Tour of Klein Karoo, Stage 2 (Seweweekspoort, gravel)
Seweweekspoort Pass, or Seven Weeks Poort near Ladismith, is a rugged mountain ravine that lies just at the start of the Klein Swartberge and near to the Towerkop Nature Reserve. The road is narrow, for obvious reasons, winding for roughly 17 km through incredible mountain scenery, crossing the little river that follows the poort floor no fewer than 23 times. Seweweekspoort did not always have a road. The pass that now allows cars to experience its beauty, was an engineering feat that involved Thomas Bains, a team of convicts and a lot of time to achieve. In the 1850s construction began on the road along running along the Gamka River using prison labor. The road was completed in November 1862 and is still in use.
Region: Western Cape
City: Zoar
Distance: 21.83 km
Elevation Gain: 551 m
Elevation Loss: 51 m
Difficulty: 254 (Easy)
FIETS Index: 1.36 FIETS
Avg Grade: 2.57 %
Max cat climb: 2
Min elevation: 481 m
Max elevation: 1009 m
Ride Category: Hilly