Simon’s Town to De Hoop means a leisurely drive, much of it between the blue Atlantic and the fynbos-covered mountains. Lorraine Kearney took a Ford Ranger Wildtrak on an adventure.
Early morning, Simon’s Town: its dawn and no coffee shops are open yet. So it’s straight into the fabulously large Ford Ranger Wildtrak 3.0 V6 – cyber orange for the win. If you’re doing this on a weekday (recommended), you need to leave early to avoid the work-a-day traffic, which can get mad on Main Road.
But it does give you time to watch the kayakers in the sunrise, the surfers grabbing the early swell, and in Kalk Bay, the cold-water swimmers taking to Dalebrook and St James tidal pools. It’s a winding road and can take long enough to get you into a swimming – and breakfast – mood.
At Muizenberg, there’s plenty of parking thanks to the earliness of the hour, and we race across the sand for our own early swim at the legendary Surfers’ Corner to fire up the endorphins. Be brave; do it without a wetsuit.
Back into our truck, envious looks on all the faces packing away their boards, past the Muizenberg circle and up Baden Powell Drive (R310), one of the best (in our opinion) roads in the region – a region that has Chapman’s Peak and Clarence Drive, mind you.
Baden Powell is just different, wilder; you drive along the ocean, and sometimes it even seems like you’re driving on the beach, through Wolfgat Nature Reserve.
The Wildtrak is big, there is no way around this, but it’s a pleasure to drive and surprisingly easy in traffic.
The Highway Beckons
Slip onto the N2 and through the stop-start of Somerset West, which has a slew of traffic lights. Just before the road rises up Sir Lowry’s, a choice: straight along the N2, or right on to Sir Lowry’s Pass Road to Gordon’s Bay and the spectacular Clarence Drive (R44). Go right!
This is one of the most beautiful roads we have ever driven, and we do it every time we’re in these parts. It twists and turns and swoops and dives, hugging the coastline, past Dappat Se Gat – stop off for your second swim of the day – Rooiels with its baboons, Pringle Bay, Betty’s Bay, Harold Porter National Botanical Garden. At the T-junction, turn right onto the R43 into Hermanus.
June to December it’s one of the world’s great spots for land-based whale watching. Park, stretch your legs along the cliff walk. And lunch. Or at least a snack.
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Take a Detour
The Hemel en Aarde valley is a superb jaunt, thronged with top wine farms and splendid restaurants. A very important note: no wine for the designated driver. The road will take you all the way to Caledon and onto the Bredasdorp road, making another route to our destination.
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There is another choice at Hermanus. Back on to the N2, or the more interesting road to Stanford. Always take the more interesting road. Especially when we’ve got the car for it. Our Ford Ranger Wildtrak was such a car.
On the way out of Stanford, on the R326, the road rolls past Walker Bay Estate and Birkenhead Brewery. Birkenhead has won a clutch of World Beer awards for its brews, which come in names such as Pot Belly and Dead Parrot (it’s an American pale ale, if you’re wondering). Remember, you’re buying to enjoy at your destination. The estate is also the home of the Klein River Cheese and Wine Cellar, where you can buy all the vegetarian cheese your heart desires.
The Open Road
It’s a pretty quick road up through the Akkedisberg Valley at the foothills of the Klein River Mountains from Stanford to join the R319 between Caledon and Napier. At the intersection with the Caledon road (the R316), turn left – yes, it’s in the wrong direction – but it’s a tiny detour to Van Brakel Stoor, which has been cooking up good food and selling local produce for nearly 100 years.
Coffee, cake and back on the road, through Napier and on to Bredasdorp, the first town in South Africa. In the unlikely event you are still hungry, you can’t go wrong at Bredasdorp Square.
Across the road, Fiksie & Fantasie is one of the best secondhand bookshops we’ve been to.
The End of the Line
It’s the last stop before De Hoop Nature Reserve, home of the famed Whale Trail, and arguably the best land-based whale-watching spot in the world – every year, about 40% of the world’s southern right whales turn up to breed so close to the shore you can sit on the dunes and watch them calve and cavort. It’s a Cape Nature reserve, and entry fees are adults R40, children R20 for overnight stays; adults R50, children R30 for day-trippers. It’s free for Wild Card holders.
A long drive along a bumpy gravel road brings you here. Our comfy Ford Ranger Wildtrak made short work of the dirt road, but it’s easily doable in an average sedan, if you drive carefully.
For the next three years, human evolution is on show too, with the Origins of Early Southern Sapiens Behaviour exhibition at the De Hoop Collection. Its subject is the southern Cape coastline’s archaeological heritage – which is fantastically important globally. The entry fee is R200 per person.
Other places to stay in the reserve are the gorgeous Morukuru Family options and Lekkerwater Beach Lodge, which overlooks the beach.
On the agenda are lazy days, bird walks, guided cruises on the vlei, mountain bike trails, marine walks in the rock pools and a vulture experience at Potberg Mountain. And then it’s back into the Wildtrak for the homeward journey. Perfect.
The Details
Model: Ford Ranger 3.0TD V6 Double Cab Wildtrak 4WD
Price: R1 048 100
Engine: 3.0-litre, V6, turbodiesel
Power: 184 kW @ 3 250 r/min
Torque: 600 N.m @ 1 750 r/min
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Driven wheels: Four-wheel drive
Fuel consumption: 10.1 L/100 km
CO2 emissions: 222 g/km
Rivals: Toyota Hilux 2.8GD-6 Double Cab 4×4 Legend RS, Isuzu D-Max 3.0TD Double Cab V-Cross 4×4