Pringle Bay lies an hour west of Hermanus at the foot of Hangklip, the rock nose that closes False Bay off to the east. The village has a beach, a few restaurants, no street lights and one rule: do not feed the baboons, they come anyway. You drive out here for the road: from Rooi-Els, the next village, the Clarence Drive begins, the R44, cut into the cliff face all the way to Gordon's Bay, with viewpoints every few hundred metres and the whole peninsula in sight as far as Table Mountain.
- west of Hermanus
- 55 km
- Clarence Drive to Gordon's Bay
- 22 km
- the rock nose of False Bay
- Hangklip
- the best time for the road
- afternoon
In whale season you spot whales in False Bay from the lay-bys; in summer, walkers on the cliffs and anglers on the rocks. Take the road as your way back to Cape Town and drive it in the afternoon, when the sun stands over False Bay and the cliff face is in the light. One stop at Rooi-Els for the Cape rockjumpers that live in the fynbos there, a second at the viewpoint above Gordon's Bay, and you reach the airport an hour behind schedule and pleased about it.
- Time needed
- two hours with stops
- Cost
- free
- When
- all year, afternoons
- From Hermanus
- 55 km, 60 minutes
Our tipTake the Clarence Drive on your departure day, not the day you arrive. The sun sits right then, and you will already have picked up the penguins at Betty's Bay on the way.
Pringle Bay and the Clarence Drive: common questions
What is the Clarence Drive?
The R44 between Rooi-Els and Gordon's Bay, 22 kilometres cut into the cliff face above False Bay, with lay-bys every few hundred metres. In whale season you spot whales in False Bay from them.
When is the best time to drive the Clarence Drive?
In the afternoon, and as your route back to Cape Town: the sun then stands over False Bay and the cliff face is in the light. Not on the day you arrive off the overnight flight.
How far is Pringle Bay from Hermanus?
55 kilometres, about an hour on the R43 and the R44. There is no petrol station on the Clarence Drive, so fill up in Hermanus first.