Fairview Goatshed

The temptation to play with the word ‘fair’ when applied to Fairview Wine Estate is great – it more than lives up to its name. The Wine and Cheese farm, just off Suid-Agter Paarl Road, lies in one of the ‘fairest’ settings possible, set behind Paarl’s ubiquitous ‘rock’, its parking area littered with pretty, shady trees and its entrance utterly dominated by a fairly ingenious tower complete with spiral staircase, featuring three of their Swiss Saanen goats – that on this particular Sunday, looked very much the way I felt, considering it was probably 40 degrees in the shade, of which there was not much in their domain …

The Goatshed, Fairview’s slightly upmarket barn-style/foodhall restaurant touting Mediterranean ‘fare’ (couldn’t resist) and a chance to sample up to twenty five of the farm’s predominantly goats’ cheeses, together with their wines, is extremely popular. It was just as well we had booked a table as when we arrived, just before 1pm, the place was literally humming. It helped that the heat had all but driven everyone into the air-conditioned former wine cellar interior – its clay-tiled floors, high ceilings, wooden furniture and thoroughly rustic atmosphere a bonus on a day when sitting outside, despite the gorgeous scenery, was pretty warm (and we thought we’d scored by booking outside!)

Outside, the grapevine smothered balcony below, and the slightly cooler bluegum latte-roofed verandah offered a further smattering of tables, which, provided there is a breeze, are wonderful to sit at – beautiful lawns and a trickling stream and water features. There was evidence of ice buckets on virtually every table, as people drank copious amounts, not always water, and the shouts of children dipping themselves in the little stream beyond our tables added further still to the sense of balmy days, good food and little else to do.

The Goatshed has got the ‘food experience’ combination right. One isn’t there purely for the menu, but for the experience whilst eating the food that makes it taste all the finer for the surrounding combination of beautiful views and alfresco dining experience. It’s no surprise that the food is good as the former owner of the Mimosa Lodge in Montagu, Andreas Küng, a qualified architect who had a change of heart due to his love of food, is the chef. The restaurant also employs rougly 25 formerly unemployed people from the surrounding winelands as bakers, waiters and wine stewards.

And the food was good. Nothing fancy or intimidating, although there were a selection of cleverly combined salads and bistro meals that work perfectly for lazy summer Sundays – farm salad that combines roasted vegetables, cherry tomatoes and toasted seeds, smoked trout salad, beef fillet carpaccio with toasted pine nuts, gruyère shavings and more, duck liver paté, warm stir-fried springbok, beef biltong salad, a chicken pie, ostrich medallions, line fish, pork spare ribs, lamb curry, beef fillet and on and on….

But the star of the show was the cheese platters themselves, and the restaurant’s range of artisanal breads that are not only served at the table to accompany cheese platters, but are for sale in the restaurant. Their range of ciabatta, panini, sour doughs, ryes, bagels and a few signature breads are simply heavenly! You can taste that the restaurant enlisted the help of Johan Sörberg, who owns his own bakeries in Stockholm in Sweden, to coach the baking team…

We settled for the smoked snoek salad, a truly heavenly combination of celery, red onions, green apples, white grapes, turmeric potatoes and snoek tossed together in a light yoghurt, lemon juice and olive oil dressing, served with moskonfyt that gave it a wonderful flavour; a couple of paninis (made on the premises; a truly unique version of the usual doughy white bread) served with pesto, roasted vegetables and grated farmhouse cheddar and a cheese platter to share. There was enough food to feed an army, the decadence was enormously pleasing, and the combination of the food wonderful.

The cheese platter arrived with a generous portion of sliced bread, and our little one was brought even more farmhouse bread of his own to have with grated cheese and butter – kiddie heaven (and they charged us virtually nothing for his meal, which may have been an oversight, but I felt was incredibly generous).

Cheese included camembert, brie, bleu en blanc, blue rock (a particularly creamy roquefort), white rock with cranberry (my personal favourite), cream cheese with black pepper, cream cheese with sweet chilli (another num version) and crottin. Cheese platters come in 8 choice, 10 choice, and I think 12 choice, platters and are a must when there for any meal.

Fairview’s popular Goats do Roam wines are served in 200ml carafes or by the bottle, and, provided you don’t manage to upend most of the wine onto the floor as we did, are thoroughly enjoyable. The restaurant does special group breakfast set menus, and gives early bird bikers and cyclists a 15% discount on breakfast – you have only to produce your helmet as evidence of having made it out there!

There is also a deli corner that offers a stream of sliced cured meats, preserves, jams, chutneys, nougat, goats’ milk fudge, and of course, cheese by the kilogram (although you don’t really score by buying from the farm as the price is only just lower than what you would pay in your local supermarket).

We rounded off the wonderful meal with a scoop of the most creamy, homemade blueberry ice cream with a piece of shortbread, and a couple of cappuccinos. The Goatshed claims the best coffee in the Cape, but I confess it was possibly that much too warm a day to be thoroughly convinced by this assertion.

But the unanimous conclusion of the meal was that we resolved to return to partake of the breakfast menu, or to sample the winter menu, which is bound to be full of soups and roast toasty something or other, hmm mm….

Paarl Links:
Paarl Attractions
Things to Do in Paarl
Paarl Accommodation
Paarl Hotels
Cape Winelands Hotels

Quaint houses

The town of Paarl is literally on my doorstep. I’ve driven past it on the N1 numerous times and yet not visited. But this weekend was an exception. I needed to right a wrong and take a look at a town that more than met my expectations and, in fact, left me spellbound by its gorgeous architecture, history, perpetual vistas of vineyards, and quaintness.

Paarl is but 45 minutes’ drive from Cape Town, yet it might as well be miles away (aside from the fact that you can see Table Mountain on a clear day). It’s the largest town in the Cape winelands, the third oldest European settlement in South Africa, boasts the longest main street in the country – all 12 kilometres of it – littered with buildings of historical note, boasts its own wine route, and has a huge granite outcrop that glistens just like a pearl, hence the town’s name, in the sunlight after a downpour. Not only that, but it’s also full of vineyards …

The name of the town is something of an idiosyncrasy. Despite being spelt ‘Paarl’ in both English and Afrikaans, it is pronounced ‘Pêrel’ in Afrikaans, and people are often heard to say ‘in die Pêrel’. And all of this superfluous information pertains to the huge rock, which is actually three rounded outcrops that make up Paarl Mountain – the largest such protrusion in the southern hemisphere, which despite being compared with Uluru, doesn’t really come close, yet definitely has something special about it.

Paarl is also just about the only town in the Western Cape to have its tourist information office open on a Sunday, even if the rest of Paarl at 10am is otherwise occupied in activities of a more celestial nature. And there’s the Afrikaanse Taalmonument, standing on the slopes of Paarl Mountain, the most famous Afrikaans icon commemorating the Afrikaans language as an official language, separate from Dutch; something of an icon but interesting nonetheless – pick up a pamphlet explaining the symbolism behind the structure from the tourist info.

Take the time to drive Paarl’s Main Road slowly and you’ll find that it includes the oldest church building in the country, the oldest pub, the headquarters of the country’s oldest cellar, and a most unusual Gymnasium. There are numerous art galleries, hand-crafted jewellery, and a million-and-one quaint eateries and coffee shops in a host of Cape Dutch, Victorian, Edwardian and Art Deco buildings. The town, despite all of these claims to fame, would manage just fine attracting visitors purely for its beauty.

Paarl is littered with upmarket, luxury guest houses and accommodation that is an attractive option even for Capetonians wanting a quick getaway. There is also the rather glorious addition of a ‘vineyard-in-town’ experience that is La Borie (also known as La Brie), bought by KWV in 1972, who restored the beautiful old buildings.

But it is not Paarl’s Main Road alone that is fascinating. Take the time to head off from the main road, still in the centre of Paarl, to explore a little further. We found ourselves, quite by accident, driving around Buitenverwagting and Bertville, up to Lemoenkloof. This part of town is filled with gorgeous, restored Victorian renditions that are at once charming and perfectly lovely, situated virtually up against the mountain in quirky little side roads and avenues, in similar style to Woodstock or Observatory in Cape Town, but without quite the same price tags (those are left for Paarl’s golf estates).

On Mill Street, in the same neck of the woods, you’ll find the Old Mill Theatre with a long history in Paarl’s theatre scene – an obscure, plain little building, and a community theatre that comes into its own during the Cultivaria Festival during September, but otherwise can be hired as a venue by professional entertainers and others (and it isn’t expensive to hire).

And if it’s wine you’re here to sample, then look no further than Paarl’s main road, where the Juno Wine Company (they of the unusual Cape maidens labels painted by Tertia du Toit) have their own Café Juno. They’re a refreshingly unpretentious bunch who don’t take themselves terribly seriously. Their café too promises uncomplicated, delicious breakfasts and lunches including freshly baked baguettes, ciabattas and rye loaves. It helps that the café houses the studio and gallery of Tertia du Toit, the artist to grace their bottles with a never-ending supply of maidens, although they also produce an Arthouse series of wines, minus the nymphs.

Also on Main Road is 10 Chapters Wine Bar, which began with a question that went something like ‘what if we made a bottle of wine that represented South Africa?’ What followed was an invitation to every wine cellar in the country to donate three bottles of red wine. The idea: to achieve a world first by blending all of these into a ‘South Africa in a bottle’. The final year Stellenbosch winemaking students behind the idea received 663 bottles from 221 wineries in 10 winemaking regions and blended them together to make a wine called 10 Chapters, said to be ‘dangerously enjoyable’. The bar serves a variety of South African wines by the glass with a menu that includes cheese platters, snack bowls, bruschettas and dessert tapas.

Paarl’s wines tend to fall in the shadow of other of the winelands’ routes – Franschhoek and Stellenbosch are the draw cards, whilst Paarl can be considered charming and pretty… yet despite having to fight this Cinderella complex, the valley is coming out from under the shadow and is amongst those wines being ‘discovered’ – to quote Alan Nelson of Nelson’s Creek, it’s ‘the hidden pearl of the SA wine industry’.

And there is something for everyone. Head out to Domaine Brahms in the Windmeul area of Paarl. It’s not only a stunning venue, including the quaintest chapel around, but the story behind the wines is entrancing, including a woman wine maker who hung up her advocate gown to don the boots of a wine maker, or Avondale now in the hands of the Grieve family, also behind Vital Health products, for organic wines. And don’t forget the older more established wine farms like Simonsvlei (I can recommend their sparkling wine!) and Nederberg.

Despite being overlooked for being but a stone’s throw away from Cape Town, Paarl really is a ‘pearl’ and well worth not only a day’s visit, but a weekend away.

Paarl Links:
Paarl Attractions
Things to Do in Paarl
Paarl Hotels
Paarl Accommodation
Cape Winelands Accommodation

Fugard Theatre

It isn’t often that theatre stops you in your tracks, particularly when it’s something like Magic Flute, which admittedly I’ve seen performed umpteen times in various guises but never to quite the aplomb with which it was being performed at the new Fugard Theatre in Cape Town (the last performance is on Saturday 6 March!)

And if you haven’t heard about the Fugard Theatre, named in honour of Athol Fugard, one of our country’s most iconic theatre influences, it’s because it has only just opened on the corner of Caledon and Harrington Streets in District Six, with its entrance off Buitenkant Street – in the gorgeous restored Sacks Futeran building with a roof terrace that has to-die-for views over Cape Town’s city (you should see the rehearsal rooms on the second floor – anyone who has performed in theatre would drool) …

And if you think the front looks like an old Gothic-style church, it is. It uses the original congregational church hall as its Caledon Street entrance. The building transformed two warehouse spaces, and the original decommissioned church hall, into the theatre, rehearsal studio, foyer space, dressing rooms and offices. The building was originally a textile and soft goods supplier and used for generations by District Six seamstresses and tailors and still sports the original Saks Futeran & Co. legend.

Fugard Theatre

The 12^th of February arrived and left with little dent on the horizon, despite an opening night’s performance that included the likes of Athol Fugard himself, Trevor Manuel (the new theatre’s patron), a plethora of cabinet ministers, and my personal favourite, the actor Alan Rickman (whilst his most famous role might have been Professor Snape in the Harry Potter series, I’ve loved him in the likes of Anthony Minghella’s Truly Madly Deeply and other films like Dogma).

But this blog isn’t about Alan Rickman. It’s about a new theatre for Cape Town at a time that theatre struggles to put bums on seats. It’s a theatre that is also home to the Isango Portobello Company, the company who up until now have been rehearsing in Athlone and whom we best remember for their film production of U-Carmen Ekhayelitsha. They’re a Cape Town based theatre company regarded as the largest black theatre company in the world, with a number of their members drawn from the townships around the city. A company that is shaping theatre, not only in South Africa, but throughout the world.

The company set off the opening of the Fugard Theatre with a run of The Magic Flute – Impempe Yomlingo, a production that not only won the Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival for their sell-out at the Young Vic and Duke of York’s run in 2008, but then went on to play in the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris and the Luxor Theatre in Rotterdam. They’ve specialised in re-imagining classics with an African setting, and creating new work that is relevant to South Africa.

Fugard Theatre

The opening season at the new Fugard Theatre also includes performances of of Isango Portobello’s The Mysteries – Yiimimangaliso, and the world premier of Athol Fugard’s newest play The Train Driver, which the 78 year old has also directed, and is due to grace the stage from March 19th.

If this isn’t a season about which to get excited, then I don’t know what will excite South African audiences. As one of my friends was heard to comment: ‘where else could one pull off Magic Flute in which Papageno’s flute solo is played on a trumpet, and get away with it to such a degree that it actually worked?’ Not only is the flute usurped but Mozart’s score has been transposed for an orchestra of marimbas.

And the Fugard Theatre is pretty intimate as well. It’s only a 270 seater in the old warehouse where much of it has been gutted allowing for gorgeous acoustics. By all accounts, the opening season of Flute was chock-a-block, and the theatre functions on a first-come-first-served basis so that, if you’re late, you end up on a line of bar stools along what would have been boxes in days of old, on the second and third floor balconies of the theatre. But all’s fair in love and theatre, as the cost of the seats is more than reasonable. Just take this as a warning to get there early, if you want a good seat. And don’t expect the usual before curtain up milling that usually takes place in a theatre – everyone’s already got their bum on a space, and you’ll have to do your ‘who’s here’ craning from your seat.

The theatre is bang in the centre of what is known as Cape Town’s east side, a part of town that is also home to the City Hall, District Six Museum, and a collection of unusual local clubs and restaurants, bookshops and an odd assortment of clothing factory shops.

Now a troupe of theatre performers, who finally have a performance venue in their home town, find themselves but a block away from Grand Parade and central station, making many of their journeys back to the townships pretty easy. And it’s an option for theatre goers too.

To book tickets for the opening season at The Fugard, phone the box office on 021 461 4554 or visit http://www.thefugard.com/

Cape Town Links:
Things to Do in Cape Town
Cape Town Nightlife & Theatre
Cape Town Hotels
Find Accommodation in Cape Town

Nieu Bethesda

These days, Nieu Bethesda is described as a charming alternative to Graaff-Reinet. But back when I first paid the little town a visit, it was still ‘in the middle of nowhere’, rather off the beaten track. You went there primarily to visit Helen Martin’s Owl House.

In fairness, things were starting to happen even then. There was a little restaurant I remember, called something like the ‘wild fig’ or ‘burning brinjal’, or an equally creative name, on the sleepy main road in town (there are but two, main roads that is), the pretty Village Inn was already serving as an information / accommodation / coffee shop / tea garden as it continues to do today, and Egbert’s Coffee shop next to the Ibis Gallery (which I believe has also since closed) functioned as the town’s watering hole of the nonalcoholic kind …

It was also February, and hot as hell. But then Nieu Bethesda doesn’t lie in the heart of the Great Karoo for nothing.

The Owl House

It’s an utterly beautiful little village, surrounded by mountains, clear skies and heady breezes, when they blow at all. It’s typical of Karoo villages, founded in the mid-19^th century and filled with what would have initially been country homes, built in distinctive Victorian architecture, little whitewashed houses similar to the rich spread of houses in the town of Graaff Reinet, not even an hour away.

