Cape Wine Lands

Vineyards, Passes, and Cape Dutch Farmsteads

An hour from Cape Town, the Boland mountains rise abruptly from the coastal plain and the valleys between them are some of the most beautiful wine-producing country on earth. The Cape Winelands tour is our most accessible multi-destination ride — suitable for newer riders and for experienced bikers who want a relaxed day in remarkable scenery.

We leave Cape Town via the N1 and soon turn into the bowl of the Stellenbosch mountains. Stellenbosch itself is worth a slow loop — the oak-lined streets, the whitewashed Cape Dutch gables, the university buildings dating back to the 1680s. A coffee stop here, then we climb.

The Helshoogte Pass is the centrepiece of this route. The road winds up through old oak trees and emerges above the valley with views that stretch back over False Bay on a clear day. On the other side lies the Banghoek valley, and then Franschhoek — the “French Corner” — where Huguenot refugees settled in the 1680s and planted the first vineyards.

Franschhoek’s main street has some of the best restaurants in South Africa. Lunch here is part of the experience. After eating we take the winding road back to Stellenbosch through the Jonkershoek valley before returning to Cape Town via the R44 coastal route past Gordon’s Bay.

The 2-day version adds an overnight in Franschhoek and an early morning pass ride before the tour groups arrive — dawn light on the mountains, quiet roads, just you and the bike.