A trek from Johannesburg to Cape Town with a sandy difference

On paper, it seemed like an undertaking that had all the hallmarks of, “can it really be done”? or “have we bitten off more than we can chew”?

Towards the end of last year, a curiously titled email landed in my inbox enquiring whether I would like to participate in the adventurously titled Ford Ranger Gravelog that started in Johannesburg and ended four days later in Cape Town.

As easy as this might have sounded in practise, the key that is would not be a simple drive from the Big Smoke to the Mother City resonated in its name. Yip, the mission was this; we would be driving the three flagship derivatives of the Blue Oval’s proudly made in South Africa pick-up, the XLT, Wildtrak and Raptor, to the coast using mostly gravel roads and spending as little time as possible on tar.

Having spent a great deal of my later childhood and young adult life buckled-up in the backseat of an Isuzu KB, two generations of Mitsubishi Colt Rodeo and then a Nissan Pathfinder touring across South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique and Swaziland with my family for nearly two decades, and learning the intricacies of off-road driving, the idea of taking on largely gravel roads over a long distance instantly received this writer’s approval.

DAY 1

The starting point of our journey was Pecan Manor near Hartbeespoort dam where six shiny new Rangers consisting of a pair of XLTs, Wildtraks and Raptors, had been lined-up. Another XLT would be leading our convoy, piloted by seasoned off-road coordinator Gideo Basson, while the eighth and final model came in the shape of an XLS SuperCab, driven by medic Bertus Prinsloo, who also acted as the last or sweeper vehicle.

Our early morning breakfast over, we headed off to our steeds of choice with the white XLT being my companion. With my eclectic mix of tracks loaded onto my USB inserted into one of the two ports, we headed out onto what was to be longest leg of the journey.

After a very short spell on the R560, we turned off and hit the gravel on a surprisingly good road. Despite this, the call by Gideo over the in-car radio made it clear we shouldn’t always bet on that being the case. “Switch to 4H (high-range 4WD) and only go back to 2H (high-range 2WD) when we go on to tar,” was the instruction.

It was also the first chance for me to get to the grips with the XLT, which comes powered by the same 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine as the Wildtrak and Raptor, but with only a single turbocharger that results power and torque dropping from 157kW/500Nm to 132kW/420Nm. It does, however, keep the 10-speed automatic gearbox and has more of a restrained look than its siblings.

Varying from public gravel roads to private farm routes, crossing cattle grids, and opening and closing gates, our progress was surprisingly swift, in spite of the temptation to hang the Ranger’s tail out when accelerating out of a corner. For hours, our drive through the stunning landscape of the North West that appeared untouched by time, went by without a hitch as the XLT pounded the brown stuff without so much as getting unnerved by an occasional washout, although that being said, it was mostly as a result of its driver not wanting to risk possible damage.

Passing through abandoned or just-functioning towns and over abandoned railway tracks, the opening of the heavens just before our overnight stop outside Philippolis in the Free State added another hazard to our trip as the roads become waterlogged. Our speeds dropped as night began to fall.

Fortunately, the storm passed by quickly and with all our Rangers sporting a new paint finish called “Mud Brown”, we arrived at the Otterskloof Guest House where freezing temperatures and a hollowing wind had replaced the blazing heat our journey started-in a few hours before. Tired and with dinner over, we headed off for some much needed kip.

DAY 2

A new and less-arduous day dawned that would see us heading to Nieu-Bethesda in the Eastern Cape. It was time for a vehicle change and the impressive XLT was replaced by the real deal, a Colorado Red Raptor.

As good the roads had been on the first day, the second saw them getting even better as the trundled through Philippolis and then onto tar to get across the Orange River. Back on the gravel, the Raptor felt in its element as the trick Watt’s rear linkage, Fox dampers and off-road tyres made for such a smooth ride that felt more as if we were driving on tar.

At the same time, it didn’t feel as tail-happy as the XLT and after arriving at the dilapidated station of Donkerpoort outside Noupoort for a quick breather, it also fulfilled a lifelong dream of this writer to snap a vehicle parked on a railway line, fortunately without having to worry about any trains as two of the three lines at the station have long since been abandoned.

Continuing on, we looped around Colesberg and crossed the N1 into Noupoort where a great deal of commission was caused as all eight mud-caked Rangers stood in-line at the petrol station. Filled-up, we pressed on and once back on the gravel, the Raptor, true to its name, simply flew along as the outstretching roads across the Karoo passed through simply breath-taking mountains and lush pieces of green in between.

Careening into Nieu Bethesda, we headed for our overnight stop, the Genora Guest Farm, but not before a visit to the unnerving centrepiece that is the Owl House created by the equally mysterious Helen Martins.

DAY 3

An early rise the next morning awaited as course was set for the Tankwa Karoo National Park outside Sutherland. It was also a day to get reacquainted with an old friend in the shape of the Ranger Wildtrak that sported the same Saber Orange paint finish as our erstwhile long-termer.

It was to be the most punishing day as well as no-less than two punctures occurred before Sutherland, while the descend into Tankwa over the Ouberg Pass was similarly hairy with its series of hairpin bends that punished each vehicle’s brakes, sheer drops ready to catch those out not paying attention and sharp rocks waiting to have a field day with every passing tyre.

Luckily, the 10 km dip onto the scorching Tankwa planes, the outside temperature display showing 35’ C, didn’t deter our Wildtrak, a surprise given that it came equipped with road-biased tyres as opposed off-road ones on the Raptor and the white XLT. As it turned-out, the way down was too much for the second XLT that required another wheel change at the bottom, bringing the total flat wheel count to three and its overall total to two.

Sprinting was however the name of the game from here and on roads that felt more like those of a stage on the World Rally Championship, we stopped on a ridge overlooking Tankwa’s lunar-like landscape as the setting sun made for a speculator sight over an area that has not received much rain in over half-a-decade.

An area this writer actually visited some ten years ago with not the fondest of memories during one of those mentioned family 4×4 outings, the drive down the mountain, landscape and stunning views all but erased those thoughts as we tucked-in for the night at the Tankwa Tented Camp lodge.

DAY 4

The final day of our cross-country trek dawned and with temperatures fast approaching 30 degrees, we left Tankwa and made the final push for the Mother City. Having had the Raptor nicked from us for this final leg, my driving partner and I found ourselves back in the Wildtrak and like the rest of the group, with a problem – we were running out of gravel.

Around Clanwilliam and passed Darling, the only stretch of gravel came in the form of a service route next to a fully active railway line that saw us zig-zagging across it multiple times. Sadly, train spotting members of our group, including yours truly, were let down as not a single steel snake was seen at any stage on the trip!

Our hunt for gravel eventually run-out some 100 km before our end destination, the Meerendal Wine Estate on the outskirts of Cape Town where our convoy stopped for the final time after a journey of 2 303 km with less than five percent having been on tar.

An eye-opener as well as an adventure of a different kind, Gravelog 2019 rated as an experience second to none and while it is a given that very few South African would undertake a similar jaunt, it only proved what the modern-day four-wheel-drive is capable of when its talents are properly exploited.

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