There’s an oft-forgotten trail hidden in the foothills of the Witberg near Matjiesfontein. Diep-en-Deur is not a trail that was, writes Philip Sackville-Scott, it is a trail on the up.

My plans to visit to Diep-en-Deur seemed to have hit a rock wall. Results of my search on off-road forums read much like the weekend death notices: “I heard it was closed”, “definitely not operating anymore” - not encouraging reading. Yet here I am, halfway through the trail, staring out across the dramatic Cape-fold mountains, wondering what the confusion is about.

Well, it turns out Diep-en-Deur’s new owners since 2005, Frik Linde and Tom Lewis, decided to give Diep-en-Deur a facelift as part of the development of the Witteberg Private Nature Reserve. It’s a team that has built up quite a reputation - after all, they developed the 4x4 trails at the award-winning MontEco Nature Reserve near Montagu.

The proposed development of the Witteberg Private Nature Reserve includes building new holiday homes, restoring historic buildings, overhauling roads and restoring natural areas on the property.

As part of a rezoning application they have lodged to have the land declared a contract nature reserve, borehole water is pumped using solar panels and electricity is generated through solar cells and wind turbines. If you visit the reserve, you will have to treat nature with an equal amount of respect.

Ongoing maintenance is carried out to an extensive network of 4x4 mountain tracks crisscrossing the property. At the time of our visit there were 6 trails covering about 48km and providing access to all corners of the property. Three of them are for easy exploration and offer great views, while a challenging one offers a true off-road-adventure experience. The latter is where we went…

The tracks were initially cut for flower harvesting in the surrounding mountains. In season (late winter to early spring), this fynbos- and renosterbosveld-rich country is draped in flowers.

We visited in September and saw various plant species from the three vegetation types on the property - Matjiesfontein Shale Fynbos, Shale Renosterbosveld and Quartzite Fynbos. The reserve contributes to the conservation of these three plant types by increasing the conserved areas of each.

Among the host of plants that flourish in the reserve is the Witteberg sunbush (Leucadendron cadens), a protea species you’ll only find growing naturally in this area.

Plant lovers could find at least 14 protea species, 11 leucadendron species and many other plants such as ninepin heath Rooiklossieheide, toffeeapple conebush toffieappel, waterbossie, arid pincushion luisiebossie, Swartberg pincushion, and Witteberg vexator.

Apart from the ubiquitous sugar birds, a large variety of sunbirds and jackal buzzards, twitchers could tick off southern pale chanting goshawk, black stork, Verreaux’s eagle and fairy flycatcher.

The reserve is rich in buck too and we saw grey rhebuck, klipspringer and steenbok.

Unlock the chain

Located 10km south of the N1 midway between Touws River and Laingsburg, Diep-en-Deur is some 20km north of the Anysberg Nature Reserve offices.

Upon arrival, it’s straight to the main house cum office/reception area where guests are welcomed and signed in.

If you are there to do the trails, Tom or Frik will describe the lay of the land and the facilities and tell you what you can expect. You’ll also be given keys to the accommodation.

A comprehensive information booklet is available that provides an overview of the surroundings, the history, geology, archaeology, mammals, plants, birds, climate, activities and, of course, the trails you could experience.

The primary trail, the Diep-en-Deur, is a steep 15 km grade 3 mountain trail. Comprised of compacted shale and sandstone tracks, this well-maintained loop takes 4 to 5 hours to complete. Add another hour or two if you are an avid botanist or twitcher.

The trail starts at a chain across the road that you need to unhook. From there a gravel track leads past a stone ruin and up a steep, loose shale ridge to a lookout. It’s a tricky climb to a viewpoint above the Elandskloof Valley.

Once down the other side, another steep ascent awaits, this one tracing a cliff edge up towards a small plateau where a wide range of plants flourish. To keep the adrenalin-high going, the trail continues on a knife edge down a very steep descent marked by two tight hairpin bends, in quick succession. Many fynbos species grow along this descent.

If you turn left at the T-junction at the bottom, you end up on a short tight circular loop that spits you out near the start of the trail. A right turn takes you to the lengthier trail starting with the crossing of a deep dry watercourse that only sees water directly after rains.

Large rocks on the steep ascent after the watercourse create an obstacle course that demands precision driving and good ground clearance, while a rear diff lock will be useful.

Look out for dramatic rock formations in the south, one of which is signposted and looks like a camel. One also has fantastic views of the mountains in the east that are excellent geological examples of Cape Fold Belt Activity that formed most of the Western Cape’s mountain ranges.

