I am one of those people that has eternal wanderlust. One of my favourite things to do is explore new places, people and spaces. If you ask anyone that knows me, they will tell you that I would love to hop on a plane at any given moment and just go … anywhere! As I am a stay at home Mom with a family to take care of (plus Summer the cat), this is somewhat restricting, never mind the finances to fund my said wanderlust.
The solution? A road trip to celebrate my birthday! As we recently spent a long weekend away with friends, kids and dogs in the Matroosberg, Ceres, we asked Granny to spend the weekend at home with our son Daniel and Summer. Woo hoo! An awesome road trip, just hubby and I on the open road, from Cape Town to Prince Albert in the Great Karoo, stopping at padstals (farm stalls) along the way and anywhere else our hearts desired, plus amazing scenery. I’m a beach and forest kind of girl at heart, so why the Great Karoo? One of my other favourite things to do (I have a few!), is to enter competitions like a maniac and hopefully win a few along the way. Some say I’m lucky but I put in the hours. As the saying goes, you’ve got to be in it to win it. I was fortunate to win a weekend stay for 2 at the luxurious 4*Karoo View Cottages … The View Says It All on the outskirts of Prince Albert village, but more about this charming and quaint village later.
My birthday arrived and we set off on a cool and cloudy winter’s day, hitting the N2 highway. After the usual traffic jam passing through Somerset West, we made it over Sir Lowry’s Pass and made our first stop at Peregrine Farm Stall, a popular stop for travellers since 1964. Situated in the lush and beautiful Elgin Valley, this farm stall has something for everyone. I decided to grab a takeaway cappuccino and chicken mayo sarmie for the road. The café was buzzing with patrons enjoying their meals, the bakery and farm store were busy too and overflowing with delicious freshly baked breads, pastries, home-made pies (legendary status has been achieved), fresh fruit and vegetables, a very well stocked wine selection and champagne style apple cider. Most are locally produced and farmed goods. There is also an outdoor area where you will find the Padkos Express, selling coffee, shakes, the legendary pies and cold-pressed fruit juices, as well some pop-up stores selling clothes and bags. The kiddies outdoor grass play area in the middle of the pop-up stores is perfect for kids to let off some excess energy.
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Once we reached the Overberg, we were greeted by the sight of gorgeous canola fields. Being a cloudy day, the dazzling bright yellow colour wasn’t as vibrant but still beautiful.
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Our next stop was at the Ou Meul Bakkery in Riviersonderend. They have another 5 stores scattered around the Western Cape. We were there for one thing and one thing only – the yummy pies! Hubby and I both opted for the venison pies that had just come out of the oven and were very generously filled – a bargain at only R34 each. They were incredibly more-ish. Any roadside stop always includes a loo break for me and this one took me through the restaurant and bakery areas as well as the gift shop – a very clever marketing plan as the men’s restroom is near the entrance. Hitting the road again at a comfortable pace (hubby likes to pretend he is playing Forza in real life sometimes!), we drove to Mossel Bay and took the R328, which connects the coastal port of Mossel Bay with Oudtshoorn. The winding and very scenic Robinson Pass (860m) was breathtaking. We were very fortunate that the clouds had cleared as the pass often has heavy rain and frequent mountain mist, which makes it very dangerous.
Now what is a birthday without some wine tasting? Quite by chance, we discovered Baleia Wines just past Riversdale off the N2 so naturally this was our next stop – I have a very accommodating hubby! The tasting room occupies a beautiful and modern space. We chose to sit beside the gas lit fire. I tasted some lovely white and red wines (I don’t usually drink white wine) for only R35 and you get to keep the vase-like crystal wine glass – yes please! They also sell extra virgin olive oil and olives, produced from their own olive trees. Would’ve loved to have lingered longer but it was time to get back on the road.
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Our usual stop at Bakgat Butchery in Oudtshoorn proved to be rather fruitless as they had no ostrich biltong or wors! Really? The ostrich capital of the world? As we drove out of town towards the majestic Swartberg Pass, we saw hundreds of ostrich running around in the fields. Anyway, hubby bought waterbok biltong which was really good.
The Swartberg Pass is quite something and is known as Thomas Bain’s final and best piece of road building. It took us quite some time to travel the 23.8km in our Opel Astra sedan hatchback (no 4×4 unfortunately). It was slow going as the pass is gravel and very steep and winding – no Forza driving here! We stopped along the way to take in the sweeping and breathtaking views – simply stunning. We were awestruck to say the least and when you finally make it down to the very bottom of the pass and the amazing mountains are looking down on you far below, you realize just how small you are in the greater scheme of things.
