r317

This short and fairly minor pass is located on the tarred R317 south of Bonnievale in the Breede River Valley. It is just under 3km in length and climbs only 45 vertical meters to summit at 179 ASL, producing a gentle average gradient of 1:33 with the steeper bits near the summit being at 1:10. The pass has gentle turns and gradients and parallels the south side of the Breede River to end opposite the Shalom farmstead.

This short little pass winds up a small ridge and more or less follows the course of the Breede River on the outskirts of the dairy farming town of Bonnievale. There are just two easy bends along the 1.6 km length and the total height gain is 28m. Unless you are aware that it's a pass, you would drive over it not being any the wiser, but it is an official pass, duly recorded on the government 1:50,000 maps..

The pass lies on the tarred R317 route that connects Robertson and Bonnievale, the latter town being well known for the Parmalat dairy/cheese factory on the eastern side of town, a major employer in the valley, but Bonnievale also produces a lot of wine. There are a number of excellent wine estates along this route.

The Stormsvlei Poort is one of those delightful passes that few people know about, yet it is close to the main trunk routes and has a long history. The poort offers lovely scenery as it descends down from the Bonnievale area to the tiny hamlet of Stormsvlei. At 6,19 km with an altitude drop of 195m, it produces an average gradient of 1:17 with some of the steeper sections being at 1:9 The poort is tarred and summits at 311m ASL.