Closest Town: Stellenbosch
Grading: Easy to difficult
Duration: 1-3hrs (Much longer if you do all the trails)
Location (Area/Province):
Configuration: Circular/Return options from 5km-50km
Start Point: Die Landbousaal
Access: Free (but please feel free to donate what you can afford)
Beware of: Slippery when wet; watch out for racing snakes, trail runners and walkers (and their kids and dogs) as well as baboons around Eden. Please follow the signage – there for a reason...
Facilities: Only parking, but you're in Stellies, so you should be fine
Cell Reception: Good
The Stellenbosch Trail Fund (STF) is an incredible NPO that has built and maintained over 50km of trails in the last ten years in and around Stellenbosch! STF looks after all the trails on municipal land in and around town, from Eden Forest and Coetzenburg to
Botmaskop. All the trails are open to the public and free of charge.
The STF trails are also at the heart of the much wider Wine Lands Trails network of trails. With a Wine Lands Regional permit, one can now ride seemlessly between Banhoek, Boschendal, Bottelary Hills, Spier, Somerset West and Jonkershoek.
Along the STF trails, you’ll find something for everyone, from the Koloniesland trail that is easy riding for the whole family to quite a strong XCO fix for skilled riders on the Maties XCO track. Situated in the heartland of South Africa’s wine industry, Stellenbosch boasts some of the most scenic trails in South Africa, some within a mere 10min ride from the heart of the village. It is therefore no wonder so many international athletes from around the globe come here to do their winter training, the G-Spot being one of their favourites. Steep and muddy switchback trails through forest, vineyards, and fynbos, offering spectacular views of mountains close and far…. the STF trails are addictive!
From the trailhead at Die Ou Landbousaal you have direct access to the Koloniesland trail and you have only a very short link to the XCO and Bergpad Trails. Koloniesland is flat and winds along the river; perfect to hone skills or get the younger ones trying out some technical riding. You can even opt to start them off on the jeep track, before attempting the single-track option.
The Maties XCO track is a track for highly skilled riders with good medical insurance. Fast and with big obstacles, this is the track that hosted Africa’s first UCI XCO World Cup race in 2018. For the easier going but still fit trail rider, the Bergpad is a good option. Follow the well signed-posted shortcuts between the jeep tracks at various points along single-tracks.
Once on the Bergpad, you’ll find ample directional signage boards. Use them to easily make your way to G-Spot, Eden Forest (in Paradyskloof) and the wonderful trails on Mont Marie farm.
For more information on the merge of STF with adjoining trails to make one of the most expansive networks in the country, check out our blog post here.
The Trailforks.com STF directory is another useful resource and can be found here.
This map covers the broader region – Stellenbosch Trails are marked as STF:
Stellenbosch on Trailforks.com
