62 |September 2019 go!Drive& Camp
TRAIL GUIDE
Ditch the N1
Planning to travel from Gauteng to Cape Town? Set aside a few days
and take the lovely back roads through the Great Karoo.Words and photos Cyril KlopperS
outh Africans aren’t afraid to drive
long distances. Ask the average Brit
to quickly drive from London to
Edinburgh – a distance of 650 km- and his eyes will pop out of his head.
Johannesburg and Cape Town are 1 400 km
apart, but many South Africans drive this
distance along the N1 in one day. The back
road through the Great Karoo, however, is
1 700 km long – equal to London to Rome –
and you cannot complete it in a jiffy.
The first day requires getting out of
Gauteng. Try and avoid Sanral’s toll booths
by taking the Vereeniging road through
Meyerton rather than the highways. And
yes, Sasolburg isn’t South Africa’s prettiest
town, but there is something striking about
the towering refinery that wafts its white
breath over the town.
See several miniature Eiffel Towers on
porches and in gardens in Parys, Free State.
From here you take the R59 regional road
to outside Bothaville where it becomes the
R504. At Leeudoringstad, which was all but
destroyed in 1932 when a train carrying
330 t of dynamite exploded, you turn left
towards Makwassie and then join^ the N12
highway, only for a short while to^ Bloemhof.
Take the road opposite Bloemhof’s Excell
petrol station next to the N1 and cross theVaal River. Follow this road for 2 kmpast
a number of center-pivot irrigated fields
until you get to the first turnoff to theright
(S27.67338 E25.59025) and then follow
the flow of the Vaal River to Christiana.
It’s a^ decent gravel road, even thoughit’s
slightly corrugated. At Christiana, you
again^ take the N12 to Warrenton.
When you get to Warrenton, turnoffthe
N12 onto Buite Street (S28.10532 E24.86515),
a severely damaged road with potholes
within potholes. Fortunately, today’s
destination isn’t far away: the Transka
Holiday Resort with its large campsite,
chalets and a swimming pool.