Bainskloof weekend

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.

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.

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.

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