3 Western Cape road trips for petrolheads

‘Road trip’ is one of those phrases that elicits a multitude of emotions all at once. Fear, excitement, nerves, relief and a sense of freedom are all experienced within a few seconds of each other.

One of the best parts of going on a road trip is that the majority of them are completely spontaneous. Few people actually sit down and plan a road trip. It just happens. This can be good … and bad. The good part is that everything happens on the fly and the freedom to go wherever you desire. The bad part is that with no planning, things can go awry and at worst, friendships can come under fire.

Thankfully, the cool guys at Europcar have developed a rather nifty road trip app that takes a few minutes to set up and use. I was asked to sample the new Road Tripper social media-based app and with my passion for everything motor-related, came up with three road trips that would be fun, enjoyable and totally unique.

1. Franschhoek Motor Museum

Seeing as I’m still fairly new to the Western Cape, a visit to the Franschhoek Motor Museum is first on the list. With the advancements in motoring technology moving at a tremendous pace, it would be an educational experience to take a step back and see just how far we’ve come with regard to four-wheeled transport. Franschhoek’s Motor Museum is brimming with automotive history and boasts one of the finest car collections in Southern Africa. I’ll be driving a 2013 Ford Focus ST, the great-great-great-grandchild of the first ever affordable, mainstream passenger car: the Ford Model T.

2. Franschhoek Pass to Gordon’s Bay

The Western Cape is blessed with an extraordinary amount of beautiful driving roads and even if you’re not a petrolhead, you can appreciate the combination of sweeping bends and sudden drops. Coupled with views pinched from postcards, my idea of a driver’s heaven covers the finest stretches of tarmac that the Western Cape can offer: starting from Stellenbosch, I’ll be heading to Franschhoek and up through Franschhoek Pass (the ultimate mountain pass) before dropping into the Elgin/Grabouw valley and then heading to the coast for the tight, twisting roads from Kleinmond back to Gordon’s Bay.

3. Detour through Darling

My final road trip heads up the West Coast to the Koeberg nuclear power station, with a detour to the wind farms of Darling. On an almost monthly basis, we’re lashed by news of yet another energy increase. If it it’s not the cost of petroleum going up, then it’s the price of electricity. Just how far are we away from a sustainable and commonplace energy resource? I’ll be checking out these two energy sources in one of the most economical vehicles to have just hit the market.

The Europcar Road Tripper App

How does the Europcar Road Tripper app work, you ask? Firstly, it’s free and secondly, all you need is access to a Facebook account on a pc or a desktop. It allows the creation of your very own road trip, complete with photos and useful information such as accommodation, landmarks and restaurants. You can print it out and use it as a map, as well as share it online so other users can be inspired by your travels. Who knows? Your road trip may become a part of someone else’s.

You can follow the hashtag #roadtripper, myself @DaveTheCarGuy or @EuropcarSA as I make my way around the Western Cape on weekends. Here are some images from previous road trips: