The joys of adventure riding – Rhodes via Lesotho

Posted in DO IT NOW Magazine | Lifestyle | Motoring | Publications | Sports & Leisure

Text: Greg Gearing. Pictures: Greg Gearing & Russell James. Article posted February 11, 2014 on DO IT NOW Online Magazine.

Motorbiking

I am slowly managing to convert my family to the joys of adventure riding, and my latest victim was my brother-in-law, Russell James.

We’ve both recently purchased Yamaha XT 660s and were keen to test them out on a proper adventure ride. After much contemplation on where to go, we eventually settled on a three-day ride via Lesotho to the mountain village of Rhodes, in the Eastern Cape highlands. There’s arguably no better place to test an adventure bike than Lesotho, so in the end the decision was quite simple.

The plan was to meet on the Loteni Road, a brilliant section of gravel road that makes its way up from the small town of Nottingham Road to Himeville. One thing that seems to becoming some sort of a trend on all our rides is that something goes wrong before we’ve even began, and this trip was no different. About 30 km into the trip, Russ got a flat tyre and it was back to Notties to get it fixed.

Back on the road and after a quick fuel stop in Underberg, we made our way towards the Lesotho border post of Ramatsediso’s Gate, which lies about 50 km from Matatiele. Finding the road to the border was a mini adventure in itself, as there’s a maze of district roads that crisscross the landscape, all promising you a great ride, but few delivering you to the border. With a little help from the locals we eventually found the correct road, our timing seemed to perfectly coincide with the first drops of rain!

This isn’t the most popular boarder post and the road tells you why; it’s particularly rough and riding it in the wet doesn’t help. But we weren’t complaining, as the conditions were ideal to really put the new bikes through their paces. On reaching the border post, we were greeted by a magnificent rainbow that felt like slightly more of a reward then we deserved, but we enjoyed it nevertheless. I don’t have the fondest memories of this border post as the last time I was there, I’d spent nearly three hours fixing a flat tyre. Thankfully, there were no such issues this time and we were soon on our way.

Over the past year I’ve had ample opportunity to ride the roads of Lesotho, yet I can never get enough of them. The beauty is that a road in Lesotho never runs straight for more than a few hundred metres. I know this may sound like a nightmare for any one travelling in a bus who vaguely suffers from motion sickness, but for adventure riders this is pure bliss.

We twisted and turned our way south towards the border town of Qacha’s Nek, and with the sun setting our priorities were clear; first find some fuel, second find some beers and third find a place to camp for the night. We found fuel easily, but the beers were a little harder. The mistake we made was to visit the local tavern on a Saturday evening with two fully loaded adventures bikes. Naturally, this drew some attention and it wasn’t long before I had to entertain some rather jovial men who had clearly spent most of the day on the premises, while Russ went in search of some refreshments.

With a few Malutis in hand, we began the search for a campsite. Not far out of town we spotted a track leading up to a radio tower. This seemed like a good option because the area looked fairly unpopulated, which is ideal when camping out in the open. We set-up camp in a saddle between two mountains, just in time to sit down with a beer and enjoy a spectacular sunset over the Orange River. We also woke up to an impressive sunrise the next morning on the opposite side.

Leaving fairly early in the morning on day two, we set off towards the southern border post of Tele Bridge, en route to Rhodes, and couldn’t have asked for better conditions. The air was crisp and clear, and the kilometres rolled by quickly. We followed the path of the Orange River for most of the morning and as the sun began to rise overhead, the temperature followed suit. When the allure of the river become too much, we found a spot on the river bank and plunged into the dark waters under the watchful eye of some local children, who thought the whole scene was hilarious. As we were leaving Russ offered one of the boys a ride on the back of his bike and much to the delight of his friends, the boy accepted the invitation.

We got through the border and back into South Africa around lunchtime. Ironically, on this day, we’d spent more time on tar roads in Lesotho than in South Africa. Setting off along a dirt road, we made our way in the direction of Lundean’s Nek Pass, which rises 2,162 metres above sea level. The ride up the pass and down the other side is fantastic, the views incredible and I would recommend anyone who finds themselves in the area to give it a go.

We had heard a lot about the beauty of Rhodes and its surrounding areas, but nothing could have prepared me for just how wonderful it actually is! The rolling green hills and meandering rivers paint a near picture-perfect landscape and we rode on in awe.

Arriving in the town of Rhodes was slightly disappointing though. Don’t get me wrong, the town is quaint and charming, but I had expected there to be more of a vibe, especially considering it was a long weekend.

Instead it felt almost like a ghost town. We rode around the whole town, which took about five minutes, until we came across Walkerbouts, the only place open. Dave Walker, the owner, is a real character, and I almost mistook him for Father Christmas when he greeted us with his long white beard. We enjoyed an ice-cold beer in the pub before heading off to the Rhodes Common, to pitch our tent and set-up camp. Later that evening, we made our way back to the pub for some pizza and a few drinks. This gave us the opportunity to meet some of the locals and catch up on all the local politics, which was quite entertaining seeing as though there are only about 30 permanent residences in the town.

On the last day, we got up early and were eager to get on the road knowing that we had a lot of riding ahead of us. The weather was far from ideal and as we climbed out of Rhodes and up Naude’s Nek Pass, the rain got harder and mist got thicker, making it extremely difficult to ride. The first 40km took us over an hour-and-a-half and visions of arriving home at midnight began to appear. Thankfully, the weather cleared up around mid morning and we were able to increase our speed and enjoy our last day on the road. Although the roads weren’t as entertaining as the previous days, the landscape was just as beautiful.

I think it is safe to say that by the end of the trip I definitely had another convert to the joys of adventure riding. Russell thoroughly enjoyed his time on two wheels, although I should take this opportunity to thank my sister, Megan James, who entrusted him to me for the weekend while she looked after their kids.