February 2026

Secrets of the Cederberg & Memories in Clanwilliam

In our previous post, we told you about our wonderful stay at The Lonely Planet Cottage at Enjo Nature Farm in the Biedouw Valley (read here). Today we take you on a drive through the magnificent Cederberg until we reach the beautiful town of Clanwilliam.

Biedouw Valley:

We never showed you in our previous post what the Biedouw Valley looks like. During spring, this valley is covered in colourful wildflowers. The view from Hoek se Berg (a mountain pass), down into the valley is such a beautiful sight. Today, however, we only experienced intense heat when we stopped on the pass to take a last look at Biedouw Valley (you can see the heat haze in our photos).

View of Biedouw Valley on a very hot summer day

A farm and winding dirt road in the valley

I am always amazed when I look at the rock formations of the Cederberg – it remains one of the mountain ranges we most enjoy visiting.

Magical Cederberg – and the dirt road on which we travelled

The mountain pass, Hoek se Berg (translated as ‘Corner’s Mountain’), is short but steep. It is a dirt road, but on one particularly steep, sharp corner, the road is made of concrete to make driving more manageable (which is especially helpful during the rainy season).

Tarred section on Hoek se Berg

Start of the mountain pass

After we reached the top of the mountain pass, we drove for a few more kilometers on the dirt road before we reached the T-junction and rejoined the tar road.

Last section of the dirt road

The Englishman’s Grave:

As soon as you turn left at the T-junction, The Englishman’s Grave is next to the road. I have, during a previous visit to the Cederberg, written about this grave on our blog. The grave is enclosed by a wrought iron fence and marked by a military headstone. The Englishman, Lieutenant Graham Vinicombe Winchester Clowes of the 1st Battalion The Gordon Highlanders, was killed in a skirmish with the Boer guerrillas on 30 January 1901.

The Englishman’s Grave

Travellers Rest:

Travellers Rest is a farm, and like Enjo Nature Farm, they also offer accommodation in cottages. The Seville Rock Art Trail (5km), with its rock art paintings, is located here. If it weren’t so hot, we would have loved to hike this trail (perhaps on our next visit).

Travellers Rest

We know from a previous visit that the owner of the farm also walked the Camino (pilgrimage) in Spain, just like us in 2017. This Camino ends in the Spanish town of Santiago de Compostela and it was a surprise to see a water fountain with the well-known Camino symbol at the entrance of the restaurant.

Camino water fountain

Since our last visit in 2021, the restaurant at Travellers Rest has changed. It is much bigger, and we understand that it now also serves as a wedding venue.

Inside the restaurant of Travellers Rest

We had already decided on Friday, when we stopped for something cold to drink, to have breakfast here on the way home. And I’m very glad we did, because the Eggs Benedict with extra bacon was delicious. And of course, I couldn’t let the opportunity pass to enjoy a cup (or two) Rooibos Cappuccino with cinnamon & honey.

Breakfast

Here is also a farm stall that sells the most beautiful souvenirs to remind you of your visit to the Cederberg. And of course, the shelves are packed with Rooibos Tea products.

Farm stall at Travellers Rest

Many years ago, Travellers Rest was the place for weary travellers and their animals to rest next to the Brandewyn River. Nowadays the travellers (and their vehicles) look quite different, but we still have the same thing in common – we come here just to rest for a little while.

Pakhuis Pass:

Pakhuis Pass is one of the major passes in the Cederberg which connects Clanwilliam with the Karoo town Calvinia. It’s quite long (26,4km/16,4 miles) and has a big altitude gain of 824m. The pass is fully tarred and offers beautiful scenery.

On our way to Pakhuis Pass

View from the top of Pakhuis Pass

I remember, on our visits to my grandma during school holidays, how we always enjoyed a picnic in the field at the foot of Pakhuis Pass. My father would then tell us about a plane that had crashed into the cliffs of the 1,077 meter-high Pakhuis Peak.

