Montagu Pass – a scenic trip back in time

There are four passes through the Outeniqua Mountains which connect the small city of George in the Southern Cape to the interior. The Outeniqua (newest), Montagu, Cradock and Railway passes were built in different eras to serve an increasing amount of traffic which had to travel between George and the town of Oudtshoorn in the Little Karoo. The Montagu Pass was built between 1844-1847 and was declared a National Monument in 1972.

This is one of the few places in the country where you can see very old and new passes side by side in a nature reserve. Cradock Pass is the oldest and is now a one-day hike marked with white-painted beacons visible from the modern Outeniqua Pass on the opposite mountainside.

Montagu Pass is the oldest unaltered pass still in use in South Africa and is a scenic trip back in time – you can almost hear the oxwagon drivers cracking their whips to warn oncoming traffic of their position on the winding pass. Near the top, the road runs parallel to the Railway Pass for a short while and it’s always a thrill if you’re lucky enough to encounter a train on the route.

*From Passes & Poorts: Getaway’s top 30 scenic mountain routes in the Western Cape by Marion Whitehead.

We decided to take a drive from George to the little village of Herold on the other side. It is a popular road for both motorcyclists and mountain bikers, as well as a small amount of motor vehicle traffic. The Sunday we drove up the pass was a beautiful, clear and sunny winter’s day. We froze in the sections which are in the shadows of the mountains, and got hot 0n the slopes exposed to the sun.

[A map of the area and the four passes can be seen here.]

Where we were heading - the Outeniqua Mountains with the old Toll-house in the foreground. ©2011 LB/notesfromafrica.wordpress.com

During the construction of the Montagu Pass, in about 1847, a stone toll-house, with a thatched roof, was erected on the George side of the mountain. According to a proclamation in the Government Gazette of 24 February 1848, a toll-gate was set up, and a tariff of tolls publicised. Upon payment of the prescribed fee the toll-keeper would raise the bar across the road to enable the vehicle or animal to pass.

In the Government Gazette dated 16 July 1867, the toll-tariffs were:

• Each wheel of a vehicle – two pence;
• Animal drawing a vehicle – one penny;
• Animal not drawing a vehicle – two pence;
• Sheep, goat or pig – one halfpenny.

All tolls were abolished on 31 December 1918, but thanks to the fact that it was declared a National Monument in 1970, this interesting relic of the last century has been saved for posterity.

**From Montagu Pass, and other passes over the Outeniqua Mountains by Helena Marincowitz.

The Toll-house up close. ©2011 LB/notesfromafrica.wordpress.com

Today the Toll-house stands neglected with doors and windows secured with steel bars and sheeting. Presumably to stop people from getting in and vandalizing it. There is now a project underway to restore the Toll-house and create a museum and information center.

Plants starting to grow from between the stones of the Toll-house. ©2011 WMB/notesfromafrica.wordpress.com

Montagu Pass was the first properly engineered route over the Outeniqua Mountains and it took four years to build, using convict labour. About 9 kilometres of solid bedrock had to be blasted out with gunpowder (dynamite was not yet available) to provide gradients suitable for ox wagons. Gunpowder was expensive, however, and the low-cost option of building fires over large boulders, then throwing cold water on them to make them crack, was often used.

Low dry-stone packed walls were constructed along the edge of the road and still provide protection from the dizzying drops into the ravine below.

*From Passes & Poorts: Getaway’s top 30 scenic mountain routes in the Western Cape by Marion Whitehead.

So this was another South African pass built using convict labour. “About 250 convicts were employed at any given time on the construction of the pass. Total expenses for the construction of the Montagu Pass amounted to £35, 799 of which no less than £1,753 was spent on gunpowder. “**

Marks left by the drills which were used to force the rocks apart and position explosives. ©2011 WMB/notesfromafrica.wordpress.com

Even though it is still winter here, we found indigenous plants like this Erica flowering all along the pass. ©2011 LB/notesfromafrica.wordpress.com

The beautifully built bridge over the Keur River which flows through the pass. This is also a National Monument. ©2011 LB/notesfromafrica.wordpress.com

