The R27 is a
provincial route
A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...
in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
that consists of two disjoint segments. The first segment, also known as the West Coast Highway, connects
Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
with
Velddrif
Velddrif (the name of the town) or Velddrift (the name of the farm on which the town was established), is a coastal fishing town in the Bergrivier Local Municipality, Western Cape, South Africa. The town had a population 7800 in 2007 and is located ...
along the
West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to:
Geography Australia
* Western Australia
*Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia
* West Coast, Tasmania
**West Coast Range, mountain range in the region
Canada
* Britis ...
. The second runs from
Vredendal
Vredendal is a town in the northern Olifants River Valley in the Western Cape province of South Africa, with a population (according to the 2001 census) of 16,164 people. It is situated north of Cape Town on the banks of the Olifants River at th ...
via
Vanrhynsdorp
Van Rhynsdorp (Afrikaans: Vanrhynsdorp) is a settlement in West Coast District Municipality in the Western Cape province of South Africa.
Van Rhynsdorp was founded as Trutro ("TroeTroe") after the area was first explored by Europeans in 1661 by P ...
,
Calvinia
Calvinia is a regional town in the Northern Cape province of South Africa named after the French people, French religious reformer Jean Calvin. The town falls under the Hantam Local Municipality which forms part of the Namakwa District Municipalit ...
,
Brandvlei
Brandvlei is a small town in the Karoo region of the Northern Cape, South Africa. This is where a 19th-century trekboer called ''Ou Brand'' settled. Brand camped at this spot at the Sakrivier, a dry river bed, which only occasionally had wate ...
and
Kenhardt
Kenhardt (founded 1868) is a small town in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. This little town is about 120 km from Upington, the largest town in the area.
History
On 27 December 1868, special magistrate Maximillian Jackson with a po ...
to
Keimoes
Keimoes is a town in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. It lies on the Orange River and is about halfway between Upington and Kakamas.
History
It attained municipal status in 1949. The name of the town translates in both the Khoekhoe and ...
on the
N14 near
Upington
Upington ( Nama: //Khara hais) is a town founded in 1873 and located in the Northern Cape province of South Africa, on the banks of the Orange River. The town was originally called Olijvenhoutsdrift ('Olive wood drift'), due to the abundance of ...
. The connection between Velddrif and Vredendal has never been built, although it can be driven on various
gravel road
A gravel road is a type of unpaved road surfaced with gravel that has been brought to the site from a quarry or stream bed. They are common in less-developed nations, and also in the rural areas of developed nations such as Canada and the Unite ...
s.
Originally the R27 designation continued beyond
Upington
Upington ( Nama: //Khara hais) is a town founded in 1873 and located in the Northern Cape province of South Africa, on the banks of the Orange River. The town was originally called Olijvenhoutsdrift ('Olive wood drift'), due to the abundance of ...
all the way to
Pretoria
Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa.
Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...
, but this section became part of the
N14 and various other roads.
In Cape Town the highway connects with FW de Klerk Boulevard (
N1) near the Table Bay Harbor and then runs north along the coast for stretch that is known as Marine Drive. This stretch contains many industrial warehouses. Later the road moves further inland and the M14 becomes the main coastal road. Further north the road passes through
West Coast National Park
The West Coast National Park lies north of Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The park is found inside of the Cape West Coast Biosphere Reserve, part of the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme. It is bordered by the At ...
before reaching Velddrif.
The northern segment of the road is exceptionally desolate; it is a distance of from
Calvinia
Calvinia is a regional town in the Northern Cape province of South Africa named after the French people, French religious reformer Jean Calvin. The town falls under the Hantam Local Municipality which forms part of the Namakwa District Municipalit ...
to
Keimoes
Keimoes is a town in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. It lies on the Orange River and is about halfway between Upington and Kakamas.
History
It attained municipal status in 1949. The name of the town translates in both the Khoekhoe and ...
, and the only towns along the way are
Brandvlei
Brandvlei is a small town in the Karoo region of the Northern Cape, South Africa. This is where a 19th-century trekboer called ''Ou Brand'' settled. Brand camped at this spot at the Sakrivier, a dry river bed, which only occasionally had wate ...
and
Kenhardt
Kenhardt (founded 1868) is a small town in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. This little town is about 120 km from Upington, the largest town in the area.
History
On 27 December 1868, special magistrate Maximillian Jackson with a po ...
.
Route
First Section
The R27 begins in
Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
(east of the city centre; adjacent to
Table Bay
Table Bay (Afrikaans: ''Tafelbaai'') is a natural bay on the Atlantic Ocean overlooked by Cape Town (founded 1652 by Van Riebeeck) and is at the northern end of the Cape Peninsula, which stretches south to the Cape of Good Hope. It was named ...
), at an interchange with the
N1 Highway. It begins by going northwards as Marine Drive for 13 kilometres, through
Milnerton
Milnerton is a seaside suburb on Table Bay and is located north of central Cape Town in South Africa. It is located 11 kilometres to the north of the city's centre.
Suburbs
Suburbs/ neighbourhoods of the greater Milnerton area include:
* Bot ...
, to reach a junction with the
M14 road. It then separates
Table View
Table View is a West Coast suburb of Cape Town, South Africa, named after its view of Table Mountain. It has expanded rapidly since the 1970s and has extensions such as Flamingo Vlei, Sunridge, West Riding, Parklands, and Killarney. Table View h ...
in the east from
Bloubergstrand
Bloubergstrand is a seaside suburb of the City of Cape Town, South Africa, along the shores of Table Bay, due north of the city centre of Cape Town. The name Bloubergstrand literally means "blue mountain beach" in Afrikaans, and is derived fr ...
in the west and reaches a junction with the
M12 road.
