The lighthouse at Cape Agulhas, Africa's southernmost point
We
set out to leave Agulhas stopping en route at Struisbaai to send a
postcard from the most southerly point, only to find out that the
most southerly post box is in the lighthouse at Agulhas. A quick
turn around and we were soon at the lighthouse, a relatively small
building with two brick towers flanking the main light tower. For a
small fee you can climb up the lighthouse to get the views from the
level of the light. A couple of very steep ladders take you up. It
made me chuckle when we got outside to see Stef clinging to the
walls of the lighthouse. Up here where you can only fall if you
climb over the protective guard rail his vertigo had kicked in for
the first time in ages whereas I was more concerned I’d lose my
footing on the ladders inside and slide rather ungracefully down to
the bottom! The views were definitely worth the climb, especially as
we were treated to a beautifully clear and sunny day.
Our second attempt at leaving Agulhas was successful and
before long we found ourselves back on the road to Swellendam. We
were heading to wine country and rather than going directly to
Stellenbosch we had decided to head north and rejoin the scenic
route 62 to get there, a longer trip but one we were hoping was
worth our while. As it turned out it ended up changing our plans for
the next few days.
We wound up and through the Tradouws Pass to rejoin Route 62
at Barryvale and I have to say that neither of us found it
particularly scenic. Certainly it was stunning countryside with the
road following the route of the high mountain range but we have been
on much more spectacular roads both within South Africa and in other
countries. It was though our way of nudging ourselves into the wine
country and wines soon started to be easily spotted along both sides
of the road.
At Robertson we decided we were in need of a break so we
pulled in at the tourist information office to get some local up to
date information on the wine routes. In the Western Cape there are
around 300 different vineyards and there are now something like 12
different driving routes that you can follow to take in a fair chunk
of these. It’s a bewildering choice unless you know exactly what you
are looking for. What we wanted was just to be able to visit a few,
learn the history of the vineyard, perhaps a bit about their
production processes and of course to taste the wine.
A very helpful lady gave us some local information and
persuaded us not to go any further today but to stop overnight near
Robertson. She booked us in to a self catering cottage and gave us a
more detailed map of the vineyards in the local area. What surprised
us was that she seemed to be totally unaware that Route 62 was meant
to be the scenic route telling us that the R317 was a much better
option and we soon found out that she was right.
As it was still early afternoon we had time to visit a couple
vineyards before heading to our bed for the night. We took the 317
finding it to be awash with colour. Roses and bougainvillea lined
the way, beautiful reds hiding the autumn colours of the vines
behind them. Our first stop was at Viljoensdrift where, in the
summer when the river has water in it, you can take a boat ride and
stop for a picnic. We pinged the bell and finally someone came out
to help us. We tried a couple of their wines and opted to take away
a bottle of their Colombard Chenin Blanc, a very light drinkable
wine with an equally tasty price tag – R19.50, about £1.95!
Our next stop was a little further down the road at
Goedverwacht. Here a dirt track takes you from the main road down
to the cellars and a small building acts as their tasting centre.
The ladies here were a bit on the snooty side and it was almost as
if it was too much trouble for them to spend time with us. They did
though have a very nice Shiraz Rose which was our next souvenir of
the day.
We started to make our way back into Robertson, stopping for a
last tasting at Bon Courage. Here we were met by very friendly staff
who, unlike the last two places, actually seemed to know about the
process involved in making their wine and they were happy to spend
as much time with us as we wanted to take. They pulled out the
tasting notes for us to read, not that it made a lot of difference
to us, and generally chatted with us not just about wine but also
about our trip and where we were headed next. Our third bottle of
the day was duly bought and drunk that evening so I can’t remember
what it was other than that it was very tasty!
We
have arrived in wine country
With the effects of so much tasting starting to take its toll
we called it a day for the wine tasting and headed back into
Robertson, a small town but one which looked pleasant enough. A stop
at the local Pick’nPay stocked us up with bits and pieces and we
headed off in search of our accommodation. The lady at tourist
information had said that it was near the Wederom Vineyard and even
better, it was actually on the vineyard. We were met by a very
welcoming Almien who showed us round to our cottage, a small one
tucked away at the back. She showed us inside and told us that
before we left tomorrow her husband would take us through their
cellars and explain about the history of the vineyard and their
wines.
The cottage was beautiful. It was small and compact but had
everything we needed as well as being tastefully furnished. A comfy
bedroom led off a cosy lounge which had a small fireplace in one
corner. The kitchen was again small but with loads of character and
best of all there was a large brick braai outside. Prompted
by me complaining that I was doing all the work, we decided to swap
roles for our braai tonight with me lighting the fire and
Stef doing all the prep work inside. I have to admit that I think I
was very lucky with the wood here but I quickly had a roaring fire
both outside in the braai and in the lounge. Stef in the
meantime was lagging on the food front so I went and helped him out.
It all came together in the end and we had a very tasty
braai but the effects of a long drive and a lot of wine tasting
took its toll and we ended up having another early night.