The quirky village still has wide, pear-tree lined dirt roads (there is an ongoing debate about whether or not to tar) along which stone water furrows run to accommodate the little stream that trickles its way down here only in the wet season (when the village becomes a gorgeous patchwork of green), and night skies that easily surpass those anywhere else in the country. Development here has been little, so little that even today there are no streetlamps, banking or petrol facilities (fill your tank before you head here) and vegetables find their way into town but once a week.

Nieu Bethesda

On the one hand, this lack of development held Nieu Bethesda in a rare state of architectural integrity, as it functioned primarily as a ‘town that time forgot’, but on the other, the local community became largely impoverished.

Today, Nieu Bethesda is the star of the Owl Route, developed as a tourist route to include the town in a 50 kilometre horseshoe-shaped stretch of road with views of the Compassberg and die toring, a tower like edifice that juts out of the surrounding mountains that functions as a landmark of the village. The town is no longer affiliated as a day’s outing to time spent in Graaf Reinet, but has become a destination in its own right, largely due to Helen Martins, the reclusive, eccentric artist of the Owl House.

But in Helen’s day, Nieu Bethesda would have been a very different landscape. It was quiet to the point of being isolated. How many other villages can boast that their roads have been so quiet in the past that they were leased to grow potatoes! And it was out of this intense isolation that a reclusive artist, with a predilection for owls and camels, evolved and placed the little dorp on the map, so to speak.

Nieu Bethesda

Today the village thrives – all fifty-odd white inhabitants and the thousand or so local coloured community – largely because of her art, even if they remain somewhat divided as to the validity of her work – some think it’s art worth protecting, whilst others regard the house as little more than the dabblings of a mad woman.

Go see for yourself, because the town gains perspective only after finding your way through the museum that was once Helen Martins’ house. Her work and her story are both riveting and enchanting. The inside of her house is a luminous tapestry of crushed glass in a myriad forms of sun-faces, owls and other images. It’s at once disturbing and beautiful.

Outside, her yard is given over to a feast of statues influenced by the works of the bible, and the poetry of Omar Khayyam and William Blake. It’s small wonder that the magnitude of her art served as the source of Athol Fugard’s play The Road to Mecca or that The Owl House is a National Monument that functions as the major tourist attraction of the town. Love it, or hate it, her art inspires thousands of artists, writers and sculptors across the world.

Outsiders B&B

These days you can venture forth on a day trip to Graaf Reinet, rather than the other way around, as there are a myriad ways in which to keep yourself amused in Nieu Bethesda. Other than the colourful locals, there is a fossil museum (to display the rather rich uncovering of pre-mammalian (those that came before dinosaurs) fossils, there is San rock art on neighbouring farms, Donkey Cart tours around the village to take in the 1860 water mill, the Dutch Reformed Church and the old graveyard, amongst other things, and a local brewer and cheese maker at the Sneeuberg Brewery where you can not only do cheese and ale with a coffee on the side (they brew their own coffee here) but stop off for a meal.

However, don’t visit Nieu Bethesda unless peace, quiet and getting away from it all completely are high on your agenda. Things slow down in this little gem completely, and the pace of life, whilst treasured by those who live here, might wear on some people’s nerves after a while once the town’s highlights (easily done in a day) have been ticked off the list. But if you’re even remotely into hiking, reading and simply watching the world go by, then this is the spot for you…

Nieu-Bethesda Links:
Nieu-Bethesda Attractions
Nieu-Bethesda Map
Nieu Bethesda Accommodation
Karoo Heartland Accommodation
The Owl House: http://www.owlhouse.co.za/

It isn’t difficult to understand why this part of the world is called ‘die Hel’, even if the origin of this pseudonym is unclear. The pass is a series of untarred steep zig-zags and sudden swingbacks that leave one breathless at both the scenery and the sheer dexterity of the masterpiece that is this pass. Just the entrance, on the Prince Albert side, through a narrow Cape sandstone kloof, is worth it for the incredible rock faces and the views.

Photographs: Gamkaskloof Photographs by seanhabig on Flickr.com (via creative commons license).

And so we come to the point of this story. Part of the valley of the Swartberg Nature Reserve is known as Gamkaskloof, or Die Hel. Actually, geographically that isn’t quite correct. Gamkaskloof lies roughly 60 kilometres from Prince Albert via the Otto du Plessis road that turn off from the Swartberg Pass, and if you don’t want to do this part of the pass, then get there via Oudtshoorn – it’s roughy 100 kilometres, but the route is said to be slightly less hairy? But you’ll be sorry.

A stay in Prince Albert is like a breath of fresh air and a welcome interlude before heading into the remoteness that is the Swartberg. The drive via the Swartberg Pass is pretty spectacular and not passed up lightly. Nothing quite prepares you for beauty like this. We’re so spoilt and so inundated with images on a daily basis that sometimes being exposed to the real thing necessitates a pinch on the arm before the reality sinks in.

However, the main drawcard of Die Hel, apart from the incredible beauty (anything but hellish, really), is that for the better part of a century a European community, known as the ‘Gamkasklowers’, lived here in total isolation from the rest of the world.  And you begin to understand why, given that, although it’s only 60 kilometres from Prince Albert, it takes at least two hours to reach the valley floor on the road that peels off the Swartberg Pass, given the zigzagging backwards and forwards. The Gamkaskloof is a valley that is but a small section of the Swartberg Nature Reserve.

Because of its remoteness it was home to a small community who remained cut off from civilisation until the 1900s. How they got here, or why, are burning questions that remain largely unanswered, or if they are, it’s sheer speculation. Roughly 120 people eeked out an existence here amidst fruit orchards and fields of rye, most of whom, ironically, left once the road opened up and made travel easier.

Even if the road was meant to make getting to Gamkaskloof easier, not out of it. By 1992 all of the original inhabitants had fled the valley, despite their having been over 70 still remaining in 1937. It’s a fascinating bit of history, though. That a group of people managed to live here, apparently in houses made of unbaked mud brick and rye thatch. The first car didn’t make it here until 1958, and even then it had to be pulled up a river bed or it wouldn’t have made it at all!

Recently there has been a resurgence in the need to preserve this unique history. There is now a resurgence of interest in the history and individuals, like Annetjie Joubert, are there to impart it. She tells of how the villagers used to transport their products of dried fruit, wild honey, lentils and beans on donkey trains, of around 180 donkeys(!), up the course of the Gamka River to Prince Albert. And we think we’ve got it tough when we head along the Swartberg Pass in a sedan… She is also the only born and bred Gamkaskloofer still living in the valley, or rather to return to this beautifully remote valley, that has literally bottled the term ‘old-worlde charm’.

Many of the former dilapidated houses have been renovated, and self-catering cottages, and a campsite, are available for those who can’t face entering and leaving on the same day. So, if wonky walls, wood-burning donkey stoves, solar power, and being hemmed in by mountains on all sides are your thing, then this is the place to escape from it all.

The ‘donkey trail’ over the Swartberg Mountain, connecting Calitzdorp and Prince Albert with the valley, was the only commercial link that the settlement had with civilisation. Today, there is a similar donkey trail from Calitzdorp to Die Hel from the original access point to the trail, from the south. Hans and Erika Calitz now own the portion of the farm called Living Waters (formerly known as Groenfontein) on which the original access point for the trail lies.

In partnership with CapeNature, they have revived this historic route and turned into a wonderful walking tour – a four-day and three-night affair that will allow you to experience the Little Karoo from a whole different perspective.

Gamkaskloof is no longer hidden from the rest of the world. It is, however, quite a feat to reach the little valley and the greater Swartberg Nature Reserve, but well worth the effort, if escaping from it all is high on your list of priorities.

Useful Links:
Prince Albert Attractions
Things to Do in Prince Albert
Prince Albert Accommodation
Karoo Accommodation

Rosendal Country Retreat

Rosendal has managed to get onto the map. I’m not sure how, because in searching for it you begin to wonder how the average person gets there at all, nevermind how the former farming community managed to find its way into the social whirl of a ‘happening’ little town. Nonetheless, there it is. In the middle of the Free State (see, I told you it was in the middle of nowhere).

Getting there from Clarens takes almost two hours because, instead of being able to get there directly as a crow would fly, roads take you in a rather circuitous route via Ficksburg; you can’t get there easily from Bethlehem; and the N1 ventures absolutely nowhere near it … Despite this, Rosendal is only a three-hour drive south-east of Johannesburg, albeit circuitously (boy, the drive from Ficksberg is one of the most beautiful when it comes to Free State drives), and entirely do-able for the weekend. Infact, to hear Rosendalers speak, this is quite the place when it comes to weekend breaks …

Rosendal Theatre

The other thing you need to know about Rosendal is Chris van Niekerk (the actor who plays Francois in 7de Laan? Ja, him). Chris not only has a shop – die Our Handelshuis en Koffiestoep – in Rosendal, but he opened a theatre right next door a few years ago that is still going strong. In fact, Chris has done so well with this little venture that recently featured Karen Zoid over the Valentine’s weekend, that he’s been roped into running the new theatre in Tulbagh too.

What is it then about Rosendale that has everyone gawping? First of all, it isn’t Clarens. Despite the fact that we will always LOVE Clarens, the town definitely no longer holds the allure of a ‘newly discovered’ dorp. Artists haven it might once have been, but now everyone’s been there and done that. It’s a bit passé, darling. Rosendal, however, is brimming over with ‘dorpness’.

There are dirt roads that intend remaining sand ridden; there is a lot of sandstone in evidence, tin roofs, quaint rustic cottages, rusty windmills, an already admirable collection of artists, and of course, the theatre. The town also happens to have simply beautiful views. It is surrounded, just about, by mountains (the Witteberge), a healthy number of green willow trees line the sides of streams, and wild flowers and grasses litter the roadsides. It’s a picture of beauty and quaintness. Small wonder that people are talking about it.

Meer-katkolonie Gallery

Fifteen years ago, properties in Rosendal went for a song. You could get away with paying around R9,000 for your little peace of heaven. But by 2006 the place was being touted as the ‘undiscovered gem’ of the Eastern Free State and the tide turned – the likes of Pam Golding moved in, and the rest is history.

Now you’ll pay in the region of R200,000 for a  piece of sand, no home, no established garden – nothing – and a 3-bedroom house will easily cost you as much as it would in Johannesburg, if not more. And they’re not all the sandstone ‘huisies’ with a stoep that you have in your mind’s eye (although there are enough of these in the village to make a stay here seem that way).

But then city ‘escapes’ have become huge for those who can afford to get away over weekends, and more often if possible. There is something hugely important about being able to breathe fresh air, and the sky here is so blue, it even gives the description so often used for the Free State – ‘big sky country’ – a run for its money. From one end of town the mountain views are incredible, and from the other you can experience heavenly sunsets. And one cannot reitterate enough how beautiful this part of the Free State is.

NG Kerk Rosendal

The main road through town is the only one to have undergone the indignity of a tar top, and it’s where you’ll find the heart of town – local artists’ galleries, Turksvy Trading for antiques, general bric-a-brac (it’s choc-a-block full of interesting things) and what they term ‘retro kitchenalia’. Suzani’s, which sells some pretty unique handmade cloths, even if they’re imported from Uzbekistan and similar, and the Meer-katkolonie Art Gallery are also here. Make sure you have time for at least a cup of coffee at Die Ou Handelshuis, and if you can coincide a visit with a theatre performance, more’s the better.

Oh, and make time to drive around the town to look at the architecture, beautiful gardens, and the oh-so-dominant, sandstone NG kerk. It’s a typical Free State town with a touch of artistic licence that gives it something people want to hold onto – no surprise that it’s as popular as it is.

Accommodation in Rosendal is still a tad scarce. Most people here either stay here or have a weekend house to escape to, but there is a gorgeous country retreat and the odd guesthouse in Rosendal that more than adequately cater for those sweeping through or scoping the place in the hope of finding their little ‘gem’ – I must tell you though, the secret’s out, and Rosendal has already been discovered.

Useful Rosendal Links:
Rosendal Attractions
Rosendal Accommodation
Rosendal Guest Houses
Free State Guest Houses

Photo Credits:
The Rosendal Country Retreat (highly recommended!)
NG Kerk photograph by Jan de Beer, Saturday Star

Riebeek Kasteel

We spent a weekend camping at Beaverlac at the end of January and decided to detour to Riebeek Kasteel for lunch on the way back to Cape Town.  I’d heard so many great things about this area and Riebeek Kasteel in particular (see a previous article), so we took a short left and explored one of the jewels of the Swartland!

We started off with lunch at the Clumzy Carrot.  Although there are tables both inside and outside, we chose to sit outside under the dappled shade of a beautiful old tree.  A water feature provides background ‘music’ and the thick cushions on the benches make for comfortable seating …

The service, although attentive was slightly slow but when the food arrived it was so very worth the wait.  I started off with an iced coffee – but this wasn’t the average iced coffee where one is presented with a glass of Nescafe with a few ice cubes bobbing in it; this was a real McCoy iced coffee – basically a deliciously creamy, thick coffee flavoured milkshake!  Absolutely heavenly!

Although the menu is varied with all sorts of treats from fresh salads to curries we both opted for a burger.  And a fine burger it was too, topped with cheese (cheddar and feta) and bacon and served with potato wedges, a side salad and a homemade relish.  The bread rolls too homemade – a sure sign of quality, country fare!

After lunch we had a meander around the village – popping in at Aitsa (27 High Street) which sells a wonderful selection of homemade jams, honey, rusks and preserves.  This sweet little shop also stocks beautiful cushions, jewellery and other gorgeous arts and crafts.  Part of the same premises is Delicious Biltong – and as the name suggests, it sells delicious biltong!  Also available is stone ground flour from the local mill.

Although we didn’t spend a huge amount of time in this little village it has given us a little taste of what it has to offer so we plan to go back for a weekend as soon as possible.  There is a wide selection of shops, museums, restaurants and farms to visit so one would not get bored – perhaps planning a weekend around the Riebeek Valley Olive Festival (30 April – 2 May 2010) would be a good idea?

Riebeek Kasteel is a leisurely 60 minute drive from Cape Town – so why not give the Clumzy Carrot a try on your next free Sunday?

Useful Riebeek Kasteel Links:
Riebeek Kasteel Attractions
Riebeek Kasteel Accommodation
Swartland Wine Route
Swartland Attractions

Worcester

I can understand why the recent edition of Time Out Cape Town Weekend Breaks chose to shun Worcester. The town, which is easily three to five times the size of other little towns in the valley, like Robertson and McGregor, fails horribly to excite the visitor – whether this is the town’s practically non-existent tourism, or a distinct inertia that has settled like a palour over the town, isn’t immediately obvious.

As one approaches the major intersection on the N1 just past the huge Shell City that indicates that one has reached the town of Worcester, there are no sign boards indicating the beautiful ‘old town’ that is the centre of Worcester, no sign that there is a Worcester Wine Route just waiting to be discovered, that the town is part of Route 62, or that the Karoo National Botanical Gardens is a slight detour off the N1 well worth taking, although in this case there is at least the obligatory brown board signalling the way …

Instead, the length of Worcester along the N1 is lined with 1950s and 1960s houses that are bland, unimaginative and a sadly misleading estimate of what Worcester is about. Considering that Worcester is the unofficial ‘capital’ of the Breede River Valley (that gorgeous valley one enters after passing through Du Toitskloof tunnel), that it has 360 degree mountain views, and an impressive cultural heritage, there should be more to draw the average visitor to explore its reaches.

To crown it all, the town has an improbably unsolvable curiousity. There is no restaurant worth mentioning. No café culture spilling out onto its more than beautiful old town streets, which cry out for black boards advertising café au laits and Mediterranean fare accompanied by local wines. Nada.

Despite its 75 000 residents, the only restaurant that manages to exude something close to ‘ambiance’ is St Gerain and its menu is severely limited to seafood and steaks (at least it was humming to the strains of Midnight Oil, rather than David Essex’s Winter’s Tale to which we were subjected during our junket at De Kelder, in the town’s monolithic mall perched next to the N1!).

We jokingly blamed the predominance of churches in the town – there are at least five different denominations and religious orders – for the derth of restaurants, but it remains an anomaly (and a business opportunity for anyone brave enough to take on the town).

Worcester is beautiful. It is surrounded by the Brandwacht, Overhex and Langeberg Mountains, whilst tree-lined Church, Russell, Trappes, Tulbagh and High street (which ends at the Drostdy, home of Worcester’s first magistrate) are lined with charming, gabled buildings that date back to the 1840s and 1850s. Such is its unique architecture that the Worcester gable is now recognised in its own right. The width of its streets hint at the wagon drawn carriages that graced the avenues, and the size of some of the buildings, particularly uptown, indicate a former wealthy and prosperous community.

