Day Tours - Swartland Wine Route, West Coast
The Swartland, otherwise known as the wheat and rooibos-producing part of theWestern Cape, lies between Malmesburyin the south, across the Riebeek Valley to Piketberg in the north, Darling in the west, to the Oliphants Mountain at Porterville in the east. It begins only 50 kilometres outside of Cape Town making it fairly accessible to visitors, and its undulating wheat fields, vineyards and deep river valleys have been the topic of many a photographer’s lens. It’s close enough to get to – yet it’s a perfect place to get away from it all. Only an hour’s drive from Cape Town, the Swartland Wine & Olive Route, established in 1986, offers visitors the kind of country comfort and hospitality that quickly sweeps away the stress of city living.
The Sandveld is the sparsely populated area between the West Coast and the Swartland. Elands Bay is a surfers paradise and the nearby Verlorenvlei is a breeding place for a magnitude of birds. Piketberg is positioned on the slopes of a mountain with the same name.
Porterville is a picturesque town. Visit the Jan Danckaert Museum which depicts the history of the surrounding area. Moorreesburg is in the heart of the Swartland wheat area and the Wheat Industry Museum is one of only three in the world.
Riebeek West is the birth place of two of South Africa's past Prime Ministers. Visit General Smuts' Birth House. Riebeek Kasteel is a tranquil town on the slopes of the Kasteelberg. The Church Museum was the first church built in the area in 1855.
Malmesbury is surrounded by wheatfields and vineyards. Visit the Kalbaskraal Nature Reserve which has a wide selection of indigenous flora.
A visit to Darling, founded in 1853, is worthwhile. In thís town there are numerous beautiful Victorian houses, the Butter Museum, which takes a look at the history of butter making, and the little theatre of the resident cabaretist Peter Dirk Uys alias Evita Bezuidenhout. During the wildflower season, after the first rainfalls in spring, the town is surrounded by carpets of rich colour.
Local foodies agree that this is an area not to be missed. Small owner/chef-run eateries, cosy coffee shops and larger-scale restaurants offer a huge range and variety of meals, most prepared with fresh produce sourced in the area and many made to old family recipes.
This gorgeous region with its long, hot summers and blustery, astmospheric winters offers a huge variety of outdoor activities. Walks and hikes are popular, as are 4X4 trails, and for the more adventurous there’s hang-gliding, paragliding, canoeing, clay-pigeon shooting and horse-riding, to name but a few. |