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We finally reached the quaint and charming village of Prince Albert around 5pm and we were eager to check-in at Karoo View Cottages. We were warmly greeted by Richard, the owner, and showed to our gorgeous cottage for our 2 night stay. The cottage is beautifully decorated with everything you need for a self-catering getaway, including a divine indoor fireplace (I’m a sucker for fireplaces!) and the most stunning views of the majestic Swartberg Mountains can be seen from the large windows and patio. You really just need to bring your own food and drinks. Hubby had a well-deserved beer while I got ready for our dinner date.
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Prince Albert literally has one main road so it’s very easy to find your way around. The Gallery Café is located at the Prince Albert Gallery, Seven Arches, 57 Church Street and occupies a beautiful old building. The Prince Albert Gallery exhibits the works of a wide variety of South African artists specialising in etching, painting and ceramic art. We walked up the stairs taking in the various artworks on the walls. We were once again warmly greeted, this time by the owner Brent, and seated at our indoor table. Art occupies the walls in the fine dining restaurant as well, and on balmy summer nights, one can sit on the outside verandah. The blackboard menu offered a variety of tasty dishes. With some suggestions from Brent, we shared the Springbok and Ostrich Carpaccio (R65). For mains, hubby chose the Karoo Lamb Shank (R155) and I had the Chicken stuffed with Roast Sage & Onion (R126). Both were delicious and came with creamy mash (what is Banting?) and grilled vegetables. I brought my own bottle of wine (corkage was R35) although they are licensed. Unfortunately, there was no space for dessert but they did have some mouthwatering options available. All in all, a fab birthday dinner with friendly service, delicious food and wine and the company of my darling hubby.
Back at our cottage, the wind had begun to howl and the rain was coming down in buckets, but we were nice and cosy beside the roaring fire. Did I mention I’m a sucker for fireplaces?
The rain storm passed through the night and we woke up to a beautifully warm winter’s day, the sun highlighting the natural raw beauty of the Swartberg Mountains in the distance.
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We decided to head into the village to see explore and see what happens there on a Saturday morning. We started off at the Prince Albert Saturday Market in Church Street, just opposite the Gallery Café. Even though it wasn’t very big, there were quite a few stallholders offering dried fruit, homemade jams, pickles, cakes and bread, patés, fresh fruit, free-range eggs and organic vegetables. Coffee and pancakes are on sale too. I bought a jar of raw honey straight from the hive for R50.
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After that, we slowly wandered up and down Church Street, stopping at some of the quaint stores and cafes along the way.
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By now, we were pretty thirsty, so we popped into the Swartberg Hotel (77 Church Street), one of 19 national monuments in the village. We opted to sit outside at The Coffee Shop for a drink or two. This is a lovely spot to sit and chat and watch the world idly go by.
Lunch was later enjoyed at The Lazy Lizard (9 Church Street). The menu is vast and you can enjoy anything from a quiche or sandwich to a Karoo lamb curry or Mediterranean pasta. I had read that they weren’t licensed so I brought a bottle of rose to sip under the trees. I had the Bacon, Cheese and Onion quiche with chips and salad and hubby went for the Bacon and Mushroom Omelette with chips. The portions were massive and we battled to finish our meals.
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Back at Karoo View Cottages, we spent some time at the boma having a lekker braai as it was still sunny and warm. Firewood, firelighters, tongs and a grid are provided. The plunge pool is a must in the very hot summer months. We bought pork chops at the local butcher on Church Street (where else?) and they were among the best I’ve ever had in my life. It was so relaxing, just chilling out beside the fire and watching the setting sun. The stars that night were something else – the Milky Way was spectacular and clearly visible with the naked eye.
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Our final day arrived and it was time to head home. Our stay at Karoo View was amazing, just far too short. We headed towards the N1 and drove along till we reached Laingsburg and took the turnoff to Ladismith. Little did we know that the very gravelly road through the pass (still don’t know what the name of the pass is as there was no signage) was about 80km long! There were very few houses along the way and endless scrub vegetation usually found in the Karoo. We felt very much alone in the world as only one 4×4 passed us along the way. Fortunately, MUCH further along, the road eventually became tar, so we took the turn off to Montagu and this led us to Cape Route 62 – yay! I wanted to stop in Barrydale to check out the very popular Diesel & Crème Vintage Diner & Motel (2 Tennant Street). It is indeed an eclectic mix of retro, quirky and kitsch but oh so cool.
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I wandered around taking pics while hubby enjoyed the free Wi-Fi. We both ordered a hotdog with caramelized onion & tomato and chips (R45). It was good but far too filling. Their decadent Gourmet Shakes seem to be a big hit (R38) and are served in a large jar.
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By this time, it was 3pm and we had at least another 3 hour car journey ahead of us. It was slow going as it rained the whole way back to Cape Town. This was an epic birthday road trip – amazing scenery, new experiences, great laughs, delicious food and wine and in amongst it all, some time to relax and just enjoy each other’s company without any distractions.
I love roadtrippin’ with my favourite ally 🙂