The following descent passes the small Diep-en-Deur cutting where water that has sliced through the rock over millennia cascades out of a narrow gorge on the other side of the cutting.

It’s then over another ridge and down another steep descent where one reaches the main Diep-en-Deur cutting. As the track is badly eroded in parts, approach the first corner as far on the outside as possible to avoid losing traction on the inside rear wheel. During the rainy season things can get tricky here. Water seeps out of the mountain causing sections of the road to collapse and eroded furrows to develop overnight.

Other areas become very muddy and many drivers get stuck in the soft wet clay. Some road building may be required, so take a spade along.

Before moving on, look out for the rock formation resembling a man wearing a sailor’s hat.

One final ascent sees you at the western extreme of the reserve – the halfway mark and, at 1370m above sea level, the highest point of the trail. The view stretches around from Anysberg through the Langeberg and the Matroosberg to the eastern Witteberg.

If you get out and have a look around here, you’ll get an idea how old the earth is on which you are standing - there are many examples of trace fossils (fossils characterised by impressions in a soft surface) such as zoophycos - apparently produced by feeding worms - that were formed some 350 million years ago.

Also look out for rare fynbos species, such as the grooveleaf sugarbush (Protea canaliculata) and the rolledleaf sugarbush (Protea revolute).

The way back down from here to a large sandy patch at the bottom is long and winding and scattered with hairpin bends and side slopes. Look out for honey-bush-tea plants on the left just before you reach the bottom.

We pass the back-end of the Diep-en-Deur cascade on the left as we descend. After rain, water thunders through this narrow cleft in the rocks.

Breezing back

After a steep descent you cross another stream before reaching the Seekoeigat. It’s a great picnic spot, so park the car and walk the short 200m to where the stream runs over the rocky cliff face into the pools below. Here one can see sugarbirds and sunbirds against a backdrop of restios, arum lilies and sulphur sugar bush (swaelsuikerbos).

Hereafter, the track enters the Langkloof Valley before lazily snaking back to the Elandskloof Valley. Once you reach the Langkloof, the worst is over. Look out for the turn-off to the right to Grootdam - the cliffs above Grootdam are a natural rock garden with many interesting plants growing out of the sandstone.

From Grootdam, it is a smooth flat sandy track all the way to the T-junction at the main gravel road, where you turn left to get back to the reception area.

But the fun doesn’t end here - if you feel like some more action, ask to drive one of the other flower harvesting tracks. They are out-and-back trails, varying from 6-10km and cutting through more of the fynbos for which Diep-en-Deur is so renowned.

What you should know

WHY SHOULD I GO?
The flora, the birdlife and the great views. The rest is coming…

EN ROUTE
How long is the trail? 15.1km
How long will I be driving? 4 - 5 hours
Maximum number of vehicles? 15
Do I get a map? Yes
Will my car get scratched? Not likely
Should I remove my running boards? No
Can I turn around halfway? No, but you could do the short loop of 60-90 minutes.
Can we have a braai en route? No

THE SURROUNDS
Best time to go? All year round
Can I take my family along? Definitely
Just for the day or the weekend? You could just visit for the day, but there’s enough to keep you busy for a weekend.
Are there ablution facilities for day visitors? No
Can I see game? Yes, there are klipspringer, grey rhebuck, duiker, black-backed jackal, leopard and caracal.
The nearest town? Touwsrivier (60km)
The nearest fuel? Touwsrivier (60km)
How do I get there? From Cape Town, head out on the N1. Just after Konstabel, 28km past Touwsrivier, turn right onto the Witteberg gravel road. It crosses a railway line and continues south for around 7km, then east for a further 17km. Turn right at a sign indicating “Elandskloof”. Three kilometres further you’ll arrive at the boundary gate of Elandskloof and a further 3km on, a sign indicates that the office and reception of Witteberg Private Nature Reserve is on the left.

WHERE CAN I STAY?
Fully-furnished, self-catering, semidetached apartments are available for 2, 4 and 5 persons. The historic Boonste Huis sleeps 8. Camping is available for 4x4 groups.

WHAT ELSE?
Must I take anything special? Warm clothing in winter, sunscreen in summer and a fynbos reference book
What else can I do there? Hiking and mountain biking

COSTS
Trail: R350 per vehicle
Camping: R80pppn; Children 2-12: R60pppn;
Other accommodation: R290 pppn

CONTACT:
Tom Lewis 023 551 1946; witteberg@vodamail.co.za; www.facebook.com/Witteberg