Around the Langeberg - 265km

SWELLENDAM

...at the foot of the Langeberg Mountains, is the third-oldest town in South Africa. Established in 1743 as a magisterial district, Swellendam briefly enjoyed the status of a republic when the local burghers revolted against the maladministration of the Dutch East India Company on 17 June 1795. The republic was short-lived, though, as three months later the first British occupation of the Cape began.

The town is renowned for its many well-preserved Cape Dutch and Georgian buildings, among them the Drostdy (magistrate's court), the only 18th-century drostdy still in existence. The stately building forms the focal point of a museum complex consisting of the Ambagswerf (tradesmen's yard), the old gaol, Mayville with its Victorian rose garden and Zanddrif, an 18th-century farmhouse (now a restaurant).

Several day walks, ranging from easy one-hour rambles to a strenuous full-day hike, range over the mountain slopes of the Marloth Nature Reserve just north of the town. Swellendam is the centre of the world's largest youngberry-producing area, as well as the surrounding wheat, fruit, sheep and dairy farms.

OUDE POST

...on the farm Rietvallei was established around 1734 to protect farmers against stock theft by Khoikhoi raiders and to prevent illegal cattle-trading. It consisted of a small fort manned by seven soldiers under the supervision of a post houder (post holder). Situated on the road into the interior, the outpost became a popular stopping place with travellers, among them the Swedish botanist Carl Thunberg, Governor Joachim van Plettenberg and Lady Anne Barnard.

SUURBRAAK

The history of Suurbraak dates back to 1812, when the London Missionary Society founded a mission station at an Attaqua Khoikhoi settlement known as Xairu. The Khoikhoi name, meaning ‘beautiful’, was later changed to Suurbraak, a reference to the sour fallow land used as the village square. Situated at the foot of the Langeberg range, the tranquil village is shaded by stately oak trees, and orchards and vegetable gardens are spread along the main street.

Many of the houses are the original dwellings built by converts of the missionaries, and, unique among the mission stations of the Cape, there are a number of double-storey houses. Be sure to visit the Suurbraak (square) which is surrounded by beautifully restored houses and the old mission church dating back to around 1835. Suurbraak is famed for its handmade chairs, and the craft shop offers fine embroidery and local crafts.

LANGEBERG

...meaning ‘long mountain’, is an apt name for this range, which forms a natural barrier nearly 400 km long between the coastal plains and the Breede River valley to the south and the Little Karoo to the north. Stretching from the Hex River Mountains to the Outeniqua Mountains, the Langeberg reaches its greatest elevation (1 710 m) at Misty Point near Swellendam.

The range has a rich diversity of ericas, proteas, reeds, rushes, orchids and other flowering plants, and the slopes are particularly attractive in spring when they are covered in masses of pink ericas.

TRADOUW PASS

Before the Tradouw Pass was built, the Khoikhoi used two routes between De Oude Post (where they traded) and their settlement north of the Langeberg. The men used a longer, more difficult route, while the women used the easier route known as the Tradouw, a name translated as ‘women’s path’. The building of the pass started in 1868, under the direction of the famed road engineer, Thomas Bain. At one stage, as many as 300 convicts worked as labourers on the pass.

After various delays the pass was opened in 1873. The historic bridge over the Gats River, built of Burmese teak by Bain after the original bridge was washed away, can still be seen. Known as Letty’s Bridge, it was named after Aletta Catherina van Reenen, the wife of John Barry, a nephew of trader Joseph Barry.

When the new pass was built in the mid-1960s, the sections of Bain’s pass that were not incorporated into the new route were put to use as viewpoints. From these, travellers can enjoy the magnificent scenery of the Tradouw Pass, with its lichen-encrusted cliffs, deeply folded rock strata, cascades and wild flowers.

BARRYDALE

Nestling below the northern slopes of the Langeberg at the top of the Tradouw Pass, Barrydale lies in a lush green valley contrasting sharply with the sparsely vegetated plains of the Little Karoo. The fertile valley is a productive farming area noted for its dried fruit (especially apricots and prunes), pears and apples, as well as wine.

The town developed around the church built here after the completion of the Tradouw Pass and was named in honour of the Barry family, who played a significant role in the economy of the Overberg between the 1820s and the late 1860s.