Closest Town: Durbanville
Grading: Intermediate
Duration: 60-90 minutes
Location (Area/Province): Peninsula and Winelands and Western Cape
Configuration: A return ride with various side road options; up to 27.5km
Start Point: The Dairy Shed
Access: Fee payable at the Dairy Shed Counter or Honesty Box. Keep proof of payment with you on the ride. Paid up members of the Tygerberg Mountain Bike Club ride for free.
Beware of: Snakes in summer. Extreme obstacles on the Black Route
Facilities: Clean ablutions at the start/finish area. Delicious food and drinks at the Dairy Shed, beer and pizza garden
Cell Reception: 100% cell signal
A return ride with various side-road options; up to 27.5km with routes suitable for beginners (green) to advanced downhillers (black).
On your bike
On these trails, built and developed by farm owner Robert Stark, you know you are in for a treat! The 27km of well-crafted, manicured trails, including an incredible 19.4km of single-track, cater for all skill levels. Choose between 3 different linked routes: a beginner friendly green route, the Blue Route for intermediate riders, and the Black route is for experienced riders and the far more technical black route (full downhill route for those with extreme skills).
The very well marked trail starts at the parking lot in the centre of the farm outside the Dairy Shed coffee shop. Follow the signs and turn left onto the gravel road, riding through the farmyard and out again on a very gradual climb. Two well-signposted right-hand turns take you to the quarry and the base of the main 106m climb, where you can also turn right onto the Green Route for a gentle meander back to the Dairy Shed along some easy single-track.
We, however, are following the Blue Route, so we turn left where a specially made single-track section following the contours that wind back and forth takes you to the top of the ridge. Once on top of the ridge, the route once again reverts to a wide gravel road as it makes its last slight climb to the right-turn arrow that marks the start of the fun. You are now exactly 8km into your ride and it is payback time, with some of the sweetest trail you can find in Cape Town. Turn after turn of quality, well-maintained Super Tubes single-track sweeps across the slopes of the kloof, gradually leading to the bottom of the valley.
If you didn’t have enough fun on that first Super Tubes decent, use the Old Mans climb on your left just after the gate as you hit the ridge after climbing up along the contours out of the kloof. The climb will take you back to the top of the first ridge and back down Super Tubes.
A little further on you have a choice of turning right down Die Kloof or a little further right down Cheeeky Corners, or still further along joining the Black Rhino descent. It it’s your first time on the farm, try Cheeky Corners.
After endless fun turns and berms, you will find yourself at the bottom of the trail. Continue straight until you hit Happy Hops (names both for its small jumps as well as Robert Stark’s wonderful craft beer). After these, you can follow the dirt road back to the Dairy Shed or still opt for more by keeping left onto the single-track. This trail takes you past a dam on your left-hand side and under the subway into the old parking lot. As you approach the parking lot, turn left over the bridge, around the dam and up the Bushvine climb. This will lead you back to your starting point at the Dairy Shed.
Off your bike
The Dairy Shed, open 7 days a week, is renowned for its coffee and the best carrot cake around, while Starke Brews is known for its craft beer and pizza (Fri-Sun).
GPS: 33°48′10.03″South / 18°34′10.59.99″E