Worcester was the site of the new magisterial seat during the 1820s, after Tulbagh, and its houses have Victorian and Cape Dutch characteristics, typical gables and wonderful verandahs. Whilst many of the thatched roofs have been replaced, most of the buildings are in beautiful condition, and there are historical walks one can take through the town – (download one here on their tourism website). The Dutch Reformed Church, also a national monument, is a particularly beautiful example of Gothic revival architecture, complete with a peaked steeple made of tin that was added later. But head down to the downtown end of Worcester and there is as much character, such as the mosque and the old synagogue on Durban Street.

Worcester’s Wine Route that includes around eleven different cellars is divided along the R60 to Robertson and R43 to Villiersdorp from town. Neither of these routes is adequately sign-posted or advertised, unless you stop off at the town’s Info Centre to pick up brochures (assuming there are any), even if it is closed on much of Saturday afternoon and Sunday. Neither is the fact that the Worcester Wine Route is not only the largest wine route (producing a fifth of the country’s wine), but also one of South Africa’s most important wine-making areas, and home to the world’s largest brandy cellar in the form of KWV.

We left Worcester via the R43 where it heads up the valley through beautiful, unfrequented parts of the country that are not nearly as well marketed to the well trodden lanes of the Franschhoek Wine Route, for instance. For those of you who enjoy the ‘not so well trodden’ routes, this is well worth exploring. It continues through Villiersdorp, their claim to fame is a tractor museum, and on where one can either head off to Franschhoek and beyond, or on to Grabouw.

Our hostess for the weekend suggested we dine at the Kokerboom restaurant at the Karoo Desert National Botanical Garden, when we pressed her for restaurant ideas. This beautiful, if small, garden lies off to the left of the main intersection at Worcester. We were to discover that this part of Worcester is as lovely. Out here lie various farms and suburbs about which one is totally unaware when on the N1. Most people only pass through Worcester, turning right briefly through the old town, over the bridge and en route to Robertson.

The Karoo Botanical Garden, in the heart of the Small Karoo, is quite beautiful, although we chose the worst time of year to visit – gusting winds and the hottest weather of the year are probably not conducive to a thriving garden. Come here in spring and it will be a different story. Nonetheless, it was still worth exploring and alive with succulents, aloes, quiver trees, and over 300 species of rare and endangered plants. The garden’s pathways are thick with shale stone from the area, and we stopped briefly to explore the traditional cooking shelter, used in the arid Richtersveld area.

Suffice to say that the Kokerboom’s kitchen was closed by 5pm.

Restaurants and coffee shops aside, Worcester, despite the winds, is well worth visiting at any time of year.

Useful Worcester Links:
Worcester Attractions
Worcester Map
Worcester Wine Route
Worcester Accommodation

Riebeek Kasteel

One thing you need to know about Riebeek Kasteel is that it’s no longer a secret. Which isn’t to say that you won’t enjoy yourself immensely in this gorgeous little town nestled up against the Kasteelberg Mountain roughly an hour’s drive from Cape Town, but if the cost of homes is anything to go by (and there are at least four estate agencies jostling for attention on the square as you enter town) then people are lining up for their spot in the sun in this rural, Tuscan-style village.

Riebeek Kasteel literally is a sight for sore eyes. The scenery is intoxicating, and vineyards, olive groves, mountains and charming cottages create a stylish, yet rustic appeal that has a buzzing local community, and a serious collection of unique eateries that draw foodies from Cape Town in their droves …

It helps, of course, that the Swartland town and its counterpart Riebeek West, a little further along the R311 (the other emerged due to a clash in politics over the building of the valley’s first NG church, hence you’ll find another not even 4 kilometres away) are part of the Swartland Wine Route, and there are a number of award-winning wine and olive estates virtually a stone’s throw from both towns.

Getting there is a lovely drive with a number of variations, but we headed out along the N1 and then turned onto the R45 to Malmesbury and further onto the R46 to Riebeek Kasteel. But you can take the N7 to Malmesbury and then the R46. En route back, try taking the R302 from Malmesbury, via Klipheuwel, to see the three wind turbines just off the road – makes for interesting viewing. This route is also on the Perdeberg wine district, a collection of some 46 member wine farms that lie in the heart of the Boland, but I am getting ahead of myself.

We were intent on lunch by the time we arrived in Riebeek Kasteel on a Sunday morning, not usually the best day to come exploring we discovered, as a couple of renowned restaurants such as the The Barn were closed, and wine estates were also closed for tasting, but that could have had something to do with the fact that we left any sampling of wines until after four in the afternoon.

We parked off the main roads of the town under a beautiful weeping willow in the hope that after lunch it would still be in shade, and headed up along Main Street to Short Street, just opposite the 19^th century Royal Hotel, its verandahs cooled by the lazy sweeping of overhead fans that has the effect of drawing one back in time to colonial times. It’s claim to fame is as one of the oldest hotels in South Africa, and it’s been here since 1862.

Short Street is just that. A rather short street with a dead end in the form of ‘crisp’, where you can pick up fresh, healthy country veg and fruit, except on a Sunday it seems. Interestingly Short Street wasn’t always here. Despite looking incredibly authentic – all of the buildings are built in the traditional style – it’s new, and lined with an exciting collection of shops that include little boutiques with names like Revive and ancient spirit, whilst the Wine Kollective stocks most of the local wines. The street also serves as the venue for the Fine Food and Wine Market, a flea market that happens on the first Saturday of every month.

We were after a restaurant with the rather unique name of Bar Bar Black Sheep, having done our homework about where to eat, and already having found Café Felix closed. And the sign on the Main Road that pointed down Short Street, gave nothing away. My first thought was that alcohol would predominate, but it did nothing to prepare me for the quaint, tongue-in-cheek, we-don’t-take-ourselves-terribly-seriously, except for our food, atmosphere the restaurant has managed to capture.

The décor is an eclectic kitsch meets funky ‘Boeroque’, and bright floral plastic table cloths, hybridised Barbeton daisies in vases, bamboo latte roofs, a wire-art sheep and other paraphernalia, which includes an old ‘third class’ railway sign in the loo from the times before 1994, effortlessly merge to form a fun, friendly and relaxed ambience.

Bar Bar Black Sheep describes its food as slow-cooked country fare with fresh seasonal ingredients. One of the partners in the restaurant runs the Wine Kollecktive next door, so it isn’t surprising to find that the menu stocks all of the wines in the area, including a couple of organic varieties. The menu emphasises that this is slow, country food not fast food and that you can expect to wait, although we didn’t. The service was excellent, the chef, Mynhardt was surprisingly accessible, for a chef (he cleared out plates for goodness sake!), and the food delicious!

We ordered the Cuban Flat Bread, an interesting array of home made flat bread with bowls of beans, guacamole, roasted peppers, marinated mushroom, cream cheese and tomato and coriander salsa, and the restaurant’s famous ‘viskoekies’, made from snoek, pan fried and baked in the oven, served with sweep potato slow cooked with butter, sugar fresh ginger and cinnamon sided with a pineapple and coriander sambal. And we can highly recommend the potato wedges!

This was accompanied by a welcome glass of Babylon’s Peak Chenin Blanc that went down a treat.

We treated ourselves to coffee in the gardens of the Royal Hotel, where the views are quite beautiful and, in antithesis to the buzzing courtyard of Bar Bar Black Sheep, the atmosphere sedate and slow. It makes a welcome space in which to spend a late afternoon gazing quietly out over hillsides covered in vineyards, but it was the local band playing typical South African liedjies like ‘Bobbejaan klim die berg’, and ‘January, February, March…’ that really created the atmosphere on the verandah leading into the hotel in the late afternoon.

A day in Riebeek West was so easily filled with gastronomic and visual delights that it isn’t hard to imagine, with all the olives, wine farms, country markets, shops, galleries, tours and museums, that a weekend here isn’t long enough. Definitely a place to which to return!

Useful Riebeek Kasteel Links:
Riebeek Kasteel Attractions
Riebeek Kasteel Accommodation
Swartland Accommodation
Western Cape Accommodation

Grape picking

Pick your own grapes at De Doorns House Estate
If you haven’t already experienced what it is to pick your own food, then head off to De Doorns Homestead in the Hex River Valley. Not only is this one of the most gorgeous valleys known to man, it is also very accessible and an easy day trip from Cape Town. De Doorns lies between Worcester and Touws River on the N1, about one and a half hours’ drive, nestled in amongst the Hex and Quado Mountains – snowcapped during winter, and incredibly lush and fertile during summer. Harvest season is typically between January and May, and you can pick your own grapes from the vineyards of this typical Cape Dutch homestead that is not only a working table grape farm but a national monument too – certainly the centre gable has been around since 1769 …

The farm offers beautiful views of the surrounding area and a chance to walk in amongst vineyards – an experience that could easily serve as the only real way to experience the Cape. The farm doesn’t have its own restaurant, but join the R46  and then the R303 from here for a scenic drive through Ceres, and on to Wellington and Paarl, before heading home. There should be any number of opportunities for sampling traditional Cape fare. Or head back into Worcester and do the Worcester Wine Route, which includes the labels Aan-de-Doorns, Hex River Valley, Nuy and Scherpenheuwel. Besides, with your boot full of table grapes, there may be little need to ruin your palate with food! Contact De Doorns House Estate: +27 (0)23 356-2221

Wining & dining

Wining & dining in Durbanville
It’s hard to believe that just 20 minutes’ drive from Cape Town brings you to a valley literally on the edge of the northern suburbs, where gorgeous views and excellent wine farms tumble over one another to vie for attention. And yet these are so often overlooked for the wine routes of Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and beyond.

Wine labels include Meerendal, De Grendel, Bloemendal, Altydgedacht, Diemersdal, D’Aria, Hillcrest and Nitida, many of which have restaurants worth sampling. We’ve visited Nitida wines for their farmers’ market, which takes place on the last Saturday of every month, has been running since June 2007. It is well worth attending, not just because the views and the setting out here are simply beautiful, but because of the sense of community the farmers’ market exudes as you support local growers and producers, and tuck into scrummy food. It’s called the ‘Degustazione’ Farmers’ Market, and the next one is Friday, 26 February from 5pm to 9.30pm, and Saturday, 27 February 7.30am to 12 noon.

D’aria and Hillcrest wine estates both have restaurants, as does almost 300 year-old Bloemendal. Altydgedacht holds picnics on selected Sundays from lunch time. Whilst parents get to sit in the shade on beautiful lawns, there are fun things for kids to do like tractor rides and making their own cupcakes. Look out for harvest festivals at this time of year as many wine farms make use of them to draw visitors and they’re a great time to visit.

Cut your own roses

Cut your own roses and have tea at Chart Farm
Often overlooked and hidden in amongst the Constantia wine farms, Chart Farm in Wynberg overlooks the Constantia Valley with to-die-for views, really reasonably priced pots of tea, delicious cake, and a selection of roses that immediately transports you into another world. A couple of hours spent strolling and picking here, and you’ll wonder at the end of it where your long, sweeping skirts and bonnet are.

Picking roses at Chart farm is inexpensive, and your bunch of roses holds an extra appeal simply because you picked it yourself, and you get to feel particlarly self-righteous when you consider that the distance roses have to travel from garden to table is just about nothing. It might be my imagination, but they seem to smell that much more potent when they’ve not spent time in a fridge whilst en route to a supermarket! The coffee shop is fairly popular over a weekend, so get here early or outside of the lunch and tea rush. The views are worth it!

Don’t forget: take your own secateurs, gloves (those thorns!), and bucket with water for hot days, as the roses can wilt en route home.

Betty's Bay

Take the R44, scenic drive to Betty’s Bay
Route 44 begins only 100 kilometres from Cape Town and lies between Gordon’s bay and Betty’s Bay, one of the most scenic and peaceful drives (when it isn’t a hectic weekend) in the Cape, and a beautiful alternative to the N2, if you have time on your side. Its other name is Clarence Drive. Actually it is more correct to call it the Faure Marine Drive, as it only becomes Clarence Drive at Rooiels, where it heads inland slightly and cuts around the back of Pringle Bay to Betty’s Bay.

Betty’s Bay is a gorgeous, no longer quite so small, town (as many Capetonians now use this as their weekend haunt, or have houses here and commute) in the heart of a protected Biosphere just beyond Cape Hangklip. It fortunately is not yet on the beaten track for most visitors and has managed to retain its rustic, seaside tranquillityy, and its prized black oyster catchers. The beach is often as not windswept, but incredibly wild and beautiful, and a day spent here, followed by a trip to visit the penguins at Stony Point, or a trip to the Harold Porter Botanical garden, is a lovely outing.

World of Birds

World of Birds – Hout Bay
Nestled in amongst the trees in Hout Bay, the World of Birds is a bird and wildlife sanctuary where you can get close-up and personal with typically South African birds and beasts, like guineafowl, cranes, meerkats and penguins. It’s the largest bird park in Africa yet manages to retain the feel of a large tropical garden, against the backdrop of awesome mountains.

Great horned owls, peafowls, mute swans, jungle fowl, hornbills, parakeets, thrushes, turkeys, vultures and flamingos are just a few of the over 3 000 birds, whilst small animals include squirrel monkeys, porcupines, hedgehogs, guinea pigs, racoons and squirrels. Particularly for visitors and children, the World of Birds is a fairly betwitching chance to experience an amazing array of beasts and birds. You can also bring your own picnic to enjoy on the Flamingo Terrace.

Useful Links:
Cape Town Day Trips
Things to Do in Cape Town
Western Cape Attractions
Western Cape Accommodation

Photographs with thanks and © Iain Gibbin.

Useful Green Point Links:
Green Point Attractions
Things to Do in Green Point
Green Point Hotels
Cape Town Hotels

Beaverlac

Last weekend I succumbed to peer pressure and went camping.  I did a 39 day trip through Africa at the beginning of 2000 and after camping for most of those 38 nights I vowed I would never, ever camp again!  But the group invite for a weekend away was sent and I don’t like to miss out … so I saw the inside of a tent again.

Our destination was Beaverlac in the Cederberg and my goodness it is beautiful.  The entire journey was less than three hours including missing a few turnoffs on the way out of the Mother City and the bathroom break so it’s a completely do-able trip for after work on a Friday.

Beaverlac is situated on the Grootfontein Farm and as a Natural Heritage Site the farm is committed to preserving this wilderness area tucked up in the Olifants River Mountains.  The farm is surrounded by mountains and also has the good fortune of having two rivers running through it; the Ratel and Olifants.  This makes for great fishing and even better swimming!

Facilities at Beaverlac are basic – there are no laid out camp sites; everyone just finds themselves a spot wherever they see fit and there is no electricity so make sure you pack the braai grid.  The ablution blocks are clean and I was lucky enough to always have hot water!  There is also a shop on site which sells wood, ice and other necessary provisions.

However, our party of eight (and two dogs) were not here to inspect the showers – we were here to kick back and relax and that we did.

The two rivers have, over the years, channelled their way into beautiful pools and waterfalls.  Most of our group went for a walk on Saturday to Tontem Pools – this is about 5kms from the camp site and once you get to the pools you are normally rewarded with being the only ones there.  If however you are not in the mood for a long walk, or as in my case you have an eight week old puppy to keep an eye on, then rest assured that you will be able to cool down on a hot day.  A huge mountain pool, complete with waterfall is only a five minute walk from the campsite and we spent a good few hours here.  This pool was fantastic – it was almost as if someone had designed it with a lovely flat rock to sit on right at the waters edge!

The tranquillity of Beaverlac is wonderful.  Although the camp site is large there never seemed to be too much noise and campers generally stuck to the ‘no noise after 10pm’ rule.  Even the dogs seemed to behave themselves!  So if you are looking for somewhere to really, really relax then head to Beaverlac – you can walk in the mountains or you can just lie in the shade and catch up on some reading; the choice is yours.

At R35 per person per night camping (and R30 per dog) the rates will not break the bank either!  If camping is really not your idea of fun then there are a number of wooden cottages available for hire at a slightly higher price.

