems like goldminers where everywhere) and the local rugby team.  We even found some articles in the museum that we still have in the house and some familiar surnames popped up of the role-players in the area.  The most interesting pieces for us, was some of the weaponry display behind bars in one of the rooms.  We could just imagine carry some of those rifles on horseback, it must’ve been challenging.  Right next door is the Prince Albert Tourism Info Centre and, which houses some leaflets of the activities and venues in the area.

A lot of time needs to be spent walking through town, admiring the different styles of gables.  Before doing this though, we would recommend you pay your R20 entrance fee to the Museum and get some more information on how the gables came about and which style suits which architect.  Suddenly, the Prince Albert Town has new meaning, and the old buildings are not only the restaurant that serves the nicest coffee or the one with the best ice-cream.  It gives another dimension to the history of the town. 

A weekend is just a little to short to do everything in town.  You would think that a small gem like this can be covered in two days, but you will only be scratching the surface.  Although we did pop in at Kevin de Klerk’s studio and were treated by a personal tour from him through town, we left the Gallery visits for next time.  The amazing bin project that Kevin is doing needed our attention and the level of art that he’s doing for worthy causes in town is incredible.  These bins are just bringing colour to the town and uplifting the community through awareness.  The Showroom theatre is another must-do.  If you are ever lucky enough to schedule your visit around a show in this little theatre, you will be treated to an intimate, small theatre vibe.  Here you can dress-up or dress-down and sit back while sipping on a glass of wine and be entertained by a local top-class act.

The Swartberg Mountains are the perfect opportunity for an early breakfast while the sun finds it’s way through the mountains onto the snaky road.  It was time to head home, but not without the last stop at the top of the Heritage Site.  It was a freezing 7 degrees with a chilly wind that almost blew the Jimny over.  We came to recharge in the royal Karoo Town, but left feeling that we have only seen the tip of the iceberg.  Our advice is to not rush your visit.  This is a place where you need to return to, multiple times.  Don’t try and fit too much in at once, you will be overwhelmed.   The tumbleweed in the Great Karoo that is Prince Albert, is not blowing anywhere.  It is growing and it is waiting for you!

-oOo-

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On our recent visit to Prince Albert we noticed these beautiful bins dotted all over town and we wanted to find out the story about it, because this is not just ordinary bins; it is designer bins with a message.  We tracked the master behind it down in the name of local artist Kevin de Klerk who hand paint it with care and precision.

Kevin tells us that there are a total of 33 bins in the village and some of them has the most interesting stories behind it.  There is the cat sterilization awareness bin with, of course, a beautiful cat on its side.  We all know that cat numbers can multiply astonishingly quickly if you do not keep a finger on it.  So, this one goes towards cat sterilization awareness.

The one that I love the most must be the little owl that promotes reading and loving books.  I have just listened to a program on the radio where the principal of a rural school explained the importance of reading for children as it develops so many other things in a child’s life.  I am fond of the “real” book smell and feel and thus this awareness bin speaks to me personally.  Please, if you have any old, unwanted, or preloved books at home and you do not know how to dispose of it bring it to Prince Albert. 

There are also some surprise bins that you would think what is the relevance of it as it looks a bit out of place.  Go and discover Eporia, the mermaid in front of Luttig’s Mill.   She is the water nymph that once lived in the dark water pools of Meiringspoort.  Eporia’s bin also has a secret sign at the bottom of the bin …..

If you want to get involved in this project contact Kevin de Klerk at Watershed, Prince Albert or visit him on his page at:  https://kevindeklerk.com/  As with  any charity drive there is always a need for resources and a helping hand.  At the moment Kevin sources drums and collect, paint and install it all at his own cost.  This all to the benefit for a better Prince Albert.  Please reach out and help him in this project.

As there are still many other interesting characters that once colour the palette of Prince Albert we will have to return to explore more.  A visit to the the Gamkapoort Dam is also on the list, but that will be on our next trip.

oOo

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 We set off in George at a leisurely pace with clear blue skies, travel over the Outeniqua Pass via Oudtshoorn and aim for Prince Albert on the other side of the Swartberg Mountains.   The road is quiet.  I think the people are recovering from the New Year’s parties …

Once over the Outeniqua Pass the temperature rises to 31 degrees Celsius in the Klein Karoo.  It has been quite a while since I last traveled the iconic Swartberg pass, a gravel road, on the R328 but as all the previous times we were rewarded with stunning views of the mountains and yet again I am in awe of the skills of Thomas Baines – son of the famous Andrew Geddes Baines who built Bain’s Kloof Pass and many more – who constructed the road from 1881 until 1888 through the Cape fold mountains.  Today the dry-stone retaining walls are still in place and almost 120 years old.

The 120 year old stone walls

Along the road we stop for a geocache or two that are still outstanding and I have time to take some pictures of the veld flowers that are in bloom at this time of the year.   Just a reminder – keep your eyes open for snakes and scorpions when you are walking in the veld.

Before we reach The Top we see a brandwag (usually a big male baboon) keeping watch over his clan  whilst basking in the sun!  For those of you who are not familiar with baboons – close the doors and windows of your car when alighting, because they are very curious and can cause havock in your vehicle.

When we arrive at the top of the pass, which is located at  33°21′8″S 22°2′45″E , some tourists are enjoying their lunch at the viewpoint and admiring the vistas towards the Karoo.  The road is busy and you have to keep an extra special  lookout for cyclists and motor cyclists in the dusty conditions.  (This is a very popular motorbike road so please do not cut corners)!

The pass is  famous due to the spectacular geology that is exposed at its Northern end as you descend down to Prince Albert to the valley floor. The contortions in the rock display astonishing anticlines and synclines, and the vivid red coloration of the surrounding Quartzite is remarkable.  The pass was declared a national monument in 1988.  Along the way there are relics of the old  prison, toll hut and other historical sites.  This was Thomas Baines’ last engineering masterpiece.

You will also find the turn off to Die Hel or Gamkaskloof on this road.  Do not be fooled – it is a mere 37 km, but adhere to the time given on the signboard.  It WILL take you (+-) two hours of slow travel on the narrow and winding road!  Today however we will not take the turn off as we have visited Gamkaskloof before and are aiming for Prince Albert.

Prince Albert is buzzing over lunchtime and after passing the beautiful Dutch Reformed Church in the Main Street  our choice falls on a succulent burger and German bokwurst on the stoep of the famous Swartberg Hotel.

In the late 19^th century South Africa had more than 2000 mills, some of which dated back to the time of the first European settlers. Today only a few hundred of these mills survive, and of these, only a handful have been described or recorded in any detail.  On our way back we stop at the historic water mill, at the Southern edge of the town, to take some pictures. The mill was built by HJ Botes and was taken over by NAA Alberts and remained in his family for three generations. The mill was declared a national monument in 1963.

I will keep you posted on some more exciting travels in 2015, but this is my story and my smiley to start an exiting new year!

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