Mountain bikers will find 45 km of “Classic Karoo Mountain Biking. Rocky hills, distant views” (Andrew Hugo) divided into four trails.
Distance 45km
Single Track 10%
Jeep Track 55%
Gravel Road 35%
Tar 0%
Un-ridable 0%
Highest Point 745m
Lowest Point 520m
Total Ascent 530m
Fun Factor 8/10
Aerobic Factor 7/10
Short Description Classic Karoo Mountain Biking. Rocky hills, distant views.
Technical Difficulty Not very technical. Rocky descents get tricky though.
Aerobic Difficulty Not too taxing. Two steep hills yielding great views..
Getting There:
Get yourself to the N10 between Cookhouse and Paterson. Then find a little town called Middleton that lies 24km South of Cookhouse. Then just 1km South of Middleton is a turn off to the West with a sign that says “Bloemhof”; Turn in here and continue on the gravel road for 6km. Wilton Guest Farm is the first farm on your left hand side.
Wilton Guest Farm is just 148km from Port Elizabeth; 98km from Grahamstown & 282km from East London.
Route Description:
Wilton Guest farm offers 4 routes to mountain bikers.
A Green(29km) route which sticks to the main gravel road linking the 3 farms that make up Wilton’s grounds. This is a lovely family friendly route. Not technical at all, but it takes you to some of the main sights on the farm, including the Fishriver Water Channel and a beautiful dam that you would never expect to find in the karoo.
A Blue(23km) route that is slightly shorter than the green route, but that takes you over some slightly more challenging terrain which includes a rocky climb and a fast and twisty descent. This route is purposefully shorter sothat those that are just getting into mountain biking can give the more challenging ride a go.
A Red(38km) Route. This route links all the more challenging sections and takes you to all the majour sights and view points. It goes up and down rocky slopes, through dry river beds and over the Fish river channel.
The Black(45km) Route. This is the featured route and will probably be most active mountain bikers favourite route. In short it is a combination of the red route and the green route. So it joins the tricky bits of the Red Route and adds some distance by doing the Green routes loop past the South of the Wilton grounds.
All the above routes are thuroughly enjoyable. But most of all the tranquility of the karoo setting will surely call you back once you have had a taste of the absolute silence, only to be experienced in these area’s. And to top it all, there are herds of Gemsbok and Kudu’s to be seen on the grounds as well. And the owners will also pack you a picnic basket and take it to the dam for you, sothat you can enjoy a ride to the dam, have a great picnic under the weeping willows, and then take a leisurely spin around the far side of the grounds and back to the geust house.
Contact Details
- Email: info@wiltonguestfarm.co.za
- Phone: 083 379 9231
- Website: www.wiltonguestfarm.co.za
