Kirkwood

  • This is a short, gravel pass that dives over a neck adjacent to the Adolphuspoort which has been formed by the Kariega River. It's located 42 km north-west of Uitenhage just to the north of the Groot Winterhoek mountains. It's a short pass of only 2 km with a modest altitude gain of 67m, but the northern descent does have some steeper gradients at 1:7. The pass can be driven in any vehicle except in very wet weather.

    Exercise caution over the unbridged drifts, which can be dangerous during heavy rain conditions and display fairly sharp entry and exit angles. This part of the Eastern Cape has a high prevalence of game farms. This poort has game fencing on either side of the road and for the casual traveler, there's a good chance of spotting game along this route.

    Our research was unable to establish who the Adolphus was, after whom the poort was named.

  • The gravel Doringnek Pass is the sequel to the Suurberg/Zuurberg Pass on the same road (R335) when travelling towards the south. It is 9,2 km long and displays an altitude variance of 387 meters to summit at 598m ASL near the Zuurberg Mountain Village. The pass has a history dating back as far as 1850. It connects Somerset East in the north with Addo / Kirkwood in the south. The road is maintained to a good standard and can be driven in any vehicle. Be careful of mountain mists and wild animals. If you intend driving the entire route, please make sure that you read up the page on the Suurberg/Zuurberg Pass, which is much more difficult and requires a high clearance vehicle, preferably a 4x4.

    The Doringnek Pass is a big gravel pass and offers 63 bends, corners and curves to keep drivers busy, plus it has magnificent scenery; a spectacular double sided cutting and an historic hotel near the summit. It can be driven in any vehicle in fair weather, but beyond the Zuurberg Mountain Inn, a high clearance vehicle is necessary. This road existed long before the Suurberg Pass was built and construction of the latter was accessed and commenced from the summit of the Doringnek Pass.

  • Paardepoort, which carries the road number P0413, is a long gravel road connecting three distinct poorts that cut through the east-west running ridges just north of the R75 main road between Kirkwood and Jansenville. It services a number of farms and provides a lovely gravel alternative from Kirkwood to the Darlington Dam and similarly an enjoyable return route after completing the Bedrogfontein 4x4 route.

    It's a long poort at 16.4 km but the ever changing scenery between tall moungtains and craggy outcrops in the poorts to the open farmland between each of the poorts, provides a wonderful variety of scenery. Allow about 40 minutes to drive the poort, excluding stops. It's best to drive on deflated tyres (1.4 bar recommended) for improved traction, a softer ride and a reduced risk of punctures. But do not drive faster than 80 kph on soft tyres and reinflate as soon as you are back on tar.

    There are a number of game farms and upmarket hunting lodges in the area, including Koffylaagte.