CAPE TOWN CAPER
The plane descended into Cape Town on a beautiful clear late-winter afternoon and we were greeted with superb views of the iconic Table Mountain and the city. Later we were to join Charley Boorman for his first tour since his terrible motorcycle accident 18 months prior.
With our new BMW R1200, F800 and F700 GS bikes collected, we left Cape Town in very wet weather, so wet in fact that it had caused a landslide on the Chapman’s Peak drive, forcing a detour on our first ride. We eventually reached the western-most point of the African continent at the beautiful Cape of Good Hope, home to countless baboons and, surprisingly, beachside ostriches. Seeing whales as we rode added to what was already a great day.
Riding out of the clouds we were treated to a spectacular sunset that turned the surrounding mountains a deep red, which was made all that more special by the fact that we were in South Africa’s premier wine-growing district, known as the Cape Winelands, where we overnighted at Franschhoek, staying at the superb Le Franschhoek Hotel.
The second day’s ride saw us ascend the wild Bain Kloof (pass) via a narrow roadWe eventually hit the dirt after Ceres for some superb off-road riding through seemingly endless valleys. The day ended in Clan William, a wonderful place with a definite Wild West feel about it.
