South Africa Sojourn Prince Albert and the scariest Pass in the world

Karen, our host suggested to us that we might enjoy a day out driving which would involve visiting Prince Albert and attempting the Swartzburg Pass challenge. She thought out "little car" might be up to it. Not being ones to decline a challenge we gave it a go.
Firstly we went to George, which is a transport hub and has a rather good railway museum with a dozen locomotives pensioned off. There is also a variety of old rolling stock including a carriage used by the British royal family in the 1940s.

This was the most active bit of the railway system east of Cape Town, and you can see how active it is! I thought the no smoking sign especially appropriate.
We headed north out of George and immediately started to climb the Outeniqua pass which takes us over the mountains of the same name. This is the range that you can see from our accommodation. The road is a major and well surfaced.

This road takes us to the only largish town we will pass through, Oudtshoorn and its raison d'etre now is the ostrich. They farm them, let you ride them, eat them, tan their leather and make lots of things from it, use their feathers (boa anybody?). I couldn't see a use for their beaks but I must have missed something.

Apparently their brain to body ratio is extremely low so the head in the sand story is probably true.
We motor on north to De Rust. There we stop for a coffee at the excellent Ray's Coffee shop. We have it iced as the temperature is now climbing into the 30s. Onwards and upwards towards the Meiringspoort Pass. This pass takes us out of the Little Karoo into the Great Karoo (see blog entitled in the shadow of the Blue Train for details of the Karoo).

      Meiringspoort pass, just a bit reminiscent of the gorges of Crete.

This baboon had just nipped through the baboon proof fence to get a closer look at the road.

Having conquered this pass the way is now open to us to Prince Albert.
Prince Albert was founded as Albertburg in 1765 and renamed Prince Albert in 1842 in honour of Victoria's consort. The town is very Afrikaan and Dutch architecturally. It is now gaining a considerable reputation as a foodie centre, successfully growing fruit, thanks to the run off water from the surrounding mountains.

                           The Dutch Reform (and only) Church

On the surface a little Art Deco gem, but I suspect that it's a pastiche and if so who built it? There is nothing anything like it in this little town.
The temperature is now approaching the high 30s and it is time to make our attempt on the "scariest pass in the world".
Firstly a little history of the Swartberg Pass. I will quote from the South African mountain passes web site. "The Swartberg Pass is for many
South Africans the rubicon of gravel road passes. There is an allure and a mystic around this old pass coupled with its status as a National Monument which elevates this pass to the very top of the list. It was Thomas Bains final and best piece of road building. "
It was constructed between 1883 and 1886 with the assistance of 250 convict labourers. At the start of the climb you frankly wonder where on earth the road is going to go. You appear to have just a mass of rock cliff in front of you. There must be a tunnel, you think but of course there isn't, just a very steep gravel and sand track. There is also no form of safety barrier whatsoever. I took most of the incline in first gear .

Journey into the centre of the earth. 

Bains was a  very experienced road builder, as was his father and the key to his success was his use of interlocking dry stone walling to support and build up the hair pin bends. 

Looking back on the 12km climb. 

And some more 

Bains gave the various stages imaginative names for example, Skelmdraai (devious corner), but his imagination rather ran out at the summit which he named Die Top. 

Here we are. People like to leave their mark rather like your flag at the top of Everest. The view of the other side is totally different but no less impressive. We now have an aeroplane view of the Little Karoo. 

The pass is known as the "scariest pass in the world" and whereas there might be scarier in darkest Afghanistan, this one with its steepness, loose and uneven surface and complete lack of safety barriers lived up to its sobriquet for us. We have one more mountain pass to negotiate before we reach Oudtshoorn again. This is called the Schoemanspoort Pass, which after our recent experience is a walk in the park. When we eventually get back to our base the sun is still bright and hot so we enjoy a little while bathing in the sun and the pool.