Into the Langkloof - 255km

LANGKLOOF

...was originally named Terra das Trovoadas (Land of the Thunder) by the Portuguese. The first European to explore the area was a Dutch sergeant, Isaq Schrijver, who travelled along the valley in 1689 and named it Langkloof, meaning ‘long ravine’. Lying parallel to the coast, the Langkloof stretches from Herold eastwards for 160 km to just beyond Joubertinia. The valley, which ranges in width from 8 km to 16 km, is bounded in the north by the Kamanassie Mountains and by the Tsitsikamma Mountains to the south.

HEROLD

...a small farming settlement at the northern end of the Montagu Pass, was named after TJ Herold, the Dutch Reformed minister at George from 1812 to 1823. Hops make up the area’s most important agricultural crop.

MONTAGU PASS

Until the completion of the Outeniqua Pass in 1951, the Montagu Pass was the most direct route between George and the Little Karoo. In 1844, about 250 convicts began building the pass under the supervision of the Australian road engineer, Henry Fancourt White. Completed in 1847, the pass was only opened in 1849 and was named after the Colonial Secretary, John Montagu.

Signposts along the route indicate places of interest; among them are the ruins of the hotel at North Station, the site of the old smithy, the magnificent arched stone bridge across the Keur River and the tollhouse. Many of the bends were named after a particular feature or incident.

BLANCO

...at the foot of the Montagu Pass, was established as a construction camp during the building of the pass. In addition to the quarters for the convict labourers, storerooms and houses were built for the artisans and supervisors engaged to work on the pass. Originally named White’s Village, after road engineer Henry Fancourt White, the name was later changed at his request to Blanco.

Much to the chagrin of the inhabitants of George, the village flourished after the opening of the pass, as traffic bypassed George. The historic Fancourt manor house, which White built for himself, is now the focal point of one of South Africa’s premier golfing and leisure destinations.

GEORGE

Laid out on the coastal plain below the Outeniqua Mountains, George is a picturesque town with streets lined by majestic oak trees planted soon after it was founded in 1811. The town was named in honour of the then reigning monarch, George III. Situated in the heart of the Garden Route, George is popular with outdoor enthusiasts who are attracted to the numerous hiking trails and walks in the nearby forests and mountains.

Places of interest along the 1,5-km-long historical walking tour include the George Museum, housed in the Drostdy building. The main theme of the museum is the region’s timber industry, but it also has an important collection of vintage gramophones and musical instruments. Also to be seen along the walk is the King Edward VII Library (the best example of Edwardian architecture in the town), the old slave tree, St Mark’s Anglican Cathedral (1850) and the historic Dutch Reformed Church (1842).

The George Timber Route meanders from the George Museum past several tree species, furniture manufacturers and the Dutch Reformed Church (1842), with its magnificent yellowwood ceiling and handcarved stinkwood pulpit. An interesting collection of railway equipment, coaches and locomotives, as well as a replica of an old station, can be seen at the Outeniqua Railway Museum.