Michell's Pass

Michell's Pass follows the Breede River gorge into the Ceres basin, and before it existed the valley was reached only by a difficult track over Mostertshoek. Andrew Geddes Bain built the pass between 1846 and 1848, named for Charles Michell, the colonial surveyor-general, and it opened the fruit valley to wagon traffic - Ceres became the district's market town largely because of it. A toll was charged at the top and the old toll house survives beside the modern road, along with sections of Bain's original stonework visible below the current alignment. The road climbs about 190 metres from the Wolseley side to a summit at 490 metres, and the railway branch through the pass to Ceres opened in 1912. The pass was widened and paved in 1938, so today you drive a modern road while the 1848 work sits alongside. The gorge is narrow with the river below, and in cold winters snow on the surrounding peaks is visible from it.

The main sights

• The 1848 pass - Bain's route that opened the Ceres valley to wagons.
• The old toll house - the original building beside the modern road.
• Bain's stonework - sections of the first alignment below the current road.
• The river gorge - the Breede running beneath the pass through a narrow cut.

When to go

All year. One hour with stops. Snow on the peaks is possible in winter.

Practical notes

The modern road is the one you drive - the historic fabric is fragments beside it. Traffic is heavy with fruit trucks in season. Stopping places are few and the gorge is narrow. It is a short pass, not a day out.

Nearby

Ceres and Matroosberg are east; Tulbagh is over the ridge.

Key facts