Maggie's Rambles

Date: 20 April 2023 Sleeping location:  Grosvenor Guesthouse, Simon’s Town , South Africa Distance (km today/total/total Part 2): 82  / 23526 / 8689 Estimated climb ( m  t oday/total/ tot a l   Part  2):  400  / 2242 00 / 106200 Murderers: 0 Day in three words:  A miserable entrance We didn’t really have a proper selection of breakfast food in so we just had a weird smorgasbord of leftover pizza, pocket eggs, slightly musty fruit and other random things. Even so it was better than a few of the breakfasts we’d had (6/10). The weather wasn’t particularly welcoming, all low cloud and drizzle, and the allegedly safest/best route into town was boring as hell, all housing estates, warehouses and big open grassy spaces of nothing. On the plus side the road had a big shoulder and was quiet, on the minus side we had on and off cloudbursts to add to the fun. What a way this would be to finish my journey - I was glad I’d chosen the Cape of Good Hope rather than Cape Town itself as the end point.

Date: 19 April 2023 Sleeping location:  Smart Stay apartment, Somerset West , South Africa Distance (km today/total/total Part 2): 108  / 23444 / 8499 Estimated climb ( m  t oday/total/ tot a l   Part  2):  800  / 2238 00 / 105800 Most formal/comical bird: African Penguin Day in three words: The glorious coastline We both slept well for possibly the first time since dad arrived out here, and in the morning fastidiously tidied up Tip's, so fastidiously that I managed to leave my jumper there. First thing of note I’d lost or left in over a year on the road, which I think is pretty good. Breakfast was a load of random things including leftover curry, but cooked by me so obviously 10/10. Hermanus at morning rush hour was big and busy and not particularly fun to escape, and even once we’d left its orbit the road was still noisy and busy for a good hour. It was a shame as the scenery was good to excellent, first farmland and green hills, then many rows of vines with the beautiful bay and

Date: 18 April 2023 Sleeping location:  Tip Watermeyer’s house, Hermanus , South Africa Distance (km today/total/total Part 2): 91  / 23336 / 8499 Estimated climb ( m  t oday/total/ tot a l   Part  2):  700  / 2230 00 / 105000 Average key pretty: medium Day in three words:  We love Watermeyers The night was an absolute mare; first it was far too hot, then I opened the window and let a load of mosquitoes in and had to hunt them down, then it was far too cold. After this staccato sleep some proper coffee was required but was sadly not provided by breakfast (continental but fairly budget, and nowhere near big enough for two cyclists so we had to then go to the nearby petrol station for reinforcements: 3/10) so the whole day was a bit of a daze. The morning’s riding was more rolling wheat fields with distant mountains, and it was very empty aside from the occasional farmhouse. It was all pretty in a low key way, and quite peaceful as the N2 (now finally left for GOOD) and then especially t

Date: 17 April 2023 Sleeping location: Portmento Art House , Riviersonderend, South Africa Distance (km today/total/total Part 2): 108  / 23245 / 8408 Estimated climb ( m  t oday/total/ tot a l   Part  2):  1200  / 2223 00 / 104300 Water required: 1 pondsworth Day in three words: Toodle oo Karoo It was a chilly old morning and I spent a crisp bit of time writing in the early sunshine on the verandah before breakfast (only continental, but a fantastic spread including some kind of pork fat thing that was banging on toast, plus good coffee: 8/10). Out on the road we were straight into the Tradouw Pass, which luckily for us was mostly downhill from this side. The first half of it was through a dramatic river canyon with the road hugging one side of it. Along here was a sign for “Alien clearing”, which was news to me as I wasn’t even aware they’d settled. Once we popped out the other side of the canyon we got a nice long descent with a private cycle lane, since roadworks had closed off hal

Date: 16 April 2023 Sleeping location: Sorgvry* House of Guests, Barrydale, South Africa Distance (km today/total/total Part 2): 80  / 23137 / 8300 Estimated climb ( m  t oday/total/ tot a l   Part  2):  600  / 2211 00 / 103100 Stress levels: high Day in three words: Big ring day It was another calm, cool, clear day, but forecast to hot up later so we took breakfast (the usual mix of hot things and continental things, but Alex wasn’t the best of chefs: 5/10 with a mark deducted for more minor racism) early and tried to get away quickly. The landscape and riding was fairly similar all day, gently rolling road, big and empty, through big and empty scrubland. There were rocky peaks in the distance and small ones here and there, plus occasional herds of impala/springbok in the distance, one of which ran sort of alongside us for a few hundred metres. With no headwind, major hills or bad road surface some fast riding was both possible and fun so I kept Maggie in the big ring quite a lot, a r

Date: 15 April 2023 Sleeping location: Ladismith Manor B&B, Ladismith, South Africa Distance (km today/total/total Part 2): 68  / 23057 / 8220 Estimated climb ( m  t oday/total/ tot a l   Part  2):  1200  / 2205 00 / 102500 Excitement levels: 90+ db Day in three words: Port poort port In the morning I enacted Operation Sheath on Maggie’s rear tyre: I took out the banged up inner tube and cut it up to create a long thing circular piece of rubber, which I then put between a new inner tube and the tyre. The idea being that this would stop any micro punctures, which had been causing all of my woes, from reaching the inner at all. With this done we had breakfast (three courses, one of yoghurt and fruit, one of pancakes with blueberries and syrup and one of bacon and eggs, all done nicely, though the coffee was merely alright: 8/10) and popped across the road to the Boplaas winery. It was a bit early for sampling but the woman was happy to tell us the history, however her accent was quit