Graskop to Mariepskop Adventure Route

This route was definitely one for the memory bank. We based ourselves at The Inn on Robbers Pass, I can highly recommend staying there. We arrived at around lunchtime on the Friday, offloaded our gear and then headed down Robbers Pass to Pilgrims Rest. At the T-Junction we hit a left, onto the Slag Hoek rd, and proceeded along the trail to Caspers Neck and up to the top. The route is fairly easy, with a few rocky bits towards the top. Heading back, we decided to take the tar twisties back to Graskop, nothing like some speed through some low flowing corners, and then just outside Graskop we took a dirt route all the way to Pilgrims Rest, where we had a late lunch at Oom Johnny's Pub at the Vine Restaurant. Dark visors, the darkness of the night and oncoming traffic are not ideal combinations when heading up Robbers Pass again. The rest of the group met up with us at the hotel, as they were only able to leave after work. Overview of the Route - the actual GPX Route File: The plan for the Saturday was to tackle the route from Graskop to Mariepskop, now this is adventure riding at its best, a nice challenging route with incredible scenery. Some of the tracks hadn't been ridden on in many years and we even needed to whip out the saws to cut a bush tunnel through a fallen tree, definitely a great sense of achievement. https://youtube.com/shorts/06k8JjCFr5I?si=a_gYluwxirDyDIXa The highlight for the day, was without a doubt, getting to the top of Mariepskop and getting a cup of coffee on the brew. There is an entrance fee payable, if I remember correctly it was R25, but definitely worth every cent. On the way down we 1st stopped at the Claserie waterfalls, definitely an impressive drop into the valley below, it's a bit of a hike from where we stopped to get to the top of the falls, but again definitely worth a bit of sweating. We ended the day with an ice cold brew at Oom Johnny's Pub, you can never get to much of his incredible spirit and the great food. Photos from along the route to Mariepskop: Navigation: for this trip I used the Garmin Zumo XT, the route was created on Garmin Basecamp and then exported as a Track to overlay it onto the map. I ditched the Zumo XT after this trip and went to a tough smartphone, as the Garmin tends to have a delay and is great when navigating on known roads / tracks, but is a nightmare when truly bundu bashing. The Garmin Zumo XT was secured with our Garmin Zumo XT Locking Plate, ensuring that passersby can't quickly release the device from the mount. Luggage: Main luggage was 2 x Kriega OS-18 Adventure Pack bags, attached to the Kriega OS Base and then the Kriega OS-6 Adventure Pack bag for my tools, the tools are in the Kriega Tool Roll. The tool bag is attached to the rear rack, a Perun Moto Large Billet Rack, with the Kriega OS Rack Loops. I used the Giant Loop Diablo tank bag to carry a Leatt 1.5l hydration bladder, some basic tools, snacks and the coffee brewing kit. Riding Gear: Helmet – KTM Explorer Helmet (LS2 Explorer MX701) Boots – Alpinestar Tech 7 (Enduro version) Pants – Troy Lee Scout GP Pants Body Armour – Leatt 3DF Airfit Hybrid Body Armour Jacket - Leatt 4.5 Moto X-Flow Jacket (Black) Gloves – Five TFX3 Airflow Adventure Gloves Tyres – Motoz Tractionator Adventure on the rear and the Motoz Dual Venture on the front. Tech Used: Cardo Packtalk Edge, in-helmet comms. I primarily use the Cardo Packtalk Edge to listen to music, streamed from Spotify, and take and make the odd phone call to my wife and children, I avoid work related calls when I'm away on the bike. A lot of rides enjoy syncing their comms to chat along the way and stay in touch on the trail, I prefer not t do this as I what to enjoy the "helmet time" as much as possible, to get away from the daily grind. Tips and Tricks: I always carry an extra set of straps, they come in handy if you need to strap extra gear to a full bag. I use the Kriega OS-Mini Cam Straps, as they easily attach to my Kriega luggage. Something else that is always with me is 1 or 2 Carabiners, specifically the ones with a screw gate to secure them, super handy to attach wet shoes or other gear to your bike or bags. Group Riding - on this trip we all stopped at turns and junctions, as we were a small group, this keeps everyone together and allows for a quick break to hydrate or stretch the legs.