There are more than 490 mountain passes in the Western, Eastern and Northern Cape, in areas of spectacular natural scenery. Many of them are more than a century old and the product of considerable engineering feats, In themselves objects of beauty and ingenuity, they provide ways through and over the natural barriers in the area, giving access to communities and offering the infrastructure that makes for a thriving economic and social life.

This book tells the story of about 50 of the best known or most significant Cape mountain passes. They include: Du Toit’s Kloof Pass; Swartberg Pass; Chapman’s Peak Drive; Sir Lowry’s Pass; Bain’s Kloof; Outeniqua Pass; Groot River and Bloukrans Passes in the Tsitsikamma area.

Illustrated throughout with full-colour and sepia photographs an accompanied by helpful maps, The Romance of Cape Mountain Passes is a book for those with a love of the open road, an interest in history and a delight in the triumphs of engineering, human ingenuity and imagination