The Penhoek Pass is a well engineered, high altitude tarred pass forming part of the N6 highway between Queenstown in the south and Jamestown in the north. The 5.6 km long pass traverses through the aptly named Stormberg to assert itself as one of South Africa's dangerous tarred passes. In earlier days (circa 1846) the original pass was known as the Stormberg Pass and featured some impressive retaining walls with very steep drop-offs. Some of the original lines can still be seen on the satellite imagery. Traversing the old pass was a major event, compared to the easy drive over today's version with it's perfectly banked corners, deep cuttings and easy gradients.
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[Video cover photo by Trygve Roberts]
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Note: Google Earth software reads the actual topography and ignores roads, cuttings, tunnels, bridges and excavations. The Google Earth vertical-profile animation generates a number of parallax errors, so the profile is only a general guide of what to expect in terms of gradients, distance and elevation. The graph may present some impossible and improbably sharp spikes, which should be ignored.
Digging into the details:
Getting there: Head north out of Queenstown on the N6 for 40 km to arrive at the southern start of the pass. For those wanting to approach from the north head south out of Jamestown on the N6 for 30 km to arrive at the northern start and summit of the pass. We filmed this pass in the ascending mode from south to north.
The pass is closed when heavy snow occurs / Photo: PanoramioAt the southern start, on the west side you can see the Saltpeter Berg, whilst on the eastern side the almost vertical cliffs of the Skerprant Mountains threaten. The original pass was a simple track running up towards the natural neck in the mountains.
The name Penhoek Pass dates back to the days of the oxwagon. The original road followed a kloof in the mountains with part of the road crossing a broad rocky face. This rock was so slippery and steep that the oxen were unable to pull the wagons up it. A peg was driven into the rock ledge and once the oxen reached it, they were outspanned and a long chain was fastened to the wagon shaft. This was then twisted around the peg and the oxen were then hooked up to it. The oxen were now facing downhill and found it easier to pull the wagon uphill while they strained downhill. The present road was built in 1952 and the rock face with the peg was unfortunately blasted away. The road was again completely rebuilt in 1980.
In Afrikaans a peg is called a 'pen'. And so the corner of the climb where the peg was located, became known as Penhoekpas - directly translated as 'Peg Corner Pass'. Those pioneering men were incredibly resourceful.
The same scene, but in summer / Photo: Tracks4AfricaThe modern pass, first built in the 1940's, as a winding, treacherous gravel road, was completely reconstructed in 1980 to modern standards. From the southern side the pass starts with a wide sweeping curve of almost 140 degrees to the left. It then follows the contours of the towering Stormberg, steadily rising at a gradient of 1:21, but the steeper parts go down to 1:14. Whilst the modern engineering has made this pass an easy traverse in modern times, much of the allure of the old pass is missing. When the vertical profile graph of this pass is examined, it forms an almost perfectly straight line from top to bottom.
The initial big left hand bend lasts for 2,3 km and finally bends away to the right to assume a north-westerly heading. The road faithfully tracks the western side of the Stormberg as it purposefully towards the natural neck formed by a break between two big mountain. This leg is a long, straight climb with slight right hand curvature which lasts for 1,7 km.
At the 3,8 km point, the S-bends begin. There are two of them which run seamlessly into each other. Note the neat engineering, deep rainwater channels, steep cuttings and rock wall reinforcements along this upper section.
Expect snow and bitterly cold temperatures in winter / Photo: Panoramio
At the 5,2 km mark, the road exits the final left hand bend and straightens up into the north for the short run up to the summit point of 1844m ASL. You now have another 50 km of driving to do, including the traverse of the Allemanspoort before arriving in Jamestown.
The pass has a reputation for producing violent weather. In summer you can expect savage electrical storms with frequent large hailstones and in winter, deep snowfalls and freezing temperatures are the norm. Penhoek Pass, at time of writing, is reputed to hold the SA record for the coldest temperature ever!
The distances between the towns are vast, with Queenstown located 70 km to the south and Aliwal North some 110 km to the north. In between the pass and Aliwal North is the tiny village of Jamestown, which was used as a base for the construction team for the modernisation of the pass.
It is at the centre of a fertile sheep, cattle and wheat-farming area and was the terminus of a branch railway line from Molteno. It was named after James Wagenaar, original owner of the farm on which the town was laid out.
Fact File:
|
GPS START |
S31.476780 E26.712798 |
|
GPS SUMMIT |
S31.442958 E26.693039 |
|
GPS END |
S31.442958 E26.693039 |
|
AVE GRADIENT |
1:21 |
|
MAX GRADIENT |
1:14 |
|
ELEVATION START |
1583m |
|
ELEVATION SUMMIT |
1844m |
|
ELEVATION END |
1844m |
|
HEIGHT GAIN/LOSS |
261m |
|
DISTANCE |
5,6 km |
|
DIRECTION - TRAVEL |
North |
|
TIME REQUIRED |
10 minutes |
|
SPEED LIMIT |
60 - 80 kph |
|
SURFACE |
Tar (N6) |
|
DATE FILMED |
15.12.2016 |
|
TEMPERATURE |
24C |
|
NEAREST TOWN |
Jamestown (50 km) |
Route Map:
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- Detailed written and printable directions.
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Route files:
||Click to download: Penhoek Pass (Note - This is a .kmz file which can be opened in Google earth and most GPS software systems)
