April 9, 2021
Paul Roux
Yesterday I called Fran, the lady from our digs in Clarens to see if there was anyway I could get my socks sent to Bethlehem. It turned out that she was coming through in the morning so we ditched out plans of cycling to Senekal today and booked accommodation in Paul Roux, a village about two thirds of the way to Senekal, so that we could wait for Fran to drop my socks off. It turned out she was earlier than we expected and we were on the road by half past ten. The ride itself is best forgotten. The N5 is a busy road and, although there was a shoulder the whole way, it wasn't particularly pleasant.
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We have driven past Paul Roux a number of times over the years but we were hardly aware that it existed. It turns out to be a quaint little village with a bit of character that is spread out over an enormous area. Our digs for the night is an old sandstone house decorated in a very old worldly style that we have entirely to ourselves.
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Although it was only forty kilometers to get to our digs from Bethlehem I ended up cycling six more riding around the village buying groceries, snacks and drinks. This meant I was a target for people in the street who felt the need to stop me and chat. It's that kind of village. I was gone so long Leigh must have thought I would never come back.
The N5 is a road we really want to avoid and one of the good snippets of information we gleaned from the friendly villagers is that the even smaller village of Rodendal, twenty odd kilometers south of here is a must-see. So our plans have changed and instead of heading to Senekal tomorrow we will take the quiet farm roads southwards. Sometimes it isn't such a big mistake to leave one's underwear behind.
Today's ride: 46 km (29 miles)
Total: 1,218 km (756 miles)
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3 years ago