Bottelary Hills is a large MTB network crossing working farms and wine estates around the Stellenbosch winelands. The Conservancy officially publishes a Yellow Loop and lists Brenaissance among its access points; this version follows a mapped 18.8 km loop from that starting area.
The ride has two distinct halves. Much of the climbing comes early on open farm roads and vineyard tracks, while the return shifts towards faster, flowing singletrack through the network. With several official access points across Bottelary, following the correct route markers is more important here than at a self-contained trail centre.
Route description
The route does most of its climbing in the first half, using farm roads and tracks through the vineyards before turning back through flowing singletrack. Rivers, dams and open views across the Bottelary Hills give the return a different character from the outward leg.
Finding the start
Brenaissance is one of Bottelary Hills Conservancy’s recognised MTB access points. Once inside the network, follow the marked route system and stay on designated trails, as the network crosses multiple privately owned properties.
Technical difficulty
Trailforks grades this mapped Yellow Loop variant Green for technical difficulty, which CapeCurated normalises as Easy in the facts above. Bottelary Hills Conservancy does not publish an equivalent technical grade for this particular Yellow configuration. The riding is predominantly farm road and flowing singletrack rather than highly technical terrain.
Fitness and climbing
Trailforks rates this mapped variant Moderate for physical difficulty. Most of the climbing is concentrated in the first half, so the effort is less evenly distributed than the overall figures might suggest, with some steeper pitches through the vineyard sections before the easier-flowing return.
Best time to ride
An earlier start is generally more comfortable in warmer weather because much of the climbing is exposed across open farmland. In wetter conditions, check the current trail status before travelling, as conditions can vary across a network spread over several properties.
