Dirt Roads again

The River Lodge at Stanford was 3.7km out of town along gravel road and after a couple of journeys our pristine new Ford was more than a little dusty and streaked after a heavy dew. However this was just a taster since whichever route you choose to get to De Hoop involves at least 60km of similar roads and clouds of dust in this season.

However, the journey is well worth the coating of dust which seemed to reach everywhere - the lake was as we remembered it although the water was a little greener than usual due to a bloom of algae.

However the accommodation and restaurant was just as comfortable as before and we had an excellent dinner in the Fig Tree restaurant. We managed a couple of early morning bird walks, a trip to the sand dunes at Koppie Alleen and a cycle around one of the trails.

In addition to the Eland - each with their attendant Cattle Egret

Mountain Zebra

Bontebok

and a pair of Ostrich with three juveniles,

we also recorded a couple of new bird species - although there did not seem to be either the numbers of individual birds or the variety of species which we recorded on previous visits.

However it remains a magical place and one that we will definitely revisit - although perhaps in the Whale season next time.

Where was I?

From Hermanus we had a drive of no more than 20 minutes to get us to Stanford and a couple of nights in a self- catering suite at the Stanford River Lodge. We faced onto the river and as we sat on the deck for breakfast we could watch Giant and Pied Kingfishers looking for their next meal - amazing to see them hover kestrel-like before diving for their prey.

Stanford was a great location with a few wineries and a brewery and a number of places to eat along with river walks and a bird hide overlooking the lake.

We also managed a trip down to De Kelders and a wonderful beach in the Nature Reserve where we saw Black Oystercatchers and a large pod of Bottlenose Dolphin feeding off the beach and surfing through the waves. I think we also disturbed a couple who were taking advantage of the secluded location to work on their all-over tans but from far away to avoid any embarrassment!

It was a bit windy for the first day or so, but on our last morning we managed an hour or so in a canoe on the river before we were packing up for our drive to the Nature Reserve at De Hoop.

What the Feck is that???

I realise that there may be some gaps in my narrative and I promise that I will bring it all up to date soon but this evening's events are worthy of a stop press report!

We are on the Whale Coast on our way back to Cape Town but our first choice accommodation in Pringle Bay was less than satisfactory - I think Linda used the word SHIT more than once.
Probably not helped by the efforts of a large male Baboon who managed to open the doors and wander into the living room and eat a bunch of grapes while we were busy in the next room packing our bags.

Thankfully he left speedily when confronted and deprived us of nothing less than a bag of designer crisps although it took a bit longer - and a glass or two of expensive wine - before Linda's heart rate was down to normal levels.

So with appropriate apologies and payments we left after a day and moved to a very comfortable self- catering apartment in Kleinmond.

After a long day and a bit of packing and unpacking we were finally settled into our new place and ventured outside with a glass of Delheim Pinotage Rose before heading out for dinner, only to be greeted by our new neighbours who were outside the next-door apartment barbecuing their chicken dinner,

Peter and Margaret seemed a pleasant couple - English, retirees, golfers(???) - on their second annual 10 week holiday in SA. As Peter told us about their lives and holidays, he waxed lyrical about being able to buy 5 Litre handbags of SA wine at 90 Rand ( about £0.75 per litre) I realised that he had something - but not much - in  common with Jimmy C.

At this point Margaret noticed that my glass was empty and offered us both a glass of their white wine. It seemed churlish to decline and she proudly presented us with fresh glasses of 'our favourite South African wine. '

I am not sure any of us were prepared for Linda's reaction as she took a mouthful of 'our favourite South African wine' and sprayed it across the deck shouting ' what the feck is that shit!!!'

I don't think we will be invited back.

Where have I been???

I have been reminded a few times that it is 8 days since my last post and can offer neither excuse nor apology - I'm on holiday!

In mitigation, I could claim that there was only limited internet access while we were at De Hoop but that was only the last 4 days so I've probably just been lazy.

Since my last post, we had another good wine tasting experience on Sunday at Diemersfontein in Wellington

on our way to a great lunch with Sue and Ally and Cameron in Paarl. Unfortunately, the food was not as good as the company but we did have a good time  and impressed that they were still in such good form after a weekend of partying.

After 4 days in Stellenbosch, we were quite happy to be moving on. Getting on the road after a little essential shopping, we headed for Gordon’s Bay and then continued down the coast road towards Pringle’s Bay. Great road to drive with some amazing views but worth stopping at the viewing points as the road had a lot of fast traffic – we came upon a crash with the police and rescue services in attendance. Didn’t look good for the motorcyclist who was laying on the roadside.

Pringle’s Bay looked interesting but just as we arrived the clouds came over and it started to rain so we continued to Betty’s Bay and stopped at the Botanical Gardens for lunch. The rain had stopped by the time we finished so spent an hour of so wandering around the gardens – great to see such a variety of sunbirds.

Back on the road we decided to stop in Hermanus for the night and found a room at a B&B called Pat's Place. 

To be continued...

Mary Doll is alive and well!!!

On our way from the De Hoop Nature Reserve to Montagu, we decided to stop in Swellendam for a coffee.
The place we remembered from our last visit had closed down so we were recommended to the coffee shop at a Garden Centre across the road.
We were greeted by the owner as we walked in and all I could think of was Mary Doll and Ella with the big hair, all dressed up for a night on the town .
Thankfully her husband - who served the coffee - bore no resemblance to Rab C and was wearing a shirt rather than a string vest.

A different sort of tasting.

Having taken the precaution of booking a table for lunch in the garden restaurant at Delheim we arrived half an hour early to allow time to taste  a few of their wines before hand. They were exceptionally busy but thankfully the coachload of German tourists was just pulling out of the car park as we arrived.

Despite the numbers, they still gave us an informed and interesting tasting experience - with one of their wine experts taking time to advise us on our choices and how to get the best from the tasting. A complete contrast to the commercial attitude of the wineries on Friday. As a result we spent nearly an hour at the tasting and left with a case of wine to sustain us on the rest of our trip.

We were bit late for our lunch table but they were very understanding and we were able to take our pick of the tables looking over the garden. Lunch was everything we expected - just rounded off the afternoon perfectly - this is, without doubt, one of my favourite wineries in the world. If you are visiting this area then make a point of coming here for a tasting and for lunch.

On our way to Delheim we had stopped by Babylonstoren which is closer to Paarl. With their winery, gardens, farm shops and restaurants this was an operation on a different scale - but at the upper end of the market. Slightly surprised  to be charged a small entrance fee but with the numbers queuing to get in I guess they can get away with it.

Most people were heading for the gardens, shop and restaurants when we got there so their ultra-modern tasting room was busy but not crowded. Enjoyed the tasting but not as much as we had enjoyed their Chenin Blanc in a restaurant with Sue - probably the company and the food that made the difference.

Final surprise of the morning was bumping into Alderman Sir Mike Bear and his family - hadn't seen him since we left London in 2009, just before he became Lord Mayor. Good to have a few minutes to catch up but then we went our separate ways to focus on the wines

Drinking Responsibly

At one of our stops on the tasting route yesterday we met a winemaker with a sense of humour.

He buys in  bottled cheap white wine from other producers, puts his own label on it, calls it 'Responsibly' and then sells it at ZAR 25 (about £1.50) a bottle targeting the student market.

He explained that the students could then respond to parental questions by confirming that they were drinking 'Responsibly'.

Having tasted it I think it was probably worth every penny as a cleaning product for stubborn stains!