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The Rider: Philip Elliott & Sean Johnson
The Bike: BMW R1200GS & Suzuki Vstrom 1000
Start Time: 2015-12-22 08h50
End Time 2015-12-22 16h54
Total Riding Time: 5h29
Distance: 282km
Passes: Carlisles Hoek Pass, Volunteer Pass (Bidstone Pass), Greylings Pass & Killian's Pass
We enjoyed a good breakfast before heading for Carlisles Pass. Just before the ascent up Carlisles Pass, we stopped off at Roger's Farm, Den Hagens Holiday Farm for coffee.
Carlisles pass is steep with tight turns. Luckily, the corners are cemented making it safer and easier to navigate. We continued to Tiffendell for our final coffee of the day. At Tiffendell you feel that you on top of the world with wonderful views. The staff at Tiffendell asked about our travel plans and were very skeptical when we indicated we were going down Volunteer Pass as it was steep and rough, and only suitable for 4x4 with low range. Lynne and I had previously done it in our Land Rover in 2012. We were already committed so we headed off.
The descent of Volunteer Pass was slow and steep with no place to stop and rest. As we descended, the temperature increased and therefore challenging our endurance. At one point I had both front and rear brakes locked and the bike continued descending the pass. Once we reached the bottom of the pass we stopped at the first cool spot under trees to rest and enjoy some snacks.
We continued to Barkley East to refuel, draw some cash at the ATM and enjoy a cold beer at Barkley Sports Bar.
We opted to take the gravel road (R396) as we headed to Queenstown allowing us to travel through the scenic Greylings and Killian's Passes before joining the R56 tar road.
We traveled through Queenstown to Roydon Private Nature Reserve 10km south of Queenstown, where we met up with my wife Lynne, and sister and family. We enjoyed dinner at the restaurant at Roydon.
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