Contact:
Beaverlac:  +27 (0)22 931-2945

Useful Links:
Beaverlac Nature Reserve
Cederberg Attractions
Cederberg Accommodation
Western Cape Accommodation

Arderne Gardens

Say ‘Main Road, Claremont’ and the picture most people conjure up definitely doesn’t include greenery. It’s a bustling hubbub of activity, the air consistently rent with the hooting of taxis soliciting business, and the irate response of drivers looking for parking. But in the midst of all of this is Arderne, the garden of weddings, a 4.5 hectare garden filled with some 300 incredible trees that is just crying out for use …

This garden started life as Ralph Henry Arderne’s ‘The Hill’ (also known as ‘Arderne Dorp’) where the Arderne family set out to create a garden representing all of the flora of the world, which goes a long way to explain the inclusion of cedars of Lebanon, Queensland kauris (these trees have an ancient bloodline belonging to a family of tree that once covered the super continent Gondwanaland), Australian flame trees and a gargantuan Moreton bay fig tree, the roots of which provide the hills and vales of a magical valley for little ones clambering over its expanse.

Weekends bring the gardens to life as the tradition for wedding photographs here  continues. It’s a picture-perfect garden with ponds filled with fish and ducks, secluded shady benches, and the constant chatter of birds. Of course, it’s also frequented by the odd shady character, but this shouldn’t prevent its being used more frequently by Capetonians.

We were there on a Saturday morning, largely to catch sight of any bridal party prepared to brave the heat, which I managed to miss completely, but also to wander the pathways and explore the park. If you’ve tree-climbing children, then this is a veritable paradise! And you don’t have to look over your shoulder every five minutes for fear someone will chase you away. It’s a very relaxed set up and there’s a feeling of ‘live and let live’ that you might not find, for instance, at Kirstenbosch.

The morning was a scorcher, but the garden paths were cool, leafy and filled with the pungent smell of toiled earth and fragrant blooms. There’s a rather obscure Japanese garden that might work in gardens like the Durban Botanical Gardens, but here it’s a little out of place. Nonetheless, the curved bridges over the water provide a great adventure for children and lovely photo moments.

To crown it all, entrance to the gardens is completely free. A donation is requested, but there you go, South Africans aren’t usually big on giving away their money, so I’m amazed that the gardens have managed to continue so prettily. The whole garden is fenced in, and, when the security guards aren’t catching a snooze on a welcome bench, they’re stationed around the gardens and at the entrance to make you feel more secure.

The Ardernes, as with many families in Cape Town during the market crash in 1904 (not to be confused with the major world stock crash in 1929), lost most of the fortune and, despite the fact that they had managed the garden across two, going on three, generations, they had to sell The Hill, and the centre of the family disintegrated. Today there are roughly seven Ardernes in the phone book, and the garden is maintained by the City of Cape Town together with the Friends of the Arderne Gardens.

The history aside, the garden is well worth a visit. Banana and magnolia strawberry trees hang gently overhead a bench, whilst a flying moth maple and tulip tree get my attention as one of them is in flower, though which I cannot say, and smells heavenly. An Australian flame tree towers above the reaches of the average tree climber, and I snap a pic to remind me that the one in our front garden could end up being as big, given the chance.

A few people have even dared to come here with a packed picnic lunch and sprawl lazily on the lawns whilst time stand still for a while in the busy heart of Claremont.

Thanks to Vincent Kolbe for his input!

Useful Claremont Links:
Claremont Attractions
Things to Do in Claremont
Claremont Hotels
Claremont Accommodation
Cape Town Weddings

Witness the spectacle of the Mount Moreland Swallows. (Barn Swallow – Hirundo Rustica). Every evening from mid October to mid April At the Lake Victoria Conservancy in Mount Moreland, millions of these tiny birds gather for about half an hour before sunset and fly in vast numbers over the Lake Victoria Wetlands. As dusk falls, the swallows drop down in the reeds and are gone, until dusk the next day!

My Dad, husband and I arrived, snacks and strawberry daiquiri’s in hand at about 5pm.  We had been told to arrive around that time and then it’s just a waiting game as the swallows arrive any time from 5.30pm and roost between 6.30pm and 7pm.  Although there is no seating as such, there is a large area of ground for one to settle down and have a picnic – all with good views of the reed beds below.

Although the day was a bit cloudy it was very exciting when we noticed at first just a few and then as it grew later larger groups of swallows arriving.  They spent a good half an hour circling around the lake and reed beds – some groups flying out and then coming back again while other groups circled and then dropped straight down into the reeds.

The first of the swallows arrive at Mt Moreland at the beginning of October and up to 3 million birds have been counted at this site.  On the day we visited I was told that there are ringing workshops (one can book a spot on these workshops and assist in the task) – doing this has enabled conservationists to identify the Mt Moreland swallows as far away as Siberia!

Although we did not have a sunset to speak of, the months of January and February provide the best sunset backdrops and November, December and March are the best months to view the birds.

There is plenty of parking at the site and its advisable to take something warm to wear – the breeze can get a bit nippy, even in mid summer.  Also remember to take your mossie repellent.  There are toilets nearby but these were not open on the day we visited so bear this in mind if visiting with children.  A fee of R10 per car is payable.

The Mt Moreland Swallows are world famous so if you live in nearby you really should make the effort to see the spectacle for yourself – its well worth it.

Directions:
From Durban take the N2 towards Umhlanga and then the Umdloti off ramp.  Turn left and then take the dirt road to the right.  There are signposts directing you to Mt Moreland and the viewing area.

Useful Links:
Umdloti Attractions
Umdloti Accommodation
Dolphin Coast Accommodation
South African Birdlife

Dennis is a treasure. A slight bearded man with twinkling blue eyes, he is both unassuming and quietly spirited, with a slightly off-the-wall sense of humour. Whilst the ‘organic nursery’ itself, set off to the side of the house with a few cuttings in a pretty vegetable garden, was not much to write home about, the sign for his home remains on the main road for people like us, who make the effort to stumble into his domain unexpectedly. He susses us out quickly by mentioning obscure items like his earthship house, which it turns out is only in the initial stages, but we nod eagerly and he quickly gauges that we’re interested.

Returning inside past his aged mother on the front stoep, where she sits next to a large solar cooker and a garage so full of paraphernalia that it appears to include the kitchen sink, he comes back within moments his head adorned with a rather charming, old grass hat, unravelling at the rim, which he wisely uses to keep the sun off his face. We’re similarly garbed and ready to explore his grounds, which we soon learn are laid out according to the principles of permaculture.

Dennis ambles off across his land, which is wild and in the state in which Mother Nature, or Gaia as Dennis refers to her, ordained. It’s not ideal. There are a lot of invaders of the plant variety on his property, but he’s working with the raspy bracken that appears to have taken over and lovingly explains how these are pioneers and that he’s leaving them. The land will restore itself to its former glory.

Meanwhile, in the midst of all of this, Dennis has built swales, a popular rainwater harvesting and soil conservation strategy amongst permaculturists that are slight depressions that run along the contour of the land. Within these he’s planted things like oats, which the field mice are rather pleased about. It’s a novel way of planting in amongst the bracken, and I’m impressed.

He’s also designed any number of grey water systems (luckily for him his ground runs downhill away from the house) that involve water from his kitchen running through a system of reed beds, sand and pebble beds and finally into a storage tank – all home engineered and carefully set up. It’s admirable, and I’m already slightly envious at what he’s managed to establish for himself. Dennis will be able to cope with the water shortages we will experience in the very near future.

We slowly descend the property along the contour lines and he points out various indigenous trees that he’s planted, and those that have been on the property for a while. These will later provide shade. Almost at the bottom of the property is a large series of vegetable garden, under shade cloth and wire frame to keep the birds and baboons out. Harvesting vegetables here has obviously been a case of first come first served, but it’s in full swing, which Dennis attributes to his wife, whose domain this is. There are lettuces, berries, spinach, tomatoes, gooseberries, spring onions, mielies and any number of herbs.

Dennis has a little mutter about development having reached Hogsback. I can appreciate that for the last 20 or so years he has chosen to escape city living. It’s a common theme in Hogsback, this need to escape the demands of consumerism, and I find it more than a little enticing. There is a slowness to life here that I could definitely relate to.

As we walk his land he tells us how he’s involved in the eco village at Khula Dharma and we hear how he managed to buy a three-legged plough, which he uses to furrow his swales, but it’s at Khula Dharma right now, where he intends heading soon to stay in the caravan he recently acquired for himself and took there for ‘escape’ time (does one need to escape Hogsback, I find myself thinking?).

We head off over to his forest of wattle trees, which he uses as fuel for fires during winter. It’s cool within the two or three-deep patch of trees that extends down the parameter of the property and we stand awhile. From here it’s off to see the ‘foundations’ for his earthship. He’s already designed an incredible cooling and heating system for the house, which he sketches out for me on one of the wooden beams in his shed – also filled with paraphernalia. There will be a compost loo and he has the windows and doors already stacked in the shed, all of them recycled.

I ask if the earthship is to be used as a B&B and he smiles and murmurs that it is just he who intends living here. From here we pass to the little outbuilding out of earth he’s recently built with its zink roof that will serve as a dwelling for one of his labourers. At the garage he laughs at his own tendency to collect junk – it’s all highly practical, useable junk for which he might not have a use yet, but will in the future – he calls it a study in ‘garbology’ and I smile too in understanding, as I’m married to someone who is a magnet for ‘things’.

We leave Middle Earth oddly satisfied with our encounter. A brief glance through a window into Dennis’ life was enchanting -  a shared morning of laughs, ideas, methods and minds. What else is life for?

Useful Hogsback Links:
Hogsback Attractions
Things to Do in Hogsback
Hogsback Accommodation
Eastern Cape Accommodation

Bainskloof

Where do you find yourself in just an hour and fifteen minute drive outside of Cape Town? Well on Saturday morning I found myself at a friends holiday home in Bainskloof, and no I wasn’t teleported there it was an easy drive. Three good friends and I decided to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the city and head to a family holiday home that has enjoyed many happy moments over the years.

We had decided to indulge ourselves in a complete girly weekend and what better way to spend it than right on the river, in a magnificent setting with our favourite magazines, chilled white wine and mountains of good food …

You might be saying to yourself, where is Bainskloof, and believe me I was asking myself this the entire drive. If you have an idea of where Wellington is in the Western Cape you are not far off from Bainskloof as it is just to the west on Route 303.

Bainskloof

The Bainskloof Pass is said to be one of the most beautiful in the country and I certainly couldn’t fault it. Something I was unaware of is that the Bainskloof pass was built in 1853 by a complete novice ( i.e. he had no engineering training at all). The man who name is behind the pass is Andrew Geddes Bain who is a Scotsman.

To get to Bainskloof you need to travel through the Huguenot Tunnel, which extends from the N1 through the Du Toitskloof Mountain and is a safer and faster route than the old Du Toitskloof pass which took you over the mountain. This is a toll tunnel and so you will need to remember to have some cash with you on the journey to and from Cape Town. For a standard car the cost is R23 one way and don’t forget to switch your headlamps on as it can be a bit dark. It also helps to take off your sunglasses…

I had barely gotten comfortable in my seat when my friend told us we only had fifteen minutes left of our journey and before I knew it the house was in sight just a few metres away. The house is situated just opposite the local restaurant and pub – The Calabash and set on the banks of the Witte River.

Bainskloof

Once we had opened the doors, plonked our bags down and put the food in the fridge it was straight off to the river for a dip. The river water was cool, very cool in some spots, but absolutely refreshing. It was a blazing hot afternoon and we had a great time splashing around in the water. Some parts of the river are extremely shallow, so be very careful if you are diving into the water. We took a little walk further down the river to a deeper part of the river that was better for swimming and had some great rocks to laze around on.

After a delicious lunch of tuna salad and heated game of Scrabble and the obligatory afternoon nap, we took a walk up the road for a drink at The Calabash (Telephone: +27 (0)23 355-1844).

The pub and restaurant has stunning views, is frequented by an eclectic mix of people and I am told that the food is pretty good too.

Calabash

If you are up for a challenge you can involve your friends in the local pub game – the game revolves around a stump of wood – each player gets a hammer and 1 nail. The aim is to get your nail in before your opponent does, as the loser buys the next round of drinks. Your strategy is your own and it is up to you whether you want to play it slow and steady (for accuracy), or hard and fast (for speed). Either way it’s a laugh!

We headed back to our house to make dinner and enjoy the evening, it was a calm and clear evening and it was wonderful to sit and relax and enjoy the nature while watching the mountains turn brilliant colours as the sun set.

Bainskloof is definitely a place where you can restore your soul and connect with nature before heading back to city life. I will certainly be making my way back soon to discover more of Bainskloof’s hidden secrets.

Useful Bainskloof Links:
Bainskloof Attractions
Rock-hopping in Bainskloof
Bainskloof Accommodation
Breede River Valley Accommodation

Eight at Spier

Before the word gets out, I thought I’d share my addiction to the latest restaurant to open on the Spier Wine Estate in Lyndedoch Road, Stellenbosch. Eight at Spier serves good wholesome breakfasts, brunches and lunches on the grounds of the popular weekend destination.

The restaurant is child-friendly, affordable, and one of very few restaurants with a green ethos where environmental consciousness and commitment to the Earth is a high priority. Most of all, the restaurant lacks pretentiousness, and easily ranks as one of the best places to get  a decent, healthy breakfast over a weekend …

The restaurant lies behind the wine tasting and shop buildings, off the main pathway, close to the sprawling gardens at Spier. Outside, under umbrellas and foliage, lie a few  tables that invite alfresco dining, whilst inside the modern, minimalist looking restaurant has clean lines and décor with a strong accent on wood and recycled design – Heath Nash features predominantly and his ceiling design  of over 10 000 individually-crafted flowers made from recycled white plastic milk bottles is quite lovely (we’ve got a Heath Nash light fitting in our kitchen, so I recognised his hand in the décor immediately).

Eight at Spier

The waitrons, who have obviously recently received training, welcome you at the entrance (or at least they did when I visited, but that was possibly their very first week on the job) to explain the ethos behind the restaurant and just what you can expect from your visit – it’s a farm-to-table eating experience of nourishing, healthy and delicious food.

The glass door through which you pass is etched with the number eight, lying on its side, in a similar vein to Spier’s water treatment plant where a series of flow forms through which water flows also lie in the form of an eight, and represents infinity (their waste water recycling plant, as an aside, is also a yin yang pool reflecting the balance of energy where newly recycled water is pumped back into a dam and used for irrigation). The number 8 is about balance, cycles, harmony, infinity and abundance.

One of Spier’s aims is to be a zero-waste producing estate by 2015, and this is pretty evident in their new Eight at Spier restaurant. There is no sign of laminated menus for a start, and the seasonally produced items on the menu, most of the ingredients of which come from their biodynamically farmed vegetable gardens, are written up in chalk on black boards that are brought to your table, and described in detail by your waitron.

Eight at Spier

Heidi Newton-King, Spier’s COO describes Eight as ‘the manifestation of Spier’s belief that a restaurant can be a catalyst for social and environmental change while still offering fabulous food.’

Roughly 300 hectares of the farm at Spier is farmed biodynamically and has been since December 2008. Pasture reared beef, chicken, eggs, wine grapes and vegetables, as well as olives, artichokes, nectarines and almond trees are all in production. It is a wonderful feeling to know that you’re eating food that was grown but a few metres away from your table. What the chefs at Eight cannot source from their garden, they source from local farms and suppliers chosen for their mindful and sensitive approach to the way food is grown, handled and packaged.

Spier’s waste-recycling programme collects roughly 11 times more than the average South African business in a year, and recycles around 80% of its waste – there are on-site recycling programmes that convert food waste to worms to produce fertiliser, and other recycling projects such as the Adobe Brick Works, a Biolytix waste-recycling project (already mentioned), and a bio-diesel project that will power the estate’s tractors and generators.

Eight at Spier

They’re leading the way when it comes to ethical responsibility in business. And Eight at Spier is just one more example of their commitment to creating awareness, and cutting back on waste.

As well as wonderful food, the restaurant already had a number of interesting items on sale made from recycled goods, interesting books and DVDs about food and farming, and other practical items like hemp bags and wine carriers. Their aim is to have farm produce here too from the farm – so delicious cheeses and other fresh, natural and organic produce from local suppliers should also be up for sale, although when I was there this wasn’t yet the case.

