Robertson was primarily a stopover on the way to the west coast, but it was a nice place to stay for a couple of days. It is a huge wine growing area, about 40% of the vines in South Africa are planted in the Breede Valley which Robertson is a part of. We ate both nights at the 4 cousins restaurant, which is part of the larger van Loveren group. Glasses of wine in South Africa are never a small pour, quite the opposite and their prices very inexpensive for really nice wines, making Andrew generally very happy. And even happier when he could buy a bottle for dinner and take whatever was left home with him.
We visited the related van Loveren vineyard for a lunch at Christina’s Bistro. There were some very old vines, but there was also plenty of new planting still happening in the area. New citrus plantations were also common and all the planting both citrus and wine were on a huge scale. There may have been some excessive engine revs engaged as Andrew tried to exit the car-park while the hand-brake was still firmly engaged. And possibly that was the same day we had an issue with him driving in second gear in our automatic car and wondering why the car was making so much noise?
On the trip between Robertson and Darling we stopped at the Karoo Desert Botanical gardens. Andrew was happy the lady gave him a discounted entry because he was disabled, as she pointed out his hearing aids! There are a number of longer hiking trails but we chose the nature “walk”. Only thing they didn’t put on the description of the “walk” was the scrabbling through and over rocks to descend back to the garden after climbing up and round the path. On the positive side there were great views and we did finally spot a dassie lying in the sun on the rocks
After a short stop for lunch in Riebeek Kasteel we continued on through to Darling. The weather alternated between bright sun and thick fog. The sun on the intense yellow canola plants is always stunning,
Darling was a really great stop. A small town but with lots of character. You have to like a town that uses “Hello Darling” in its tourist promotional materials.
The highlight for Andrew was the restaurant around the corner from our accommodation called 1910 the Old Forge. It was so good we didn’t even think of eating anywhere else. I think the steak fillet we both had on the second night would be the best piece of steak I have had in my entire life. Just like that a standard glass of wine in South Africa is generous, so too are the size of most meals.
The darling sweet company was also doing good things and we may have purchased a few boxes of very nice soft (teeth safe) toffees.
There was a small panic before we went out for dinner one night when Andrew realised he had just taken a couple of mouthfuls of a water bottle with dishwashing liquid in. We had kept it in the car to clean the windscreen etc. It had put in the house while clearing out the car before returning it the next day. Luckily it was quite diluted! and after a couple of glasses of actual water there were no consequences.
One of the big reasons we stayed in Darling was to see the spring wildflowers growing on the West Coast at this time of year. It was just the start of the season, but we did see good display in the West Coast National park. We realised after we got into the park that we had been charged the South African entrance fee, rather than the international entrance fee – quite a saving which we used for sweets at the sweet shop as noted earlier.
The meadows of flowers were very scenic. We didn’t see many animals, but did see a Caracal wandering on the road – a large cat-like animal.
And Darling was the 1st time we saw a snake. Just a common brown house snake, sitting in our doorway which Andrew confidently pushed away with his shoe.
Our hosts had said we should visit the !Khwa ttu Centre. I thought it would be a short visit, but it was so well done we spent quite a long time viewing the information. Reading reviews on tripadvisor later, most people said how professionally it had been done and how much they enjoyed it – opinion we agree with. It’s purpose is to tell the story of the San people. The nomadic ethnic groups of southern Africa, not tied to any one country, have been highly affected as nations have taken their traditional lands and impacted their nomadic and traditional ways of life. The museum is split into the first People, the colonial impacts and the knowledge and skills of the San.
It was good to drop the car back to Cape Town airport and take an Uber into the city. Over the two parts of the trip we had driven 4400 kilometres. We had been warned prior to starting the trip that the South African roads were in terrible condition and that driving was hideous. In reality, yes there were a lot of roadworks but excluding the one drive in Swaziland, the road conditions were pretty good. And yes the taxi vans could drive like maniacs, however generally speaking the drivers weren’t too bad. Certainly not significantly worse that NZ roads and drivers.
Stayed at House of Pinardt and the excellent Darling Lodge Guest House