A close-up of the Keur River bridge. ©2011 LB/notesfromafrica.wordpress.com

What looked like a missing rock in the wall of the bridge, is in fact a drainage hole. ©2011 WMB/notesfromafrica.wordpress.com

This warning sign should be heeded! Big rocks sometimes get dislodged (especially in wet weather) and go tumbling into the ravine below on the left hand side. ©2011 LB/notesfromafrica.wordpress.com

One of two overhanging rocks along the pass. It's not possible to see it at this angle, but the road is very narrow at this point, and anything bigger than a normal vehicle runs the risk of getting stuck here. ©2011 LB/notesfromafrica.wordpress.com

An old, still upright tree decaying as mosses, fungi and insects invade it. ©2011 WMB/notesfromafrica.wordpress.com

We leapfrogged with three cyclists all the way up the Montagu Pass. They would pass us when we stopped to take photos, we would pass them again on very steep inclines. At this point they had perspiration dripping off them as they tackled the steepest hill. ©2011 WMB/notesfromafrica.wordpress.com

The mountain biking sites say that the Montagu Pass is a moderately difficult ride. A comment from Willie (who trains on this pass!) about cycling up the Montagu Pass:

Cycling Montagu pass is one of the nicest MTB training rides in the area. The lack of single track is more than made up by the scenic climb and then the high-speed descent is a good test of the break maintenance on your bike – resulting in a total adrenal rush. The pass is 6.5 km from the town of George and the ascent is 4.5 km with a 510m (1673 feet) climb. You need to maintain a steady cadence up the pass, at about the 75% mark the gradient increases and you have to go down to “granny gear”. Beyond this section the going gets easier and you can decide if you want to carry on past the small town of Herold or return to George. Do not miss this ride when you are in the area!

The beautiful Outeniqua mountains. I don't know the geological processes involved in forming these slopes and valleys, but in certain light it looks like the mountains are covered in green velvet. ©2011 LB/notesfromafrica.wordpress.com

The name Outeniqua is derived from the Khoi-Khoi word meaning “people carrying bags of honey”. According to the reports left by early travellers the slopes of the emerald-green mountains were covered with heather and swarming with bees.

Extract from “Montagu Pass, and other passes over the Outeniqua Mountains” by Helena Marincowitz. 

Because of the fact this area is a nature reserve they still are covered with heather and swarming with bees – and birds.

In parts the Montagu Pass come close to and crosses under the Railway Pass.

The huge arches of the railway bridge. ©2011 LB/notesfromafrica.wordpress.com

In the photograph below the Montagu Pass winds its way up the left hand mountain (not seen in photo), while the new Outeniqua Pass can be seen cutting into the right-hand mountain.

View from "Amanda's Grave". Near the top of the pass, you come to a point when you can look through a gap in the mountains, across the farmlands of the coastal plateau, to the sea beyond. This photograph doesn't do the view justice. ©2011 LB/notesfromafrica.wordpress.com

Amanda's Grave: The story goes that Amanda's husband decided to bury her ashes where he had once proposed to her. A romantic to the end! He later joined her there. ©2011 WMB/notesfromafrica.wordpress.com

With the pass behind we drove on to the little town of Herold. On one of the farms, the fireplace and chimney - all that is left of the cottage that once stood there. ©2011 WMB/notesfromafrica.wordpress.com

An old (disused?) farm cottage. ©2011 WMB/notesfromafrica.wordpress.com

The church in Herold. Although the village itself is very small - a couple of houses, a shop and a guest house - the church serves all the nearby farms. ©WMB/notesfromafrica.wordpress.com

An unexpected splash of colour - the first Spring flowers. ©LB/notesfromafrica.wordpress.com

Also see: A drive to Hell and back

Information Sources:

1. * Passes & Poorts: Getaway’s top 30 scenic mountain routes in the Western Cape by Marion Whitehead.
2. ** Montagu Pass, and other passes over the Outeniqua Mountains by Helena Marincowitz.
3. Website: From Getaway Magazine: Passes & Poorts: gateway to the Garden Route
4. Website: Exploring The Magnificent Montagu Pass