We began our breakfast at a table indoors, set against the window, the sunlight streaming through the glass, with freshly squeezed organic juices. I was surprised at how reasonably these were priced. Usually a freshly squeezed glass of juice costs more and I was equally surprised to see that it came in a reasonably sized glass. I ordered a delicious combination of carrot and pineapple, whilst my companion enjoyed a beetroot, carrot and apple juice.

Eight at Spier

Breakfasts include the mandatory eggs and toast combinations but I ordered a delicious sounding collection of rolled oats, fresh berries, yoghurt and honey. It arrived in a huge wine glass, quite a novel way of serving a delicious meal! Before it arrived at the table, we were also served with a couple of slices of gorgeous looking home-made fruit bread, served with various combinations of butter, jam, salt and pepper.

Breakfast at Eight is not only a delicious experience, it’s a feel-good experience too – knowing that most of your food is grown moments away on a biodynamic farm means not only does it not travel miles to reach your plate, but it’s also probably that much better for you because of the inherent freshness. I don’t know about you, but I’m all for this type of eating.

Address: Eight at Spier, R310 Lynedoch Road Stellenbosch
Telephone: +27 (0)21 809-1100

Useful Stellenbosch Links:
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Stilbaai

Stilbaai, also known as Still Bay, is well known amongst Capetonians as a peaceful, seaside getaway on the Garden Route, perfect for weekends. It has, to a large degree, managed to maintain an unspoiled and natural environment that is particularly beautiful during spring, with a pretty beach village atmosphere on the eastern side of the village, and beautiful beaches.

But come here during the festive season, and you begin to wonder whether the residents may not have been a little hasty in calling their bay ’still’. It has become so popular and so busy at this time of year that ‘hectic’ is probably a more apt description, and we were there before the major onslaught that happens just before Christmas …

One approaches Stilbaai along a beautiful strip of road that runs parallel to the Goukou River, a lovely setting that, given the right time of day, is simply gorgeous. It’s one of the major attractions of the seaside village that the Goukou River is navigable for around 17 kilometres inland from the beach and town. As one nears the town, pretty homes are evident on both sides of the bank, whilst a bridge spans the distance between the two.

Stilbaai

The other major attraction is of course the beach, which stretches for miles, offers safe swimming and evidence of fish traps used by an ancient people who survived on an abundance of fish that date back to the Stone Age. Lappiesbaai Beach, Stilbaai’s main beach, has attained blue flag status for the fourth year running, the only beach on the stretch between Jeffreys Bay and Hermanus to have done so. And the area is filled with nature trails, bird watching opportunities, the chance to spot whales in season, and one of the best surf spots around. It’s a beautiful picture.

Still Bay is divided by the Goukou River into east and west. The west side is mainly residential. It’s where you’ll find more permanent residences, a series of shops, the police, the municipality, the harbour and the tourism bureau. The eastern side is given over to holiday makers, predominantly, with two caravan parks, the beach, beach sideee entertainment, and a series of very prettbeach sidedee ‘cottages’, roughly a block from the seaside. Here life revolves around the beach.

Stilbaai

But it becomes a pity when such a beautiful spot is inundated, and certainly, it must place an incredible pressure on the environment, particularly as this last festive season fell during a severe drought to the Garden Route and surrounds. Whilst some brochures call this time of year in Stilbaai ‘festive’, I for one would rather give it a wide berth.

But there are attractions at Stilbaai, other than the beach, should you be there over a busy weekend. On the eastern border of town sits the Preekstoel – what appears to be a roughly hewn rock in the shape of a minister’s pulpit – an interestingly shaped rock that is just one of a number of fascinating rock formations along this strip of the coast.

Closer to the beach there are circular stone structures that the Khoi-San people created hundreds of years ago to catch fish at low tide, some of which are still used today.

Stilbaai

Just beyond the Preekstoel is the Geelkrans Nature Reserve, named after the yellow sand cliffs that rise above the high water mark, and home to 165 hectares of south coast fynbos and coastal rhenosterveld. Even more beautiful and worth a visit is the Palingkloof nature area, something of a nature garden, through which the Paling stream runs.

Paling is the Afrikaans word for eel and indeed there are eels here that can be fed by hand, they’re so tame. They’re a really different looking type of eel, in the sense that they have blue eyes, and they travel all the way to Mozambique to lay their eggs. Once they’ve hatched, the young eels then make their way to Stilbaai where they spend most of their lives, before returning to Mozambique to lay eggs, and so the cycle continues.

Rumour has it that these eels have been living here for the past 125 years.

Stilbaai

You also don’t have to stay in Stilbaai to enjoy the beauty of the area. ‘Eden Country’, also known as the T4 route, links the towns of Albertinia, Stilbaai, Riversdale, Heidelberg and Witsand. Just outside Stilbaai, on this route, are quite a few alternative places to stay, most of them on farms that escape the havoc of town, yet place you easily within reach of the beach and attractions. And make sure that you have time to include Wild Olive Guest Farm’s breakfasts or lunches. The farm not only makes delicious home-grown food, but produces enough organic produce to supply the locals with food too.

As we wound our way away from town we passed men up to their thighs in the estuary, hoping to catch a cob or two when the tide is in. Idyllic, yes. Just not during the silly season.

Still Bay Links:
Still Bay Attractions
Things to Do in Still Bay
Still Bay Accommodation
Garden Route Accommodation

The Rose at Starways is similarly built mainly of timber, with earth for the walls and, although I would imagine this version is a lot smaller, it is anchored securely by two pine trees conveniently set on either side of the theatre’s entrance. It’s all really rather quaint. There is lighting, a sound system and a series of tables and chairs hewn from logs of wood …

It’s rather like stepping back in time when one arrives at Starways. In the lower portion of the property, in the midst of a pine wood, there rest two eco friendly buildings made from earth and timber, one of which is potter Anton van der Merwe’s Forest Gallery (he is an accomplished painter in watercolour and oil apart from being a master potter), also known as the Gate Cottage Gallery, and the other is the Rose Theatre.

The theatre intrigues us. First of all there is already a group of people happily ensconsed within its walls, who turn out to be relatives of Andre van der Merwe, who look as if they could easily have fallen through time to grace a tavern of similar ilk. They play cards and chat, and, whilst paying us little attention, happily point in the general direction of the hill to another large building as the one we should visit. We don’t learn much about the theatre from them but we’re happy to follow instruction.

We trudge up the hill to its summit where there sits a wonderful outdoor pottery studio, hewn from timber, earth, textured rock walls and recycled doors – a beautiful stained glass pair of which crown the entrance closest to the hill. The ramshackle studio is filled with wood-fired pottery, where the artist exhibits, and also produces to ship overseas. Andre shuffles through in a quietly unassuming way, smiles hello, and has little more to say, until we engage him in conversation about his kiln.

Fuel burning kilns are apparently something of a science. They’re more rarely used than electric or gas fired kilns and it’s a far more difficult technique. Wood firing and the process of reduction fired ceramic art are the realm of alchemists and Andre expounds about how the temperaturees of this kiln are so hot that they’re similar to those in which the earth was first formed. He continues to talk about the local potter’s clay, which he gets nearby, and copper oxide and how it transmutes and normally turns from green to blood red, whilst iron oxide produces russet reds.

He is in love with his art, and whilst I understand little of it, his love for his work is infectious. His emphasis is on producing works of art that have a useful function, and on a table infront of us I can see large water coolers or storage containers on which he has already begun work. Storage in stoneware allows beverage and food to stay fresher longer.

Anton has lived in these Hogsback woods since 1992. He came to his art largely by a process of self instruction, one he claims allows him greater possibility of doing original and more relevant works. He apprenticed himself whilst younger to a group of potters that included Bruce Walford, Steve Shapiro, Barbara Robinson, Paul Pepworth and Craig Leslie. He then opened a teaching practice in Cape Town before moving to Hogsback.

It’s when his daughter wanders down into the studio, en route to the Rose, that I learn more about the comings and goings at Starways. Vale is young, petite and vibrant. You wouldn’t think that she held an MA in visual art or that she had a certificate in personal and business coaching. She’s joined her father and stepmother in Hogsback to work in the open air pottery studio.

From here I learn that Gwyneth, Anton’s wife, is responsible for the performing arts productions in the Rose. She’s an opera singer by trade and has formed a local opera company that draws its members from the two local university music departments at which she lectures – Fort Hare University in Alice, and Rhodes University in Grahamstown. She’s also a qualified Alexander Technique teacher, which she combines with her teaching method to provide even young singers with tension-free sound. In her spare moments she makes pizzas in a wood oven in the theatre, and jewellery. A pretty necklace which hangs on the wall in the studio has already caught my eye.

As we wander down the hill again to The Rose theatre with Vale to listen to a CD of her brother’s music on sale here, I learn that there is to be a gathering that evening, a staged ’sit in’ to demonstrate support of the climate conference in Copenhagen, which has only just got underway. There is an avid ‘greenie’ group in Hogsback who are very aware of the injustices being done to the environment.

I later learn too that there is a very close relationship between Starways and Mafika pottery, just a couple of kilometres down the road. When in the process of buying the property for Starways, Anton ascertained that Enoch Mafika’s father is buried on the site. Anton promised that whilst Starways was under his care, anyone could visit the grave and that Enoch could continue to cut wattles growing on the burial ground. The relationship between the two families grew when Anton took first Willie and then Luyanda on as apprentices.

These two men helped to build Starways. At the same time, an arrangement was made that for every brick or stone laid at Starways there would be a similar structure built at Mafika’s home and funding was awarded to the project from the National Department of Arts and Culture for the poverty alleviation project.

Yet again we discovered that in Hogsback, if you’re prepared to dig a little deeper, so much more is on the go than what appears on the surface.

Useful Hogsback Links
Hogsback Attractions
Things to Do in Hogsback
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I ♥ Mossel Bay

Hi, I’m  Petra du Toit from Linkside2 Guest House in Mossel Bay in the Garden Route.
MOSSEL BAY IS BEST KNOWN FOR its moderate climate, beautiful white beaches and the Dias Museum.

GET YOUR PICTURE TAKEN AT the Post office Tree, because of its historical Value and you can still mail your postcards from there.
THE BEST SUNRISE PICTURES CAN BE TAKEN AT The Point early in the morning, breathtakingly beautiful!!!
OTHER HAPPY SNAPS AT Linkside2 with the most beautiful view of the bay, mountains and the town …
WHEN THE WEATHER’S GOOD, I LIKE TO go to Santos beach … blue flag status.
WHEN THE WEATHER’S BAD, I LIKE TO shop at Langeberg Mall …

I ♥ Mossel Bay

I THINK THE BEST TIME OF YEAR TO VISIT IS February, March, April and then again from October to December. The weather on the Garden Route is also stunning during our winter season.
MY FAVOURITE BREAKFAST SPOT IS is Linkside2 or the Point.
FOR LUNCH, I SUUGEST Fynbos Coffee Shoppe.
MY FAVOURITE RESTAURANT IS Jazzburry, try the Ostrich Fillet.

BEST LATE NIGHT SNACK FROM The Gannet Restaurant.
MY FAVOURITE GOLF COURSE IS Mossel Bay Golf Course.
FOR A NIGHT OUT ON THE TOWN TRY try Kingfisher or a night club … (more for the younger set though).
IF YOU WANT TO MEET LOCALS, GO TO Kingfisher or Delfinos.

I ♥ Mossel Bay

MOSSEL BAY’S BEST KEPT SECRET IS our unspoilt beaches and Mossel Bay has the lowest crime rate in South Africa.
MY FAVOURITE THING TO DO WITH FRIENDS IS TO go to a good restaurant. Stonehill and Jazzbury are excellent!
FOR SOME CULTURE I LIKE TO go on a Tour with Back Road Safaris. They offer individual and group tours across a variety of tastes, including cultural exchanges and special-interest activities like golf, whale watching or wine tasting.

TO RELAX AND RESTORE MY SOUL, I LIKE TO go to a spa.
IF YOU’RE FEELING ADVENTUROUS, TRY Shark diving or Skydiving.
MY FAVOURITE WALK / HIKE IS Cape St. Blaize and the Oyster Catcher Trail.
MY FAVOURITE GIFT SHOP IS Fynbos Shoppe, named for the wide variety of indigenous Fynbos and flower products from the local area. People visit from afar to experience this haven of hand made gifts and crafts.

I ♥ Mossel Bay

MY FAVOURITE WHALE WATCHING SPOT IS the Mossel Bay harbour.
MY FAVOURITE MUSEUM IS the Dias Museum. Check out the life-size replica of Dias’s ship.

TRAVELLING WITH CHILDREN? A FUN OUTING IS Jukani Wildlife and water world at Dias beach. Jukani Wildlife Sanctuary is home to the big cats such as lions, cheetahs, Bengal tigers, leopard (spotted and black), jaguar, pumas, caracal and serval cats and other wildlife species.
BEST CHEAP AND CHEERFUL OUTING IS going to Santos or Dias beach.
WHEN MONEY’S NO OBJECT, I LIKE TO dine at Stonehill Restaurant. The food is Provencal and Mediterranean inspired with a modern South African twist and this is supported by the most comprehensive winelist.
THE MOST UNUSUAL THING I SEE HERE IS the North facing views over the mountains and the bay.

I ♥ Mossel Bay

MY FAVOURITE WEEKEND GETAWAY IS to Botlierskop Game farm, a well stocked, free roaming private game reserve in the Garden Route.
WHEN I WANT TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY, I sponsor the Mossel Bay Care Centre. The care centre is responsible for regularly supplying food to the learners of Ridgeview Primary School, providing monthly food packages to elderly citizens as well as running the Kiddies Corner Creche.

MOSSEL BAY’S MOTTO IS … No hurry. No worries. In a town where the constant, rhythmic hush of the sea is the undertone that fills the day, the Mossel Bay promise is effortlessly kept. And while the sea is without a doubt one of the greatest attractions of Mossel Bay, it is only one of them!

I ♥ Mossel Bay because of the friendly people and the low crime rate. Mossel Bay is a working town.

Linkside2 Guest House

Linkside2 Guest House

An intimate Bed & Breakfast, Linkside2 Guest House offers guests a complete personalized experience. Meticulous attention to detail and imaginative finishing touches are complemented by first class luxury and exquisite views across Mossel Bay. Accommodation is offered in four exceptional bedrooms with satellite television, mini-bar and all possible luxuries. All rooms are rated luxury by Portfolio and rooms 1, 2 and 3 offer private deck and entrance. …

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View Rates or make a Booking

Desirable Digits

Linkside2 Guest House +27 (0)44 690-4364
Langeberg Mall +27 (0)44 695-2880
Jazzbury’s Restaurant +27 (0)44 691-1923
Cafe Gannet Restaurant +27 (0)44 691-1885
Mossel Bay Golf Club +27 (0)44 691-2379
The Kingfisher +27 (0)44 690-6390
Delfino’s +27 (0)44 690-5247
Stonehill Restaurant +27 (0)44 696-6501
Back Road Safaris +27 (0)44 690-8150
Jukani Wildlife Sanctuary +27 (0)44 698-2004
Botlierskop Game Reserve +27 (0)44 696-6055

Useful Mossel Bay Links:
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Garden Route Hotels

It turns out that mostly everyone who travels this route knows about it. In fact my sister has mentioned it to me numerous times but usually prefaced with the words ‘we stopped at this shop’ whilst foregoing the obviously vital inclusion of its name – my sister isn’t that strong on names – hence my amazement at having missed out …

My sister bought me a string of paper flower lights from here not so long ago, and I remember then making a mental note to visit as soon as possible. The shop has, in the meantime, taken on mythical proportions in my mind, which were thankfully more than met by the actual experience.

It turns out that not many people know that The Heath is called ‘The Heath’, which explains the absent minded reference to it as ‘this shop’. They all look out for the black and white wooden sign set virtually on the road just 7 kilometres from  Plettenberg Bay. In a nutshell the visit gives you décor, gifts, furniture and food. But it’s the setting and the wonderfully child-friendly environment that has people stopping here again and again.

The grounds of The Heath are heavenly. This is not just about the farm store. It’s a whole outdoor experience. Set in the shade of pine trees there are swings strung from branches that defy gravity, a foofie slide of note, a labyrinth laid out in lavendar, hammocks strung between trees, merry go rounds and wooden tables and benches laid out for travel weary parents who just want a moment of respite from bickering backseat banter.