The R27 heads northwards for 10 kilometres as West Coast Road, through the
Blouberg Nature Reserve
Blouberg Nature Reserve is a protected area situated close to Vivo, west of Louis Trichardt in the Limpopo Province, of South Africa. It covers an area of from the eastern portion of the Blouberg mountain range to the savanna near the Bra ...
, to reach a junction in
Melkbosstrand
Melkbosstrand (Afrikaans for " Milkbush beach") is a coastal town located on the South West Coast of South Africa, 30 km north of Cape Town. It forms part of the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality, the municipality governing Cape ...
, where it meets the
M14 road again and the
M19 road. It continues northwards for 49 kilometres to leave the
City of Cape Town
The City of Cape Town ( af, Stad Kaapstad; xh, IsiXeko saseKapa) is the metropolitan municipality which governs the city of Cape Town, South Africa and its suburbs and exurbs. As of the 2011 census, it had a population of 3,740,026.
The remo ...
and reach a junction with the
R315 road east of
Yzerfontein
Yzerfontein, or Ysterfontein, is a small harbour town with about 1200 inhabitants on the west coast of South Africa about 90 km north of Cape Town. The name in Afrikaans means "Iron Fountain".The town started out when the farm 'Yzerfontein' ...
.
The R27 continues northwards for 49 kilometres, through the
West Coast National Park
The West Coast National Park lies north of Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The park is found inside of the Cape West Coast Biosphere Reserve, part of the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme. It is bordered by the At ...
, bypassing
Langebaan
Langebaan is a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa on the eastern shore of Langebaan Lagoon.
Langebaan is situated 120 km north of Cape Town, just off the R27, about 28 km from Vredenburg and 20 km from Saldanha Bay. ...
, to reach a junction with the
R45 road east of
Vredenburg
Vredenburg is a town of the Cape West Coast in the Western Cape province of South Africa. "Vrede" is Afrikaans for peace. It is the transportation and commercial hub of the West Coast area and administrative centre of the Saldanha Bay Local Mun ...
and west of
Langebaanweg
Langebaanweg is a town on the southwest coast of South Africa, in Western Cape Province.
It is the location of the air force base AFB Langebaanweg.
Langebaanweg has been an important mining center, with its mai minerals consisting of phosphorite ...
. The R27 heads northwards for 19 kilometres to cross the
Berg River
The Berg River (also called Great Berg River or in Afrikaans: Bergrivier) is a river located just north of Cape Town in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. It is approximately 294 km (183 mi) long with a catchment area of 7,715& ...
and reach its end of its first stint at a junction with the
R399 road in
Velddrif
Velddrif (the name of the town) or Velddrift (the name of the farm on which the town was established), is a coastal fishing town in the Bergrivier Local Municipality, Western Cape, South Africa. The town had a population 7800 in 2007 and is located ...
.
Second Section
The second section of the R27 begins in
Vredendal
Vredendal is a town in the northern Olifants River Valley in the Western Cape province of South Africa, with a population (according to the 2001 census) of 16,164 people. It is situated north of Cape Town on the banks of the Olifants River at th ...
, at a junction with the
R363 road. It begins by crossing the
Olifants River and meeting the
R362 road in Vredendal before heading eastwards for 22 kilometres to cross the
N7 National Route and enter the town of
Vanrhynsdorp
Van Rhynsdorp (Afrikaans: Vanrhynsdorp) is a settlement in West Coast District Municipality in the Western Cape province of South Africa.
Van Rhynsdorp was founded as Trutro ("TroeTroe") after the area was first explored by Europeans in 1661 by P ...
. It continues north-east for 50 kilometres to the town of
Nieuwoudtville
Nieuwoudtville is a town in Namakwa District Municipality in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. The town lies on the Bokkeveld Escarpment, and was established in 1897. The Nieuwoudtville Falls on the Doring River are located a few kil ...
. It then heads east for 69 kilometres to the town of
Calvinia
Calvinia is a regional town in the Northern Cape province of South Africa named after the French people, French religious reformer Jean Calvin. The town falls under the Hantam Local Municipality which forms part of the Namakwa District Municipalit ...
, where it meets the
R355 road.
From Calvinia, the R27 heads eastwards for 26 kilometres to meet the western terminus of the
R63 road. Here, it turns to the north-east and heads for 127 kilometres to the town of
Brandvlei
Brandvlei is a small town in the Karoo region of the Northern Cape, South Africa. This is where a 19th-century trekboer called ''Ou Brand'' settled. Brand camped at this spot at the Sakrivier, a dry river bed, which only occasionally had wate ...
, where it meets the
R357 road. It continues north-east for 143 kilometres to the town of
Kenhardt
Kenhardt (founded 1868) is a small town in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. This little town is about 120 km from Upington, the largest town in the area.
History
On 27 December 1868, special magistrate Maximillian Jackson with a po ...
. It continues northwards for 75 kilometres to cross the
Orange River
The Orange River (from Afrikaans/Dutch: ''Oranjerivier'') is a river in Southern Africa. It is the longest river in South Africa. With a total length of , the Orange River Basin extends from Lesotho into South Africa and Namibia to the north ...
and reach its end at a junction with the
N14 National Route in the town of
Keimoes
Keimoes is a town in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. It lies on the Orange River and is about halfway between Upington and Kakamas.
History
It attained municipal status in 1949. The name of the town translates in both the Khoekhoe and ...
.
References
External links
Routes Travel Info
{{DEFAULTSORT:R27 Road (South Africa)
27
27
Provincial routes in South Africa
Roads in Cape Town