Review Reitvlei

Unfortunately I don't have many pictures of Reitvlei to share as Michael's phone is broken.  It is very beautiful and I wish I had pictures of the forested area.  I would really recommend Reitvlei for a hot day as 90 percent of the cycle is in the shade.  It is not the easiest to cycle on a wet day as it is extremely slippery.

Reitvlei would have had a 10 for children if it were not for our unpleasant experience.  After cycling with us my sister took my niece to ride a pony. When she wanted to pay she was told that she had to pay for picnic as well.  My sister then went to the woman she was directed to, to pay.  My sister asked that seeing that we were eating at the restaurant and not picnicking could she just pay for the pony ride.  Instead of politely explaining that this is not policy the woman was extremely rude to my sister.  My sister was still going to pay regardless as my niece desperately wanted to ride the pony.  At this point it started raining so my sister took her money back.    My sister did phone management but they said they would look into it and did nothing.

On the other hand, I must say that the attendant who takes payment for MTBers was very polite and very accommodating.

Overall rating:8.2


The venue:


Children:  9
Facilities: 7
Accessibility: 10
Cost: 8



The trail itself:


Security on trail:7
Traffic Safety:9
Fun: 8
Technicality:8
Scenery: 9
Obstructions: 9
Maintenance: 9
Hill climbing: 7
Variation: 7




The venue:


Children:  9

The children's / beginners trail at Reitvlei is rather dull but it is easy and it is good for a child like my niece with a new bicycle to gain confidence.  It is a pity that considering how beautiful the rest of the trail is that the children's / beginners 4km trail is not in a scenic area.    The plus is that there are many fun activities for children at this park.  As I explained above if it were not for an unpleasant experience Reitvlei would have had a 10 rating for children.



Facilities: 7

Facilities would have had a 10 if it were not for the above explained unpleasant experience and that there was a problem with the ladies toilet behind the Portuguese restaurant.  I don't know the place well so I don't know if there are alternative toilets, but because there was only 1 working toilet there was a long queue.

The Portuguese restaurant was wonderful.  The food was fabulous and the service was excellent, pricing was also extremely reasonable.


Accessibility: 10

Reitvlei is very easy to access as it is in Alberton.


Cost: 8

Reitvlei is the usual price that we pay for MTB trails.  Every separate activity does have an additional charge.  We found the Portuguese restaurant to be very reasonably priced.



The trail itself:


Security on trail:9

There was a bike jacking close to Reitvlei, in January 2015.  Be alert.  I don't know what security measures are used at Reitvlei but I did not spot any security personnel, that might have been because it was raining.

Traffic Safety:9

Most of the trail is single track away from any traffic.  There is a small part that does cross over where picnickers and farm personnel drive so be cautious.


Fun: 8

I like the fact that there is a lot of forest with winds and steep short ups and drops.  We cycled on a rainy day and I really would not recommend this trail in rain, it is very slippery.


Technicality:8

There are steep short slopes to climb but other than that the green route does not have much to challenge you.  To be fair because of the rain we did not try the blue route.  When I get a chance to go back and cycle the blue route I will change my rating.

Scenery: 9

Although the first part which is the part the beginners route is on, is a dull flat field, the trail through the forest is lovely.

Obstructions: 9

There were no obstructions to our cycle. Vehicles may get in the way occasionally.  At one point you are very close to a shooting range and it motivates you to cycle faster.


Maintenance: 9

Maintenance is very good on this trail.

Hill climbing: 7

I was told there is a climb on the blue route but there was not much climbing on the green route, just short steep slopes.


Variation: 6

Although I really enjoy cycling through forested areas, it started to feel a bit monotonous.   The same twists the same steep little slopes up with little drops down.  As I didn't try the blue route I cannot say if it has a more varied route.