This little-known pass is located in a wild and remote area of the Eastern Cape near Barkly East. It forms the northern access route into Heuningneskloof (“Honey Nest Ravine”), a long valley formed by a tributary of the Kraai River. The use of a 4x4 vehicle is strongly recommended, although a high-clearance vehicle could probably traverse the pass, albeit with some difficulty. It lies far off the beaten track, and some accurate navigational skills and common sense will be required to find it. For those that do make the effort, you will be rewarded with exceptional views, the peace and quiet of an unspoilt environment, and some challenging driving.
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Digging into the details:
Getting there: To approach from the east, start off in Barkly East at the intersection of Molteno Street (the R58) and De Villiers Street at GPS coordinates S30.967505 E27.594315. Travel in a westerly direction along the R58 for 9.5 km to S30.964290 E27.511716. Turn right here onto the R396 – the road follows a big hairpin and loops back over the R58 into a southerly direction. Travel for 11.0 km to S31.024335 E27.457754, then turn right onto the DR02897. The road now follows a convoluted track towards the west. There are a number of minor intersections – ignore all of these, and stay on the DR02897. After 10.6 km, you will reach S31.005148 E27.366545, which is the eastern starting point of the pass.
Looking down into the valley with the pass visible below / Photo: MPSA
To approach from the west, start of from the village of Rossouw at GPS coordinates S31.168867 E27.280254. Travel in a northerly direction along the R396 for 19.1 km to S31.089555 E27.376719, then turn left onto the DR02897. Drive in a northerly direction through Heuningneskloof for 12.8 km to S31.002019 E27.339407. There is a track leading off to your right at this point – this is the western start of the pass.
The pass can be traversed in a big loop, starting and ending on the R396 about 19 km apart. It makes a wonderful drive for those with the time and inclination to venture far beyond the norm. Irrespective of which side you approach the pass, use the directions given above in reverse to extricate yourself from the maze of farm roads and intersections to get back to the R396, or follow the instructions given by your GPS religiously.
Some serious washaways along the exit route / Photo: MPSA
We have filmed the pass in the descending mode from east to west. Initially the gradients are gentle as the road crosses active farmland. The pass starts at a farm gate at an altitude of 1773m ASL and follows the plateau all along the ridge for 0.6 km before the gradients start getting steeper, which allows the size and scope of the ravines and valley to become clearer.
At the 0.8 km mark, the road kinks away sharply to the right of a long ridge. Soon the views to the right start opening up. This leg is probably the most enjoyable part of the descent, where much of the pass can be seen much lower down in the valley, zig-zagging its way towards the river.
J.W.Sauer bridge / Photo: Dennis Walters
Don't relax too much, as the corners come up fast and there's not a guard rail to be seen. The road signs are very old, to the point that rust has overwhelmed them to a level of being unreadable. There are also regular transverse rain channels built into the road surface, which effectively acts as a speed bump, which is no doubt a good thing.
The descent into the east is relentless at a gradient of 1:8 as the road darts in and out of the small ravines, before reaching the first hairpin bend at the 1.9 km point. The radius is fairly wide, so bigger vehicles will not have to do three point turns. Once through the hairpin of 170 degrees, the heading settles down into the south-west as the descent continues dropping down to the next hairpin at the 2 km mark.
With the second hairpin done and dusted it's an easier leg to the end of the pass with the gradients easing off to 1:10. The end of the pass is reached at the 3.8 km mark at an altitude of 1514m at a triangulated intersection. This is where you should turn around and retrace your route. If you're feeling brave and you have recovery gear and a backup vehicle, you can take the left hand option and follow the road all along the Heuningneskloof valley. The condition of this exit option deteriorates the further south you go, eventually reaching the last farm in the valley - Heuningneskloof.
After the farm house the road climbs very steeply up the mountain via a road that hasn't seen any maintenance since it was built. It is extremely rough with large loose rocks and some serious washaways. Do not attempt this route unless you are competent and experienced. It eventually re-joins the R396 to the west of Clifford.
There are very sharp stones in the road all along this pass, so make sure that your tyres are in a good condition before attempting this traverse. As has been stated so often on this website, deflate your tyres to about 1.4 bar – this will improve your ride comfort, increase traction, and decrease your chances of getting a puncture. Make sure that you remember to inflate your tyres once again when you get back to the tar, to prevent overheating.
Joseph Newey - Bridge builder par excellance
The Kraai River (“Crow River”) originates in the mountains south of Lesotho and flows westward from the confluence of the Bell River and the Sterkspruit River for approximately 70 kilometres to where it joins the Orange River just to the east of Aliwal North. The river is justifiably famous for the excellent fishing along much of its length, with catches including Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout and Smallmouth Yellowfish. Many other adventure activities can be enjoyed on the river as well, including white-water rafting.
There are five bridges which span the river, the most famous of these being the JW Sauer Bridge and the Loch Bridge, both of which have been declared as National Heritage sites. The building of these bridges was supervised by Joseph Newey (1846 – 1907), an English engineer whose prolific construction projects included roads, many other famous bridges, township layouts, and other architectural works. Newey was appointed District Inspector of Public Works in 1881, then promoted to Chief Inspector of Public Works in 1893, a position he held until his retirement in 1905. As such, he was responsible for all Government engineering and architectural projects (with the exception of the railways) throughout the Cape Colony.
Construction of the JW Sauer Bridge, originally called the Kraai Bridge, commenced in 1878. Newey took over the position as Resident Engineer in September 1879. He was on site for eleven months, then took six months leave to return to England to sort out his mother’s business. He returned in May 1881 to complete the project, and the bridge was officially opened on 28 September 1881. The bridge was named after a local member of the Cape House of Assembly, Mr JW Sauer, the Secretary for Native Affairs and later Colonial Secretary.
Instructions were issued for the commencement of construction of the Loch Bridge during 1889, but a suitable site still needed to be found. Joseph Newey was ordered to complete designs for both ironwork and stone masonry type bridges, but it was decided to build the bridge using stonework, primarily because Newey had found a good quarry within half a mile of the chosen site. Construction started in September 1891, and was completed in March 1893. The official opening took place on 6 December 1893, amid great festivities attended by almost a thousand people, which also included a brass band. The bridge was named after Sir Henry Brougham Loch, Governor of the Cape Colony at the time.
Fact File:
|
GPS START |
S31.005148 E27.366545 |
|
GPS SUMMIT |
S31.005148 E27.366545 |
|
GPS END |
S31.002027 E27.339556 |
|
AVE GRADIENT |
1:12 |
|
MAX GRADIENT |
1:6 |
|
ELEVATION START |
1833m |
|
ELEVATION SUMMIT |
1833m |
|
ELEVATION END |
1514m |
|
HEIGHT GAIN/LOSS |
319m |
|
DISTANCE |
3.8 km |
|
DIRECTION - TRAVEL |
West |
|
TIME REQUIRED |
15 minutes |
|
SPEED LIMIT |
60 kph |
|
SURFACE |
Gravel [DR 02987] |
|
DATE FILMED |
03.12.2024 |
|
TEMPERATURE |
25C |
|
NEAREST TOWN |
Barkly East (31km) |
Route Map:
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Route files:
||Click to download: Heuningneskloof Pass (Note - This is a .kmz file which can be opened in Google Earth and in most GPS software systems)