The Heath is the equivalent to a haven on the side of the road. And whilst the children are entertained for hours and manage to rid themselves of pent up energy, you get to while away the time in the Heath Store.

Lisa Murray is as at home in her store as her selection of unique indulgences, as she calls them. She’s owned the store since 1989 and she knows what she is doing. I ask her how she chooses her ecclectic mix of thoroughly unexpected treasure items and she shrugs her shoulders happily. She just buys everything that she likes. Well, then her taste must be similar to just about all who come in here, as there really is something for everyone.

Most of the store is brimming with locally made crafts and wares, from children’s toys, arts and crafts, jewellery, décor and gifts, kitchenware, cards and art through to the back room which is chockers with home made food, authentic sheepskin ugg-boots, throws, some clothing, handbags and even free-range eggs.

The store has a real bohemian flavour, and things are artfully displayed around the shop. Items are affordable, fun and unique, which is an unusual combination in this age of mediocrity. I succumb to shopping with delight as I acquire a few items for nephews and loved ones.

Jade’s cafe, just next door to the shop, was busy serving fresh, homestyle meals to the hungry and road weary, whilst they sat under trees, relaxing in the forest venue. And if the craft shop doesn’t appeal, then the Ilovani store, filled with contemporary, indigenous wood furniture definitely will. I popped my head in on our way back to our car. Simply gorgeous tables, benches, chairs, desks, coffee tables, sculptures and shelving abounds, all in a creative freeform style that makes you drool.

Ilovani also make a concerted effort to use wood from removed alien species and recycle off-cuts of wood from larger furniture items and discarded wine barrels. Trees are only felled to use for furniture if they are dead or heading that way, and in their place the company plant three to four new trees. They also make sure that they don’t use heavy machinery in the heart of the forest.

Just as well that I hadn’t the time to browse…

Eagle Encounters is a new addition to the Heath – you’ll see a large poster on the road next to the sign for The Heath of a little girl holding an owl. It’s a raptor rehabilitation and eco-tourism centre, and visitors can get really up close to these incredible birds of prey. Kids can see owls, kites, buzzards, hawks and falcons.

The Heath will definitely see me again when next I head up this way.

Garden Route Links:
Garden Route Attractions
Things to Do in Garden Route
Garden Route Accommodation

St Francis Bay

Set on the shores of the Indian Ocean, just south of Jeffreys Bay in the Eastern Cape, St Francis Bay has to be one of the most beautiful spaces on this part of the coast. We arrived there on a wind-swept afternoon knowing little about the pretty resort but that we had managed to nab ourselves a cottage with sea views within walking distance of the beach!

We arrived in the village in the late afternoon, tired from our journey and gasping for a day or so of sun-filled beach time, as we had just descended from the Amatola Mountains and the little town of Hogsback, where it had been rather chilly to say the least …

My first impression of St Francis Bay was its strong contrast with Hogsback’s simplicity and its obvious role as the playground of the very wealthy during the holiday season. The roads were dominated by very large, predominantly silver, utility vehicles from all over the country, and the waterways of the Marina Glades and the seas by large, recently acquired power boats.

St Francis Bay

Despite this over-abundance of opulence, St Francis Bay and the Marina are incredibly beautiful, and manage to give a low-key, less garish impression than their neighbours – Santareme, St Francis-on-sea and Port St Francis – due to strict architectural regulations that observe white walls and thatch roofs throughout.

In fact, it’s rather amusing to drive through the neighbourhood and see how Harbour Road forms a boundary – on one side are the pretty, white-walled, thatched cottage style mansions, whilst on the other Santareme’s Spanish ‘theme’ means that a series of Spanish looking villas, in various shades of terracotta and peach, predominate.

A little further along a barely discernible Portuguese theme takes over in St Francis-on-Sea, and so it continues. Only Cape St Francis has managed to side-step any architectural regulations, although it is such a mish mash of architectural styles, that one rather wishes it had, particularly when compared with the other suburbs.

St Francis Bay

Our first afternoon was spent, despite the wind, in a glorious whirl of seaside activities that involved much swimming, wave jumping and digging of castles with intricate moats. Along the beach strolled families with their children, couples with their dogs, and youngsters in groups, sussing out the talent.

On my brave passage into the sea I passed an old man and his dog and we swopped notes on the water temperature. He swims both morning and evening when at the coast, and I admired his perseverance and entertained the romantic notion that when I’m his age I will do the same?

Day two dawned overcast. Whilst we were a little disheartened at not being able to immediately head down for a swim, we were soon glad for the change in weather meant that we ventured out to explore. The first place we uncovered was the St Francis Community Garden, where a sign saying ‘Santa’s Elves’ meant an obligatory stop – our son was in hot pursuit!

Community Garden

We were soon in conversation with Brigid, a volunteer at the garden, who, despite having only moved to Santareme less than a year previously, had acquired an extensive knowledge of the area and its environmental projects. Whilst Santa had not yet put in an appearance (he was only to do so the following week, when we were already back in Cape Town), we were invited to attend a penguin release just across from the gardens in front of the St Francis Heritage (environmental) Centre near Granny’s Pool, a safe and rather quaint tidal pool at which children were already playing.

Brigid went on to describe how she watched a family of whales recently in the bay and how dolphins visit the beaches on a daily basis (she wasn’t wrong, I was to spot them twice that day!). She regaled us to a rather interesting story of how St Francis Bay is dealing with beach erosion using a reclamation system known as PEM, introduced by the Danes that involves a series of rows of tubes in the shallow water just below the seabed. These increase the circulation of seawater and deposit sand broughtt in by the surf, slowly widening the beach. She pointed to what we had thought was a shark spotter, but turned out to be someone monitoring the tubes. Interesting to say the least.

Penguin release

Penguin Rescue and Rehabilitation let the locals know when they intend releasing a group of rehabilitated penguins. By 11am the crowds had grown and were three-deep along the side of the pool, waiting for the little fellows to make an appearance. Before long, they were brought onto the beach in crates, and roughly 20 of them hesitated only long enough to establish that this was indeed the sea, before heading off, heads above the water until they reached the open sea, where they soon vanished.

It was an incredibly moving experience to watch the penguins leave. It seems they know, without being told, exactly where they’re going and most of them end up on a series of seal islands off Madiba Bay. We were one of many who bought a penguin t-shirt on sale, the proceeds of which go towards helping the penguins.

By this time, the sun was again out and we headed for the marina to drive around the quiet roads, where almost every ‘cottage’ has a waterside location and boats lie bobbing just beyond their front lawns, some of which also have swimming pools.

Back in the village, beach activity had picked up and we chose a spot safely out of the way of the rising tide. The area close to our cottage had life guards, who took a ‘tea break’, when most of the families fled the beach at lunch time, by snuggling up under their anoraks on the rocks and taking a nap. We virtually had the place to ourselves and swimming here was simply delicious. I wish only that we’d had longer than two days to spend in this wonderfully lazy way.

Useful St Francis Bay Links:
St Francis Bay Info & Attractions
St Francis Bay Accommodation
Sunshine Coast Accommodation
Eastern Cape Accommodation

The labyrinth is set virtually on the edge of a cliff with the most spectacular views of the valley below, the Amatola Mountains, and an expanse of sky that together have a formidable visual impact. Even if you know nothing about labyrinths, and do not intend travelling its pathways, its setting alone resounds with an intangible quality that is immediately calming, and yet exhilarating. It celebrates life, the universe and everything – to quote Douglas Adams …

Despite its position in the midst of a self-catering holiday retreat, the Hogsback labyrinth is available for everyone. It is also one of the largest labyrinths in the world and its pathway is 700 metres, making it a total distance of 1.4 kilometres if you follow the desired journey of winding your way out again once you’ve reached the centre – plenty of time to contemplate, breath and luxuriate in the surrounding beauty.

Officially it is an eleven-circuit labyrinth, similar in design to that in the Chartres Cathedral in France, and an intricate design. A labyrinth, I was to learn, is not a maze (despite my expectations of towering walls of lavender in which I would have to ‘find myself’) but a pathway to spiritual discovery and fulfillment. The idea is to use the pathways as a way to heighten prayerful attitudes, meditative states and spirtual contemplation or reflection.

The idea is to prepare yourself carefully beforehand, doing things like quietening the mind, removing your watch and switching off your cell phone, taking deep breaths and contemplating a purpose for the walk, even though releasing any expectations is key to the allowing the pattern’s energy and purpose to reveal themselves.

On the first day we headed out here, to the edge of town, an electric storm was brewing. My excitement and determination to walk the labyrinth saw me begin the journey regardless, and in fact, the atmosphere was so invigorating, that my first experience was not the quiet and contemplative walk I envisaged, but an energetic flight together with my four-year old son, who despite my reservations, flung himself at the task of staying within the parameters created by the labyrinth’s design with aplomb and abandoned joy.

This was not a solemn contemplation but a flight of exhilaration. Yet there was no rush, distraction or anxiety to complete the course. My mind and spirit were focused and our journey was a dance, a twirl and a whirl of happiness. I was unsurprised to read later that some people feel this exuberance when the initial half of the walk is complete and they are in the labyrinth’s centre.

I was also not to complete my initial two attempts at doing the labyrinth. This time, the angry clouds off to the left, made their presence known in no uncertain terms and my son and I skipped our way back through an ever-increasing rainfall to The Tea Thyme restaurant where hot chocolate was the order of the day.

Labyrinths have a protective and nurturing nature and are often used in homes, ships and cathedrals as a carving or painting to keep all within safe. This labyrinth lies right in front of the functions venue and I can imagine that it is an incredible site for meditation classes, painting, writing and poetry workshops, and even weddings (although they only accept functions that will not disturb the tranquillity of the place).

The fifteen acre garden at The Edge Mountain Retreat runs right along the edge of a cliff and the labyrinth is but one element, although a special one. Accommodation is available in eleven or so cottages and rondavels, each in their own private space. I can imagine this would be a wonderful honeymoon stay, particularly the Cliffside Cottage that stands virtually suspended on the edge of the cliff at the end of the property.

When I finally completed the pattern on my third attempt, it was early in the morning – a glorious sun-filled day during which shy Knysna loeries flirted with me in the surrounding trees and a rather alarming host of grasshoppers came to mow the leaves of the hydrangeas on the outer pathways of the labyrinth.

Useful Links:
Hogsback Accommodation
Hogsback Self Catering
Hogsback Attractions
Things to Do in Hogsback
Things to Do in Eastern Cape

Madonna & Child Falls

Not many people know much about Hogsback, or where it is, for that matter, which perhaps is just as well given that its charm is something one might want to protect, and because the very essence of Hogsback is its almost otherworldly silence, where it lies high up in the Amatola Mountains, surrounded by centuries old indigenous forest.

All I knew about Hogsback, as we wound our way up the steep mountain roads covered in  fine mist and rain at the beginning of December, was that I had read and heard enough to want to visit, and that we were probably in for a far colder week than my suitcase full of summer clothes was going to allow – despite our kind landlady’s good intentions at having emailed us to say that summer had eventually arrived in the village!

Rambling Roses

Hogsback receives its name from the three ridges, known as ‘three hogs’, that dominate the area and lie on the edge of the beautiful Tyume Valley. From different parts of Hogsback there are panoramic views over this valley and one is constantly aware of being  enclosed by the Amatola Mountains. The place is enshrouded in gorgeous gardens, dripping in rambling roses, indigenous St John’s wort and a mixture of exotics and local plants – everything seems to grow rampantly here, as if on steroids – and the bird life is fantastic. It’s also rumoured that Tolkien spent time here and that the surrounds influenced his writing of Lord of the Rings.

It isn’t hard to believe that faeries dwell in amongst the forests or that hobbits could well trundle out of the woods, their bare feet oblivious to the snow that falls here during most winters. And amenities in Hogsback reflect this play on things otherworldly with names like: The Fairy Realm, Mistyfell fruits and jam, Middle Earth organics, Rivendell campsite, The Ring hardware and bottle store, and the Enchanted Treehouse.

Madonna & Child Falls

The place is alive with artists, painters, poets, musicians and photographers and community life thrives. As Rudi, from the Hoggest Shop that also has a buzzing little restaurant told us, he could easily get together a gathering of twenty five people for a spontaneous dinner, whilst in Cape Town, where he was formerly based, he wouldn’t have managed that.

Our reverie at entering Hogsback and being swept up in the beauty whilst making our way past a number of quaint wooden handmade and painted signs indicating the various amenities, accommodation and services in Hogsback, was rudely broken by our attempt to descend Winding Lane. This is one road you need a utility vehicle to navigate! Set off the village, it was where our accommodation lay. A lot of Hogsback’s roads remain untarred and a number had been heavily eroded, despite there being a drought in the area.

Fairy Realm

But our accommodation in Hogsback, when we finally reached it, more than made up for any difficulty along the roads, and by the time we left Hogsback, we were behaving like seasoned dirt road fundis, despite owning a sedan. Winding Down cottage is a beautiful round house set in the midst of gardens and forest. Its centre is a diningroom with high ceilings in which skylights allow plenty of daylight. Off this beautiful room run a series of bedrooms, bathrooms, lounge and kitchen – each with its own unique shape. It was a lovely space in which to relax.

And we had our share of rain. Of the six days we spent in the beautiful town, three of them were subject to showers. Residents were celebrating at finally receiving much needed rain, and we entered into the spirit of things by setting out the minute there was a lull in the downpour.

Main Road, R345, is entertainment for a whole day and we wended our way through various shops, restaurants and hotels. Feeding off this major tributary, along which the odd truck carrying logs whooshed by, feed other roads with names like Orchard Lane, Nutwoods Drive, Holly Lane, Trewennan Lane and Dinwiddie Lane.

The village is extremely English and one could be forgiven for thinking that one had stumbled onto a different continent for a minute, if it were not for the South African hospitality and the tendency for Hogsback residents to wholeheartedly embrace interaction with those who pass through. We met some amazing individuals, were able to see and experience some phenomenal attractions, and others off the beaten track. We sampled bread made by the local baker at his home in wood-fired ovens and sold at Nina’s near the Information Centre, we visited the beautiful little church of St Patrick on the Hill, we visited the Madonna and Child Falls, The Fairy Realm, and spent a wonderful lunch time picnicking a the Arboretum.

Best of all, we slowed down, learnt to breathe again and experienced, if only for a week, what it is like to live in tune with oneself and awe-inspiring natural surrounds.

Must Do’s in Hogsback:
The Labyrinth at The Edge
The Eco Shrine
The Fairy Realm (great for kids)
The Arboretum
The walk to Madonna and Child Falls
Tea Thyme restaurant at the Edge
St Patrick on the Hill
Starways Pottery and The Rose Theatre
Nina’s Deli
Waterfall Drive
Numerous fantastic hikes, none of which we sampled but are the main reason many people visit the region

Avoid at all cost in Hogsback:
Clay and cement hogs sold on the side of the road (they might look cute, but they break within minutes of purchase)
Winding Lane  from Main Road (approach instead from Plaatjieskraal Road).

Photographs: Click the thumbnails to enlarge

Useful Links:
Hogsback Attractions
Things to Do in Hogsback
Hogsback Accommodation
Eastern Cape Accommodation

That said, it isn’t the town one comes here to experience. And the area between the town of Addo and the Addo Elephant National Park, which is a ten minute drive away, is filled with a series of restaurants, Addo accommodation venues and exciting places to visit that include any number of wild animals. It is also the burial place of Sir Percy Fitzpatrick, beloved author of Jock of the Bushveld, who lived in the Addo area during the latter years of his life, which lends the area an element of history …

Photographs – Left: burial place of Sir Percy Fitzpatrick; Right: View of the Sundays River from The Lookout

Just outside town on the R336 is the Lookout, left to the National Monument Council as a heritage for all by Sir Fitzpatrick’s daughter and son-in-law. He was regarded as something of a valley pioneer and was not only responsible for encouraging British settlers to the area but was also largely responsible for the start of the Sundays River Irrigation scheme. The Lookout is worth a visit for the views over the Sundays River and to explore the gravesites here that include Sir Percy, and his wife, Lady Fitz.

Just as you head out of the town of Addo there is a turnoff to the right, to one of the first farms in the area and one that is also a place of accommodation. Rosedale farm, an organically run citrus farm, is home to Keith Finnemore and his wife Nondumiso. They are a charming couple who quickly make you feel at home in their thatched cottages, which use solar water heaters to heat water and are placed in the midst of an indigenous garden, filled with the cries of birds. In fact, as far as birds are concerned, Rosedale farm was to be the best place for sightings, other than Hogsback, on our entire trip, which Keith attributes to his pesticide free environment.

