Dirt Busters. Deon Meyer

      Then we braved the Eselbank road again. At Matjieskloof, where the big, broad dirt road swings left to Clanwilliam, you go straight on. It’s 4x4 country, up the mountain on a bumpy track, thick, loose gravel, cracks and runnels – the route I had careened down not so long ago.

      The view is awe-inspiring. Each bend presents a new vista – the Tra-Tra River gorge, Wolfberg cracks, Corridor Peak and Tafelberg. There are settlements up there, tiny fields, fat livestock, glittering streams to splash through.

      But it is the winding, steep pass down to Wupperthal that makes me burn with shame at our reckless racing of before. It is simply breathtaking and enchanting as we descend and turn, descend and turn down to the blessed shade of the mission station, where we stop beneath a giant tree to mull over everything we’ve seen.

      I stand and consider how much more easily the new motorbike handles the challenges of the road. My wife puts her stamp of approval on the passenger seat. We discuss where this road would rank on our Big Five list and then we ride on, to Bushmans Kloof.

      But, when I look back one last time at the thin stripe of the Eselbank road running up the slope, I wonder fleetingly how it would feel to ride up there on this brand-new beast, off the leash, romping in playful exuberance.

       Route grading

      3,5

       Starting point

      Ceres

       Distance

      It is 147 km from Ceres to Wupperthal – or 218 km from Ceres to Clanwilliam. The more difficult part, between Matjiesrivier and Wupperthal, is only 34 km long.

       Duration

      It should take you between six and seven hours from Cape Town to Clanwilliam if you’re not in a hurry.