Stanford

The Akkedisberg Pass translates from Afrikaans into Lizard Mountain Pass. It's an easy drive along this tarred coastal pass on the R326 links the small farming town of Riviersonderend with the quaint coastal hamlet of Stanford and the coastal road to Hermanus. The original gravel road dates back to 1776 and is amongst the very oldest passes in South Africa.

The pass had mild gradients and only 13 bends, corners and curves, none of which are particularly sharp or dangerous. It's a fairly long pass at 12,5 km and produces a gentle average gradient of only 1:86 with the steepest sections getting up to 1:18. The views are lovely with the tall mountains keeping watch over the green valley on the right. There is at least one excellent wine estate that leads off the pass.

This fairly easy gravel pass is of moderate length at 5,4 km and displays an altitude variance of 180m. It has 11 bends, corners and curves of which 3 exceed 90 degrees. The pass connects the tarred main road (the R326) in the north in the vicinity of the western side of the Akkedisberg Pass with the main gravel road running along the east-west axis from Stanford to Sandy's Glen Pass.

The road is generally well maintained and is suitable for all vehicles, but like all gravel roads it is subject to damage when it rains hard. The pass makes for a scenic and easy drive offering mountain views and rolling hills mainly covered in wheat and canola as well as some cattle farms. There are a number of excellent guest farms in the immediate area. The other passes close by include Flouhoogte, Akkedisberg, Sandy's Glen and Groenkloof passes.

This long gravel pass is located along a narrow valley formed by the east-west mountain chain between Standford and Napier in the Overberg region of the Western Cape. It is also sometimes spelled as Sandies Glen Pass. Both versions are used on signage on the pass. The pass takes its name from the farm of the same name. It consists of a long, slow climb from the western side through a number of farms. The steepest gradients of 1:11 occur near the summit. The pass offers a variety of attractive scenery ranging from open meadows to dense stands of eucapyptus to open mountain-scapes.

It connects the tiny hamlet of Papiesvlei in the west with Napier in the east. The road is suitable for all vehicles and is mostly in a reasonable condition. The usual cautionaries for gravel roads apply and as always, conditions can change rapidly after rain.