Keith and Nondumiso are fonts of knowledge and interesting to talk to. They’ve been farming for a while, helping to pioneer the growing of organic citrus in South Africa and are part of a group of organic farmers who provide largely to the overseas market but also locally. Originally they farmed conventionally, choosing to convert in 2000 and began to supply the UK, EU and local market with certified navel and Valencia oranges, lemons and clementines by 2004.

Photographs – Left: Rosedale Farm Cottage; Right: The Lookout

Keith, who is passionate about what he does, provides a one-hour walking tour of the farm, which we unfortunately weren’t able to do (a reason to return!) taking you through his use of a combination of old farming methods and modern scientific techniques to grow food that is pesticide free and delicious, if the freshly squeezed orange juice served at breakfast is anything to go by. Nondumiso was heard to mutter pensively that she doesn’t know what she will do one day when they retire and her immediate access to freshly squeezed juice dries up!

Breakfast is one of the highlights of staying here. Largely organic, a spread of fresh fruit salad, yoghurt,  a range of cereals, muesli, home-baked bread still warm to the touch, and a delicious local farmer’s cheese lie set out like a feast below a bright painted mural of sun-ripened fruit.

A cooked breakfast of eggs, bacon, fried tomato and mushroom follows this, if you so choose, and the day gets off to a more than satisfied start, regardless of what you are doing. This spread is served in a large room that adjoins the kitchen of the old farmhouse, where comfortable wooden chairs and tables make dining a complete pleasure.

Photographs – Left: Rosedale Organic Farm cottage; Right: The gardens at Rosedale Organic Farm

Whilst we stayed here we unfortunately weren’t able to eat our evening meals on the farm (if breakfast is that good, think of what dinner would be like) and so ventured forth to experiment with the few restaurants available to us. Lenmore’s, which has obviously been around the block a few times, might have been recommended to us but I’m proposing that you give it a wide berth. The décor, food and service are all reminiscent of the late 1970s, and we weren’t that impressed. Unless steak served with overcooked vegetables drowned in white sauce is your thing, try somewhere else.

Virtually next door however, a surprise awaited us in the form of Stable Cottages Café. The stylishly decorated café and wine bar are part of the Stable Cottages complex, six pretty cottages in East Cape style with private verandas and a central swimming pool. The café’s menu was brimming over with the type of food one would expect to find in Cape Town – wonderful salads teeming with original combinations such as springbok cappaccio and citrus dressing, and smoked salmon and creamy fennel dressing. Despite the temptation of a salad, we had the herb wraps with small white bean salsa, crème fraiche and rocket, and the soya honey glazed chicken breast on stirfried egg noodles.

There is also a kiddies menu, complete with chicken nuggets or hamburger with chips and there are pizza evenings on a Wednesday and Friday. Desserts included a chocolate mousse cake with icecream and a baked cheesecake with berry compote!

In-between the sampling of food and exploring the ins and outs of an organic farm, we managed to make it to the Addo Elephant National Park, but that’s another story …

Desirable Digits:
Rosedale Organic Farm & B&B +27 (0)42 233-0404
Stables Wine Bar & Cafe +27 (0)42 233-2462

Useful Links:
Addo Attractions
Things to Do in Addo
Addo Hotels
Addo Accommodation

The market’s full name is the Wild Oats Community Farmers’ Market and it has won numerous awards during its ten year life span. Whilst I’d heard only good things about the farmers’ market, I hadn’t yet had the opportunity to visit it, but our road trip up to Hogsback had been conveniently carved into a number of stopovers that included Sedgefield, and the market was one of the first to make its way onto the itinerary …

Sedgefield is beautiful. The N2 heads right through the town that lies between George and Knysna. What you see from the N2, however, is not the full picture. What you don’t grasp when viewing it from a moving vehicle is that on the other side of the rather slender and visible residential area that lies at the foot of a sand dune, is the Sedgefield Lagoon that winds like the back of a dragon from the Swartvlei Dam – the largest inland salt water lake in the country – to the sea. On its northern and eastern banks lies the buzzing but small town of Sedgefield, whilst its south western bank is graced by protected fynbos clad sand dunes.

The town attracts artists, hippies, those who have opted out of the rat race and a handful of millionaires. There is the Tortoise Meander that visits some of these local artists, including a woodturner, sculptor, ceramic artist and others, and the outdoor lifestyle is incredible, particularly because of the lakes, lagoon and no fewer than five beaches that attract beach junkies by the dozen. Yet Sedgefield has thus far managed to elude the level of development that has transformed Knysna over the past fifteen years or so.

Sedgefield, despite all of its surrounding water, was in the midst of a drought and water was scarce when we were there. This in no way detracted from the tranquility and restful atmosphere of the place, and certainly didn’t stop the crowds from heading out for their weekly supply of organic vegetables, fruit, jam, eggs, free-range meat and poultry, local cheese, artisan breads, plants and a hearty breakfast thrown in for good measure, at the market.

There is little that the Wild Oats market doesn’t have by way of local food, and there are even a few hand-selected craft suppliers ,but the main focus is on fresh, local food and bottled goods, and people queue for the fresh-off-the-coals breakfasts, coffees, pancakes, vetkoek and fresh juices that are in ample supply. The market’s main aim is to ‘encourage the art of free-range ‘locavore’ shopping in the fresh outdoors’, and it more than achieves this.

Wild Oats is carefully and thoughtfully laid out. It begins under a canopy of trees, just beyond a huge parking lot that divides the local farmers’ market from the other craft markets that dominate these grounds on a Saturday (you can make a day of it here there is so much to do).

After making one’s way past the initial stalls, it becomes obvious that the main reason for coming here is to meet friends, relax and nosh on breakfast. And we obliged. Stools and tables, ingenuously made from the stumps of trees, lie interspersed throughout the market wherever there is shade, whilst the stores lie on the periphery, containing the market in a rough rectangle, set beneath shadecloth and easily accessible.

The market is extensive. This might be a little town on the Garden Route, but its farmers’ market is in a league of its own. Not even the food markets in Cape Town are as good, despite there being a number of excellent ones. Perhaps it is because this market lacks all pretention. It’s utterly authentic and is brimming over with choice. I wasn’t surprised to learn that people come from Knysna, George and the Wilderness to stock up on a regular basis.

I wasn’t in the mood for a boerewors roll, English breakfast, vetkoek or falafel filled pita, so opted for Sarah of Zest’s fruit, muesli and yoghurt breakfast. You can return your container to her at the end of the meal for her to recycle. Speaking of which, there was active recycling happening at the market by way of a three-bin system, and Sarah gave you a refund for your glass bottle of hibiscus tea too! If you’re a bread fundi then join the queue at Ill de Pain. Whilst the breads are pretty pricey, they’re large artisan loaves that are full of goodness, gorgeous to look at, and last for ages as they’re so filling.

The Wild Oats emphasises ’sustain-able’ habit patterns. The market encourages reducing, reusing and recycling within the market courtyard, hence many of their vendors use reuseable containers, have consciously reduced packaging and empty bottles, and tins are recycled.

The market happens every Saturday, come rain or shine, from 7.30 until 11.30 in summer and from 8 until 11.30 during winter. You’d be wise to head down there as early as you can as the market is popular and locally-produced food obviously a commodity, given the rate at which it is snapped up.

PS: make a point of visiting the fudge master’s stall – this is fudge as I’ve not tasted it before!

Useful Links:
Sedgefield Attractions
Things to Do in Sedgefield
Sedgefield Map
Sedgefield Accommodation
Garden Route Accommodation

Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium Match Dates:
Match # 4 on 12 June 2010: Korea Republic vs Greece
Match # 13 on 15 June 2010: Ivory Coast vs Portugal
Match # 21 on 18 June 2010: Germany vs Serbia
Match # 31 on 21 June 2010: Chile vs Switzerland
Match # 37 on 23 June 2010: Slovenia vs England

Useful Links:
2010 FIFA World Cup
Nelson Madela Bay Stadium
Eastern Cape World Cup Accommodation

Ballet at Maynardville

A few of my friends have been talking about Maynardville Park of late. It seems that the park has undergone something of a facelift and the children’s play area in particular is now definitely worth a visit. Besides, we’re all waiting in anticipation for the next outdoor production of Shakespeare.

Maynardville Park is in on the corner of Church and Wolfe Street in Wynberg, for those of you who haven’t been there, with one of the main entrances at the end of Wolfe Street, which runs through Chelsea Village. Chelsea Village, also known as Old Wynberg Village and Little Chelsea (although it has no ‘official’ name on the map), is a gorgeous little strip of prettily preserved historic buildings filled with décor shops, café’s, an old-fashioned and rather prominent red postbox, and all the trappings of a typical little English Village – bouganvillea and climbing roses predominate.

The village apparently got its name from the many artists, interior decorators and furniture designers who made the village their home during the 1950s because it reminded people of London’s rather bohemian Chelsea. Neither Chelsea in London, nor Wynberg’s little village, are bohemian any longer. Properties here are worth a lot more than the average struggling artist can afford, but the village has maintained an element of bohemian chic, and the furniture designers and interior decorators persist, in amongst a collection of restaurants, pubs and business.

The village is heritage-rich and a walk round the lovely interlinking lanes and four major roads in Chelsea are charning and a wonderful way to spend a morning.

Maynardville Park acts in many ways as a green buffer zone for Chelsea, protecting it from the vroom and zoom of Main Road Wynberg. It is a large park with beautiful gardens, huge trees and, of course, the open air theatre – apparently there has been a different Shakespearian play staged here since 1956 – quite a tradition, and one not to be missed.

The reason the park is receiving added attention by my friends with children is that it is in the process of undergoing an R805 000 upgrade, which began in February this year, and includes a new timber play area as well as refurbished equipment from the old playground. The new playground is just the beginning. By all accounts there are plans to convert Maynard Cottage, which lies on the corner of Wolfe and Piers Road entrance closest to Wynberg village, into a restaurant, which should definitely add to the buzz  about the park. The Wynberg library is apparently to be incorporated into the park, and the Rozendal Cottage is also to be upgraded.

The beautiful trees in the park are the legacy of what was once a fine Victorian garden. It was planted when collecting exotic trees was the thing to do if you were one of the elite in Cape Town and the Maynard/Farmer family, resident in what was known as the Maynard’s Villa (it subsequently burnt down, was rebuilt and then later demolished by the municipality), commissioned a horticulturist all the way from Kew Gardens to landscape the garden. Thus mediterranean cork oak trees lie side-by-side with swamp cypress trees and beautiful, lemon-scented gum trees, creating a rather magnificent canopy that contributes in no small part to the magic of the Shakespearean evenings.

And the Shakespeare? Two rather imaginative and enthusiastic South African actresses, Cecilia Sonnenberg and René Abrenson, decided during the 1950s that the old archery lawn held a certain allure for them as a magical setting for Shakespeare. Today it is one of the best-loved outdoor theatre venues in the Cape with a 720-seater wooded theatre setting that attracts around 20 000 visitors a year, including countless school children who have, year after year, often enjoyed their setwork at Maynardville.

The first production of Shakespeare was Taming of the Shrew, which ran to a packed house for a month and set the tone for things to come. In 1975 Cecilia and René joined forces with CAPAB for five years, and since their retirement, the Drama department of Artscape has kept the theatre filled to capacity. Audiences can look forward to Anthony and Cleopatra in 2010, due to run from 13 January to the 13 February, and from 14 Jan until 21 Feb, the Firebird Ballet puts in five performances.

All of this makes me itch to pay the park a visit. Soon, soon …

Useful Links:
Wynberg Attractions
Things to Do in Wynberg
Wynberg Accommodation

Blue Water Café

If you’re on the way to visit the Cape Point Nature Reserve – or hey, even if you’re not – be sure make a stop at the Imhoff Farm in Kommetjie. You’ll find yourself whiling away a more than pleasant afternoon at this historical farmstead, whether enjoying a leisurely lunch, browsing around the shops and boutiques, or participating in one of the many activities on offer. Open seven days a week and with something for everyone, the Imhoff Farm is a definite must-visit. And it’s kid-friendly too.

The Blue Water Café offers relaxed alfresco dining with beautiful beach views, combined with an impressive menu of hearty options, from salmon tartines to ostrich fillet to mouth-watering pizza (but save room for dessert – try the Cape sticky toffee pudding). All food is prepared with farm-fresh ingredients, and complemented by South African wines …

Foodies will also love the Free Range Farm Shop, crammed full of organic and free-range produce. With homemade cheeses and jams, freshly baked bread, a variety of olives, organically grown fruit and veggies, and old favourites like homemade lemonade, you’ll never want to hit a generic supermarket again. Pop into the Free Range Coffee Shop for a light meal, and look out for the cooking and baking classes that are starting here soon.

Higgeldy Piggledy Farm

Shopaholics will be pleased to know their Imhoff retail therapy doesn’t end there. You can visit Imhoff Cheese for a tasting, pop into the well-stocked Old Cape Wine Shop, peruse a variety of art, crafts and décor stores, take the kids browsing at Peek-a-Boo Children’s Boutique or get earthy at the Imhoff Plants Nursery. Of course, my personal favourite and first stop is the Chocolate Silo, a former wheat silo now housing a selection of creative and drool-icious Belgian chocolate delights by Artichoc Africa. Yum!

But you’re far from finished at Imhoff. Kids will simply adore the Higgeldy Piggeldy Farmyard, an educational petting zoo where they can get up close and personal with furry and feathered farmyard friends while learning fun facts about these and other animals.

Adult animal lovers should head to the Imhoff Equestrian Centre to book a two-hour guided beach ride. The centre caters to anyone over 12, whether you’re a beginner or an experienced rider. There’s something magical about cantering down the breathtaking expanse of Noordhoek beach, complete with possible bird, whale and dolphin sightings, and a look at the famous Kakapo shipwreck.

Free Range Shop

Horses a little too passé? Imhoff is the proud home of three of Vered’s camels. These ships of the desert are available for rides – if you can stomach tottering along at two metres above the ground. For even more exotic creatures, visit the residents of the Imhoff Snake Park and Reptile Sanctuary, including a 3.5 metre yellow anaconda and a Burmese python.

All very energetic for one day, but if you return (and you’ll want to), make sure it’s to book a game of paintball for an afternoon of paint-splattered adrenalin-pumping action. Of course, you might want to visit the yoga centre or massage studio afterwards to soothe aching muscles and ease all that special-ops tension.

And then why not start all over again back at The Blue Water Café?

Where?
Imhoff Farm, Kommetjie Road, Kommetjie, Cape Town
Telephone: +27 (0)21 783-4545

Useful Links:
Kommetjie Attractions
Things to Do in Kommetjie
Kommetjie Accommodation
Cape Town Accommodation

Kelp Vuvuzelas

I stumbled upon a new type of vuvuzela that definitely bears talking about. Not that I’m a fan of the vuvuzela. I happen to hate them. I know, how very unpatriotic of me, but anything that makes that much noise and is mass produced in plastic so that it bears little resemblance to the original home-made kudu horn version is hardly inspiring. I’m not surprised there was an attempt to ban them.

But the vuvus made in kelp are works of art. And I’m inspired to buy one in time for the World Cup Final Draw on Friday, particularly as its unique to Cape Town. Graphic designer, Adam Carnegie, is behind the kelp vuvuzelas, and when you see them, your initial reaction is ‘well, of course!’ … Tell me you haven’t used stray pieces of kelp lying on the beach to fashion a pipe and blown bubbles in the odd tidal pool for your child? It’s possible you haven’t, but we have, and kelp is so obviously an abundant resource to use in place of plastic for the production of vuvus, that I’m amazed it hasn’t been done before …

Adam Carnegie

Graphic designer, Adam Carnegie, began playing with kelp in much the same way as I, although in a far more artistic vein – he fashioned a few kelp vuvus, painted wonderful designs on them and gave them to his son to sell at a craft market at his school to raise funds. They were an instantaneous hit, so much so, that Adam gave further consideration to turning them into an opportunity.

