It's a Saturday morning in October. From the porch of La Galerie, a popular eatery in Pringle Bay, Van Morrison's “Brown Eyed Girl” is drowned out by the rumble of Harley-Davidsons pulling into the parking lot.
“We love stopping here on our weekly breakfast runs,” says a man fully clad in black leather. “Clarence Drive is the most beautiful road – it's easily on par with Slea Head Drive in Ireland or the Great Ocean Road in Australia.”
He's right, of course. If you visit Pringle Bay, Clarence Drive should always be your go-to route.
The construction of the road started in the 1940s to link Somerset West with what would become the coastal settlements of Rooiels, Pringle Bay, Betty's Bay and Kleinmond. These towns would take shape on what was known back then as the “Hangklip Estates”, owned by a consortium of developers: Arthur Youldon, Jack Clarence and Harold Porter. Their dream was for the towns to become choice holiday destinations. They might be gratified to know that, years after their passing, this has indeed become the case.
Before Clarence Drive was built, a lengthy journey over Sir Lowry's Pass was the only way to access this remote strip of coastland.
Pringle Bay (named after Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Pringle, commander of the British Navy at Simon's Town in 1796) lies in the shadow of Hangklip, a mountain that juts out towards the Atlantic Ocean.
One of the first buildings on this side of False Bay was a small radar station at the base of Hangklip. The shipping route via the Cape was an important channel for the British, particularly during World War II. South Africa bore the responsibility of monitoring U-boat activity for the Allied Forces. For this reason,