In 1947 a South African Air Force aircraft, SAAF 647, flew through dense mist when the pilot apparently misjudged the altitude and flew into the mountain. The four people on board died on impact. Whenever we drive around this corner of the pass, I always think about this plane crash – a sad story in such a beautiful part of the Cederberg.

Pakhuis Peak on Pakhuis Pass

Grave of Dr C Louis Leipoldt:

Between Pakhuis Pass and Clanwilliam, there is yet another grave that we always visit whenever we are in the area. The grave of the well-known South African poet Dr C Louis Leipoldt is in a cave of huge sandstone rocks. His father, Christian Friederich Leipoldt was a preacher of the NG Church in Clanwilliam.

Path leading to the grave of Dr C Louis Leipoldt

Despite being a doctor, he loved cooking as well. He spent much of his childhood in the Cederberg, where he was taught about the medicinal properties of plants and herbs.

Leipoldt’s name, and his birth- and death dates are carved into the rocks

Leipoldt was especially known for his poetry and wrote in Afrikaans. I remember one poem of his that I learned in school, namely ‘Oktobermaand’ (translated as ‘October Month’). Unfortunately, his poems do not translate easily into English – they say, ‘it’s for the beauty thereof’. This poem is about the beautiful month of October and refers to the lovely violet flower. I wonder if Leipoldt was in the Cederberg when he wrote this poem.

Here is an excerpt from the poem (in Afrikaans):

Photo by Brendan Ru00fchli on Pexels.com

Viooltjies in die voorhuis –

Viooltjies blou en rooi!

Viooltjies orals op die veld,

En orals, ai, so mooi!

Dit is die maand Oktober,

die mooiste, mooiste maand!

The humble grave of C Louis Leipoldt

Sandstone rocks at Leipoldt’s grave

‘Soldaatkop’ (translated as ‘Soldier’s Head’):

The last place we wanted to visit was a rock formation that imitates a soldier with a beret on his head. Unfortunately, the dirt road was impassable (I suppose it’s no longer looked after – which is a shame), and in the end, we could only see it from afar. Fortunately, I still have the photos we took during our last visit to the Cederberg in 2021.

Even the signpost is derelict

The ‘Soldaatkop’ stands out between the other rocks

Close up

It’s actually such a short distance from Enjo Nature Farm to Clanwilliam, but it took us almost two hours to drive. The beauty of the Cederberg makes it impossible not to stop every now and then to admire nature.

The last stretch of road through the Cederberg

Clanwilliam:

Clanwilliam actually deserves its own post on our blog. It is one of the oldest towns in South Africa and has such a charming feel. Here you will find well-preserved colonial architecture and the town is known for its Rooibos Tea production as well as the colourful wildflowers during spring.

Reaching the charming town of Clanwilliam

My grandma’s house:

We could not leave town before I showed Berto where my grandmother lived. I have beautiful memories of school holidays at my grandmother’s. Here we had big family gatherings at the end of each year – uncles, aunts and cousins. I remember the gifts under the Christmas tree and how we ate icy watermelon outside on the porch late at night to ward off the heat (while the mosquitoes feasted on us). The house looks almost the same after all these years, but it seems it’s now a bridal boutique.

Granny’s old house

Boarding School – Huis JJ Muller:

There was no high school in the town where I grew up, so all the children had to go to boarding schools to attend high school. Although there were high schools closer to my hometown, I wanted to attend high school in Clanwilliam (600km/373 miles from my parents’ house). I remember my high school years fondly and made the best friends in boarding school – some of whom I am still in contact with today.

My boarding school (behind the trees)

The girls were probably all out for the weekend, because everything was locked and I didn’t see anyone. Through the gate, I could see the window of my room where I stayed for a few years. It was the first time in 36 years that I had seen the boarding school again, and I’m very happy that everything still looks so neat and well looked after. I hope the girls who are currently living here also make wonderful memories, just like I did many years ago.

My room was on the ground floor (second from the left)

The Cederberg’s rugged beauty and Clanwilliam’s cherished memories reminded me that some journeys don’t just take you places – they bring you home to your heart.