It’s a ‘darling’ of a town, is Darling

Darling ...

There is much to attract one to Darling. It’s a small town for one, it’s close to Cape Town (not even an hour’s drive), has its own wine route, and is the closest of the West Coast wine districts to Cape Town; during the flower season it hosts the Darling Wildflower Show whilst the Tienie Versfeld Reserve on its perimeters is a carpet of blooms, and Evita Bezuidenhout (Tannie Evita to you, darling) has ensconced herself here at the station.

It helped that we chose to visit Darling when the rest of Cape Town had its eyes glued to the Argus, long before the flower season. There was barely anyone in town. Despite this, we had the time of our lives, discovered a local gem for Sunday lunch, and got to chat to the locals … Continued

Summer season of Jazz on Friday drawing to a close

Jazz on Friday

There are just four more sessions of Jazz on Friday until the season closes for winter.

Derk Blaisse, spokesman for the Cape Dutch Connection band said that they have had a wonderful summer season.

“It’s been a season filled with many great moments and brilliant guest artists – we were even lucky enough to host singer James Stuart and Steve Brooker, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s director and conductor, who joined us on the piano. We’ve also had fantastic support from the local Cape Town and Winelands communities and from tourists visiting the area. Without exception, every single one of our performances this season was a great success.” Continued

Say Cheese! – Stories from the road by Ruan Smit

"Say Cheese!"

When I left Johannesburg 4 weeks ago I decided to stop at the first wine farm on route to Cape Town. There’s just no other way, one can’t visit the Western Cape without doing at least one wine tour. So my cycle tour for one day became a wine tour, and it’s quite awesome what one can see doing the tour this way. Obviously tasting is limited but I wouldn’t mind arranging more of these in the near future.

On the R60 from Swellendam I travel towards Robertson and Worcester. A stretch of road that I’m not completely familiar with, but I’m so struck by the beauty of the landscape that more than 30km pass by on the cycle before I realize I have no clue where I am. It’s a misty morning and the mountains show me a majestical side of this world. I cannot help but see myself living here and exploring some mountain trails and enjoying a wood fire at the end of a long rainy day … Continued

Paarl – overlooked pearl of the Western Cape

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 … Continued

Camping and excitement are not mutually exclusive at Beaverlac

Rock Pools

Fed up with crowded Cape Town city clubs and even more crowded outdoor parties, we decided to take things down a notch this New Year’s by heading to Beaverlac. Beaverlac, just over the Dasklip Pass near Porterville, is a little gem of a campsite about 2-and-a-half hours outside of Cape Town.

Spending New Year’s Eve in the tranquil surrounds of a campsite on the Grootfontein farm might sound too staid for some people. Many people want buzz and excitement to usher in the start of the new and the end of the old. Turns out camping and excitement are not necessarily mutually exclusive … Continued

A hell of a trip to Gamkaskloof

Between Prince Albert and Oudtshoorn runs the Swartberg Pass. It passes through the Swartberg range of mountains, the natural divide between the plains of the Great Karoo and the valleys of the Little Karoo, taking in the Swartberg Nature Reserve. Weather depending the trip isn’t always advisable in an ordinary sedan. But then if you’re anything like me, you give warnings such as this little credance and head off along the pass anyway. Besides, anything you can do in a donkeycart, you can do in a car, right? Continued

A leisurely afternoon at Riebeek Kasteel

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 … Continued

The time of the grape – harvest festivals in the Cape

Cape Wine Festivals

Wherever you look during the grape harvest season (late January to April) there is a harvest festival on. More and more wine estates and wine routes jostle for attention during the time of the bounty of the vineyards, and there is a real sense of harvest time as an event to remember. Suddenly grape picking, foot stomping and a serious amount of wine tasting is very much a part of the annual social calendar.

Winemaking, also known as vinification, has a science of wine and winemaking attached to it, known as oenology, but it is the harvest that has the most romance associated with it, in no small part due to its relationship with the Greek god Bacchus, and the patron saint of wine-growers, if you’re vaguely Catholic, St Vincent. As a result, it is the harvest that often gets the most attention in the process of wine making, and the festival spirit, particularly in recent years in the Western Cape, is something in which everyone can join in … Continued

I ♥ Pringle Bay because …

I ♥ Pringle Bay

Hi, I’m Catarina from Dreams in Pringle Bay on the beautiful Whale Coast in the Western Cape.
PRINGLE BAY IS BEST KNOW FOR – being situated in the Kogelberg Biosphere, Pringle Bay is best known for it’s stunning beach, beautiful surroundings and relaxed atmosphere.
GET YOUR PICTURE TAKEN AT the beach with the sea and Cape Peninsula as a background or pose in a photo at one of the viewpoints along Clarence Drive.

WHEN THE WEATHER’S GOOD, I LIKE TO stroll along the beach, swim in the river mouth, build sandcastles, tunnels and canals with my boys … Continued

Worcester – the town that fell off the map

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 … Continued

Riebeek Kasteel – a perfect little Swartland town

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 … Continued

5 GREAT day trips around Cape Town

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 … Continued

Back to basics at Beaverlac

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. Continued