Vergenoeg is a truly special place — tucked up on the Magaliesberg, it offers some incredible hiking and biking trails. It’s quickly becoming a favourite among outdoor lovers, and it’s easy to see why.

There are 5 MTB trails offered at the moment with a unique feel on each trail. 

• HAN SOLO 
• DARTH MAUL
• SKYWALKER
• YODA
• RETURN OF THE JEDI
  

There are small loops to enjoy which sort of bypass the main climbs, otherwise known as, what I call the “locals loops”, meaning there’s no need to do the big ride up the whole steep mountain but you can have just as much fun looping a couple of lines lower down. A total of about 15km all in all with a variety of riding offered. Great for up skilling and great for beginners too. The climbs are fairly steep but rewarding.

Choose the lines wisely depending on your skill set. That’s why I’m here doing this for ya.

If you’re a beginner I’d suggest heading up the concrete road and dropping into The Return of the Jedi on your right. It’s a fairly tame trail with some big jumps towards the end but no need to feel the pressure to do them , you can roll up and over them with ease. This trail consists of fast movements on the bike depending on your speed. I call it an activation trail. It gets you fired up properly.

From there you should be warmed up and head out to a section called Chewbacca. Easy to get to if you follow the fence line from Vergenoeg’s trails starting point. This section forms part of the ending on Han Solo but what’s cool is you can loop it as many times as you’d like without climbing all the way back up to the start of Han Solo. You’ll love this section, great for working on your cornering and flow. 

Once you’ve managed to somehow leave this section, because believe me it’s hard to leave once you start, very addictive piece of trail, head up to Skywalker,an all time favorite amongst riders I would say.

This trail gives you a glimpse of the great Magalies before dropping in. Incredible views up there with vultures keeping a keen eye on ya too. Special site to see and know you are amongst these cool creatures. 

Skywalker is probably the best trail in Gauteng/Northwest. It has such great flow with features blending into the natural forest we ride through. Watch out, if you don’t control your speed you may just get rowdy. It’s fast, you don’t realise it until you need to stop. A trail built for all riders with A and B lines which are both heaps of fun to ride. This trail has many features showcased, to name a few, The Bowl, The horseshoe berm, the double over, triples galore and a whole lot more. It’s a great ride this one, grows your confidence and gives you the chance to unlock new riding skills. A complete all rounder. 

After finishing up with this golden trail, you sit with choices , I often head back up to ride it again and just link it all together . The other option is to cruise back to “Return”, it’s a short pedal across the way and you can drop into that for another go at it and that’ll be your outing done. 

The other choice is to finish up with Chewbacca again, even me I have done this time and time again. If you do that you left with choices of back to base or you could link up to “Return of the Jedi” again or even back to the Top. It’s great having these options.

 Guaranteed it won’t be your last ride out there. You’d probably find yourself having a quick munch at the Vergenoeg Cafe and heading back out again asap. 

Anyways, there’s more to come. For now , Keep it Tidy and keep riding.

– Dusty