He formed kelp (kelp environmental learning project), which initially based itself at his home in Zeekoevlei. Today the workshop has moved to the Kommetjie Environmental Action Group at  Imhoff Farm in Kommetjie. Now as many as six formerly unemployed men and women collect kelp from local beaches, dry them in the sun and then carve them into vuvuzelas, with a difference. They then duplicate Adam’s designs and transform the kelp into what could easily pass for masterpieces.

Kelp Vuvuzelas

At the same time as collecting kelp, Adam’s team also pick up litter, and their very presence helps deter poachers illegally removing perlemoen and lobster. It’s a real ‘feel good’ story, and one many will want to support, particularly as when buying a vuvuzela, you don’t just get an instrument to trumpet like an elephant at the games, you also get an art piece for your wall. I really like the idea.

The Fifa World Cup Final Draw takes place on Friday, 4 December and organisers are expecting around 8 000 people to gather at the CTICC.

The 90-minute event, which will include performances by Johnny Clegg and the Soweto Gospel Choir, will be broadcast to 200 countries – a critical moment for Cape Town. It will really place us in the spotlight.

Kelp Vuvuzelas

But Long Street is where all the fans will throng for a celebratory party after the Final Draw, where the 2010 Fan Fest venues will also be announced. These public viewing sites where fans can watch the games without being in the stadiums apparently attracted 18 million fans during the 2006 Fifa World Cup.

The good news is that you can buy your kelp vuvuzela on Long Street right before the party, if need be. A shop has been set up at The Bead Merchants in Long Street, where they are preparing to be inundated before the draw.

You can also buy one at the CCDI’s Handmade [Cape] Wholesale showroom, 75 Harrington Street.
Or if all else fails, phone Rosemary Reddy on 083 2555 109 or Thandeka Tyatyantsi on 084 866 3600.
Website: http://www.kelpvuvus.co.za/

Go on, bag a kelp vuvuzela!

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Video: Seal takes fish from Fisherman’s mouth:

Photographs of Hout Bay Harbour – Click to enlarge:

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During my third year of high school I sang with a choir that recorded Franz Schubert’s mass no 2 in G standing within this sanctuary. It was one of the most intense experiences of my life. The sound we managed to evoke in this place of God was not only incredible, it was impressive and, as young people only beginning to form opinions and views on the world, I felt I had touched something within and without that I would endeavour to recreate again and again in my life.

Set in amongst sprawling hills Mariannhill lies in a densely green, intense landscape swept by forests and sheltered, leafy neighbourhoods outside Durban. Despite being close to the industrial parts of Westmead, the Monastery may as well lie centuries in the past. Enter its grounds and one is immediately transported out of the fast-paced world and constant nagging elements of modern society.

A trip to the gardens, tea and vegetable gardens and monastery is a haven for the soul. The old buildings, slowed pace and peaceful surrounds are without fail a balm to the soul, and one does not need to be here with religious intent to benefit. My experience producing a voice within a choir of incredibly talented young musicians was enough to establish the Mariannhill Monastery as a cherished memory.

Mariannhill Monastery was founded in 1882 by trappist Monks who created an impressive collection of architecture, craftsmanship and design. Trappist monks are a contemplative Roman Catholic religious order following the rule of St Benedict, and a branch of the Cistercians They speak only when necessary and idle talk is strongly discouraged – even meals are usually taken in contemplative silence whilst they listen to a reading. The silence is not a restriction however, but rather a wish to give space to what matters. There are thought to be around 170 trappist monasteries in the world, home to 2500 trappist monks and 1800 trappist nuns.

The cathedral is a play of light as rays of sun pierce stained glass windows and bounce from the ceilings filled with frescos. The interior invites a moment of two of silent contemplation, whatever your spiritual leaning. Set in the midst of this embellished simplicity is a garden where tables are artfully set in the shade of giant umkhulu trees. Every now and again there is the distant sound of Gregorian chants, practically inaudible, more of a suggestion than an intrusion that sets the tone of the garden and inspires those who visit here. It’s a perfect little piece of heaven in which one just happens to also get a good meal.

A range of enticing home-made food includes muffins, vegetarian meals or rye open sandwiches. Vegetables and salad comes from the vegetable garden, the rye bread is baked by the nuns at the Jabulani self-help scheme, who also produce plain brown bread for sale to the local community, and the milk and yogurt is from the monastery’s own dairy – actually two of them. The cheese is produced on the opposite side of the valley from the milk, by the Sisters of the Precious Blood. Both are produced organically and cows grace effortlessly on rather steep hills .

The Monastery Veggies and Herbs, run by a non-monk when last we were there, supplies fresh organic salad leaves and herbs not only to the tea garden at the monastery, but also to restaurants in and around Durban. There are also a series of workshops here where crafts, including candles, are produced.

The monastery has an interesting history. By all accounts Prior Franz Pfanner, who then became Abbot, and who led the order was incredibly strict and the vow of silence was held by all. But, as inevitably occurs when extremism is involved, an uprising led to his being suspended and a new order began that went on to establish missions stations around the country and the world. It was also very active in the fight against apartheid, particularly with regards to the Group Areas Act.

But it is the silence, the essential tranquillity that seems to be innate in every form and almost engulfs the surroundings, that makes Mariannhill monastery so incredible. There is a tour that includes lunch and many of the buildings – the beautiful private gardens, the cathedral, vestments, church, and the museum.

Whilst trite when reproduced in amongst this text perhaps, there is a line that captures the essence of the monastery, set in the heart of the tea garden – ‘You’re closer to God’s heart in a garden than any place else on earth’ that possibly describes the monastery best.

Website Links:
Marianhill Monastery Website: http://www.mariannhillmonastery.co.za/
The Monastery Tea Garden: http://www.monasteryteagarden.co.za/

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The V&A Waterfront

As a born and bred Capetonian and since it is almost time for holidays I thought I would suggest my own list of activities that I think everyone would enjoy while they’re in Cape Town. So if you plan to be in Cape Town during the holidays (or at any other time of the year) give some of these a try …

Top of my list would be a visit to Table Mountain. As one of Cape Town’s prominent features and also nature’s GPS for the city (whenever I am lost my dad’s words come back to me “which side of the mountain are you looking at” and then it’s easy enough to find my way). There are numerous ways of getting to the top of the mountain, take walk up the steep Platteklip Gorge, or start in the Kirstenbosch Gardens and make your way up Skeleton’s Gorge or walk along the contour path if you’re feeling energetic …

The Top of the Table

Or you can take the cable car to the top … it revolves, it’s great and it’s the non-strenuous way to get to the top. What I enjoy doing is hiking up to the top, working  my way up to Maclears Beacon (the highest point on the mountain) and then taking the cable car down. (If you are walking up then just be aware of the weather, it can change very quickly, so don’t forget a warm wind proof jacket).

The second thing on my list would be to make you way to one of Cape Town’s fabulous beaches. Muizenberg is a great place to learn how to surf and Gary and his team from Gary’s surf school can help you do this. Or you can head over to the Atlantic Seaboard to either Camps Bay, Llandudno or Clifton where it is easy to spend a lazy day catching some sun. When the sun starts to go down you can hop over to one of the trendy bars in the area for some cocktails and dinner and good times with friends.

Surfing in Muizenberg

Gather your friends and get ready for a night out on the town – I will definitely be spending a few nights on Long Street. There are so many clubs, pubs and bars where you can meet new people and have a lot of fun. And don’t forget that Cape Town has been voted by Lonely Planet as one of the world’s top 10 party destinations. But what you need to remember if you’re planning on having a few drinks is to make use of a taxi service. I’d recommend Rikkis (http://www.rikkis.co.za/) or if you’d like to be driven in your own car Scoota Express (http://www.scootaexpress.co.za/) has the answer.

If you’re feeling a little bit culture hungry then why not head into one of the many art galleries and museums in the city. My favourites are the Iziko museums. Visit the SA National gallery, the Planetarium, Slave Lodge, the Bo-Kaap museum and many more. It will certainly give you a new perspective on the city (http://www.iziko.org.za/).

La Colombe

And if you’re someone who enjoys good food, as I am, then try out one of Cape Town’s fabulous restaurants. There are so many to choose from and you will find something for everyone, from fabulous seafood, to classic pizzas and gourmet meals, it’s a feast on everyone’s table.

And while you’re out exploring why not take a trip to one of the fantastic vineyards. Two of my favourites to visit because they offer great food and delicious wine are Constantia Uitsig (with the River Cafe and La Colombe being 2 of my favourite places to eat) and Groot Constantia (the restaurant Simon’s is also a fantastic space and great for watching sports events).

I will most definitely be spending my holidays enjoying these activities.

What will you be doing? Let us know, we’d love to hear from you!

Other Suggestions not to miss:
Visit the Green Point Stadium Visitors Centre
V&A Waterfront (shopping, dining out, harbour cruises and more)
Kayaking on the Atlantic Seaboard
Township Tours (Try Mozolis Restaurant for a great party!)
Penguins at Boulders Beach
Hundreds more … see things to do in Cape Town

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Now Cape Town has its own green map to illustrate its natural beauty, and the myriad green, eco and sustainable options available in the city, whilst encouraging people to live more sustainably to protect its vulnerable environment …

Use the Cape Town Green Map to make greener lifestyle choices and experience the Mother City’s wealth of sustainable resources.

In June this year www.capetowngreenmap.co.za went live with a virtual and carbon neutral launch, a couple of really good radio interviews, as well as features in various community newspapers. The website is home to the online Cape Town Green Map, which uses the Open Green Map system as its platform, and is powered by Google.

It’s a great map, allowing visitors to the site to zoom in and scroll around Cape Town, to find all of the green resources, products, local and organic markets, responsible accommodation, recycling drop off sites, box delivery schemes, nature reserves and the like close to you. There are already over 250 green sites on the map.

A handy tip: when visiting the site, click on the large map version, either the link directly above the visible map, or click on the ‘green map’ button on the top navigation bar. This allows you to use a search and filter function to make it easier for you to find what you’re after.

The website also allows you to suggest a site, shows latest green events, a summary of  icons and criteria used on the map and a ‘go green’ section, based on the Smart Living Handbook produced by the City of Cape Town, gives you a breakdown of how you can go green at home and at work. The map is a project of the Host City Cape Town Green Goal 2010 – the programme behind greening the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.

The great thing about the map is that it adopts the open source ideology. It is based on the Open Green Map system (www.opengreenmap.org) – an international online mapping platform used by 55 countries  in over 600 communities that together chart a sustainable future with a series of ward-winning icons. So, if it’s green and fulfills the criteria of the map, it automatically goes on the online Cape Town Green Map – no cost involved.

Since this week the Cape Town Green Map is now also available in print. The print version – a handy snapshot in time of green Cape Town – was launched on 24 November to the media and is available for download – visit www.capetowngreenmap.co.za. You can also pick up a free copy from December at your local Cape Town Tourism Visitor Information Centre, so if you run a Bed & Breakfast or offer accommodation in Cape Town, this is an ideal leaflet to add as a room drop.

The print map, printed on SAPPI sponsored triple green paper, gives an overview of green Cape Town by combining a number of visitable sites such as nature reserves, local organic markets, responsible accommodation, where to eat and shop organic, local recycling drop-off sites and more. It’s aim is to remind both residents of Cape Town and visitors to the Mother city to live, work and play responsibly so as to reduce our impact on the fragile ecosystems within the city.

It will also be distributed via box delivery schemes, selected organic food outlets and eco product suppliers. Look out for a copy near you.

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Wouldn’t you rather be here too?

Photograph: View from Robben Island towards Cape Town

Photograph: Table Mountain Cableway

Photograph: V&A Waterfront, Cape Town

Cape Town is gearing up for a holiday season like never before – book your accommodation in Cape Town now before there are no rooms left in the City!

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As you enter the generous courtyard, its perimeter under cover and brimming over with stallholders at wooden tables, black boards behind them announcing their wares, there is a generous aroma of bacon and eggs. On your immediate right is the Boeremark stall, there from early to supply you with bacon and egg rolls or a farmers breakfast. On the morning we arrived (which was our second visit to the market and the area) they had already stopped selling farmers breakfasts, so popular are they.

The space is brimming with families, conversation, laughter, wine and good, local food in abundance. Hermanuspietersfontein, the original name for Hermanus way back in 1855 before it was shortened (thank goodness, can you imagine getting that out first thing in the morning?), is the chosen name of a wine cellar and brand that uses these premises for wine tasting. As part of the Sunday’s Glen wine ward the farm was awarded champion status by the Biodiversity and Wine Initiative (BWI) last year. The farm lies nestled in the valley between the mountainous area close to Stanford and the Atlantic Ocean.

It’s a smart move to use their generous courtyard with seating for the weekly market, as where better to sell your wine! With food, goes wine. And it’s quite a collection of local quality food that you’ll find here. The cheese stall, run by Gerrie, usually has a bit of a queue, and, all of the cheeses are local in the sense that they’re from Cape Town and the surrounding areas.  Gruyere, blue cheese, goats cheese, you name it, it’s there, alongside a small but killer collection of cured meats – blackforest ham, pancetta and copper.

Other stalls include ‘eat Greek’, which, as its name suggests, serves delicious Greek foods that include tzatziki, humus, spanakopittas and dolmades; Matt’s fish, which had a selection of cob, red roman and kingklip – all fresh; a bread stall where an array of handmade artisan breads are baked by Jenny, whose husband Hennie used to do the incredible fish stall (it wasn’t there on our visit, perhaps Jenny decided breads would be a better idea?). Jenny described to us how she prepares her starters, mostly from wheat, to produce her breads, which sell at modest prices when compared to the Cape Town markets.

Auntie Gerda convinced us to part with our cash very easily. Her assorted cakes, small bakes, truffles and cup cakes are delightful and delicious. My other half will be returning simply to acquire more of her millionaires shortbread! Rita was selling a selection of homemade pies, whilst Jan and Marie served us an amazing pancake. That was by no means the sum total of the stalls, there were plenty of others that included an array of pickles, mustards and chutneys, droë wors, Gerald the coffee man, who apparently has been known to make 410 coffees on demand in 360 minutes, and more.

Also worth a mention are the fish cakes which we managed to sample. They were simply delicious and value for money, but I’m blown if I can remember from which stall they came …

There were a few characters at the market too, and, if you don’t mind the occasional warbling nasality of Celine Dion, take a seat, collect your goodies from the stalls around you, and bask off in the atmosphere of a large communal dining-room, where friends and family make a ‘thing’ of Saturday mornings.

When? Every Saturday 09h00 – 13h00
Contact: +27 (0)28 316-1875

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The Northern and Central Drakensberg falls into four valleys; Champagne Valley, Didima Valley, Amphitheatre Valley and finally the Middledale Pass Valley in the Northern Berg.

Big peaks in the Champagne Valley are Cathkin and Champagne Castle with peaks of 3149 and 3248 metres respectively and are some of the highest in the Drakensberg. Cathkin was named by Scottish settlers after an area near Glasgow in their native country and Champagne Peak was named by a climber who took a bottle of bubbly along with him to celebrate his ascent to the summit of the peak … and then accidentally dropped the bottle!

The Cathedral Peak and Didima Valley areas of the ‘Berg offer beautiful scenery (although where in the Drakensberg doesn’t offer magnificent views?) If you have a 4×4 and are in this area drive to the top of Mike’s Pass for picture perfect moments of the Central Drakensberg and Rainbow Gorge.

The Royal Natal National Park in the Amphitheatre Valley is a well known tourist spot and its most famous feature is the Amphitheatre where the mountain rises straight up to a height of 3000 ft. The Royal National Park also features Cannibal Cave where tribal people had to resort to cannibalism while hiding from Shaka Zulu as he searched the area for his enemies.

To me, the best place in the ‘Berg is Loteni. Also well known for its beautiful scenery, Loteni Nature Reserve is part of the Southern Drakensberg and is located between Kamberg and Sani Pass. As its only 70kms away from the village of Nottingham Road it’s a perfect day trip if you are in the area Midlands Meandering.

For the hiker there are a number of good walks and the birding enthusiast will not be disappointed with the wide variety of bird life to be seen; 150 different species have been recorded in the reserve. If however you are like me and you prefer to just do nothing then the rivers offer excellent entertainment. Take an amble down to Cool Pools and spend the day swimming and baking dry on the flat rocks.

I’m going back to Loteni in December and I can’t wait!

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Photograph: Loteni Waterfall – Courtesy of and © South African Tourism