Content tagged:
burgersdorp

This gravel road pass connects the Eastern Cape towns of Hofmeyr and Burgersdorp on the R391 route. With a summit altitude above 1600m ASL and being well above the snow line, it experiences bitterly cold winters with sporadic snowfalls. The pass comprises two distinctly different sections. The first 4 km follows the banks of the Doringrivier and is much more of a poort than a pass, but things change abruptly after 4 km where the road climbs steeply along the eastern side of the ravine carved out by the Doringhoekspruit -a tributary of the Doringrivier. Here there are old stone walls protecting the drop-side of the road as the road winds steeply up the short kloof, to summit after 7,2 km at an altitude of 1640m ASL.

The road is suitable for all vehicles in fair weather, although ground clearance could be an issue. In wet weather or snow, a 4WD vehicle would be a better option. The pass is well off the beaten track and offers a sense of timelessness and isolation.

Janspoort is a very minor tar pass located on the R58 between Burgersdorp and Venterstad near the northern border of the Eastern Cape. It is virtually the only structure to break the monotony of this otherwise featureless road. The surface is in a good condition, probably because there is very little traffic, and can be driven in any vehicle without problems. We have been unable to establish the identity of the “Jan” that this pass was named after, or why he was important enough for this pass to bear his name, but we can be fairly certain that he was a farmer in the area, or an important personage from one of the Anglo-Boer wars.