Content tagged:
spoegrivier

This off the beaten track gravel pass is part of several gravel passes located along the gravel road between the N7 at Kharkams and Hondeklipbaai. The 5,1 km long pass runs along the NE-SW axis along the flank of a large mountain ridge, from which the pass takes it's name. The pass is not difficult in terms of gradients and bends but the road surface can be rough, depending on recent rainfall, which in this part of the Northern Cape, is a rare occurence. The average gradient is a mild 1:27, with the steepest sections panning out at 1:10 within the final kilometre near the summit. The pass connects the tiny village of Spoegrivier with Hondeklipbaai at the coast.

Although a 4WD vehicle is not necessary, high clearance is important. This road is not suitable for normal cars.

The naming of this long and interesting pass causes plenty of confusion. On the government map it is labelled as Systershoog. This name has been inadvertantly altered by several map sources to read Syfershoog or Syfershoogte. To add to the confusion, it is known locally as the Maermanskloof Pass, the Spoegrivier Pass and the Kharkams Pass. In Namaqualand the manner of word construction is somewhat different to the rest of South Africa and the naming of any word ending in 'heights' is called a 'hoog' as opposed to the more grammatically correct 'hoogte' Thus many names in this region end with the word hoog, which is the correct official name.

This pass is long at 16,2 km and contains 38 bends, corners and curves - some of which are very sharp and have negative banking. The road follows a very different vertical profile to the usual classic pass shape and ends in a steep descent down into the Spoegrivier valley. It connects Kharkams in the east with Spoegrivier in the west and provides an alternative (and much slower) route to Hondeklipbaai.