Boulders Bush Pub and Restaurant
Sunday 5 June 2005
So now that winter has been declared, our Club Captain Sue has made the Sunday rides a little later, albeit by half an hour only, this makes a huge difference to leaving in the dark – thank you Sue! Off to Damelin down the West Coast Road, through Milnerton and Yzterplaat having much of the road to ourselves. At Damelin, Kevin had found himself a spot in the morning sun and basked lazily waiting for fellow Nomads to arrive. Once Sue appeared after filling her Suzuki, it was the usual route instruction and off on our Sunday jaunt. From Cape Town centre it would be approximately 130km’s to Tulbagh – give or take a few km’s.
We started off on the N2 then the M5 then the N1 up to the Wellington turn off (R44). Through Wellington which proved to be surprisingly busy at that time of the morning, mostly church goers though it seemed. Then over the R303, better known as the notorious Bainskloof Pass. Did you know that the Bainskloof pass was opened on the 13/14 September 1853 and this year will be a 152 years old? It was built by Andrew Geddes Bain after whom it was named. Hard to believe that the pass was actually once gravel and used by horse and cart. The pass runs up the western slopes of the Hottentots Holland Mountain Range and offers some of the most spectacular scenery in the Western Cape. It’s certainly not for the fainthearted though as the higher one climbs the less wall protection there seems to be, so it’s one hundred percent concentration from beginning to end. The most glorious waterfalls trickle down the mountain side splashing onto the extremely narrow twisty roads. It’s really something to behold and if you haven’t yet had the privilege of tackling this pass, I urge you to do so. Sidestand held back a little and waited for all the traffic to pass him, then took great delight in making the most of each and every sweeping corner, getting his money’s worth on this Sunday’s ride. Once on the other side, we stopped to re-group, have a ciggie and a leg stretch.
We’d just parked the bikes when we were joined by a group of motorcyclists from Melkbosstrand – and Brian McKay the proprietor of the Total Melkbos Garage who so very kindly sponsored our recent Economy Run 2005. What a small world. Back on the bikes and through to wine country Wolsley and onto Tulbagh. The Boulders Bush Pub and Restaurant is perched in the trees on the beautiful Vindoux fruit and wine farm. Surrounded by grape vines and olive trees this fascinating setting offers tree-house accommodation complete with Jacuzzi, queen size bed, fridge and full electric/plumbing. Ludy and Helewese had decided to come through by car as did Yvonne as Mark rode his BMW with the rest of the Nomads. Upstairs onto the balcony of the Boulders, is the restaurant and bar fitted out with everything that one’s heart desires.
Most folk ordered the breakfast of the day and I’ve never seen so much toast – ever! Perhaps they bake their own bread? – but this toast just kept on coming out of the kitchen. The staff were very friendly, replacing ashtray’s, bringing tea/coffee and generally the entire ambience was relaxed and welcoming. We dabbled in a little Amarula Cream to warm the cockles and by this time it was midday. It was really super seeing Clive and Sharon Allison again after such a long absence – hope you enjoyed your day with us. We decided that we’d done enough twisty riding for the day and proceeded to take the straightforward route home – Tulbagh, Malmesbury via Hermon and Riebeekasteel, down the N7 and home.
Sue, this venue was just great, thank you for a lovely morning. And to Carl who was Tail End Charlie, thank you. 17 Nomads and their guests attended this ride. The Boulders in Tulbagh can be contacted at www.vindoux.com or (023) 2301412 or 0847361785.
