Mossel Bay to Cederberg Eastern Cape Spas, flowers and no whales
I am a member of the Vernacular Architecture Society of SA (VASSA) and the Cape Horticultural Society (CHS) and co-incidentally both societies decided to visit Prince Albert, a weekend apart in September this year. I planned to travel up to Prince Albert for the VASSA visit with friends. T would join me at the end of the weekend and we would spend a few days at Toorwater Spa and then Oudtshoorn before returning to Prince Albert for the Open Garden weekend with the CHS. Prince Albert would be the bread in our Swartberg sandwich,
VASSA weekend around Prince Albert
Prince Albert was founded in 1842 and many of the homes there have gables dated back to the 1850’s. This time we did not see houses in the village, other than one modern house, but rather visited the homes on the original farms along the valley at the foot of the Swartberg such as Baviaanskloof and Scholtzkloof . We were led by Dr Judy Maguire, who is a font of knowledge about the history of the area, the geology and current economy. She also took time to tell us about the building of the famous Swartberg Pass by Thomas Bain and explained the folds in the rocks in the pass.
On Sunday we visited Klaarstroom, which has suffered great hardship since floods led to the closure of Meiringspoort in May. We finished the day at Zwartskraal farm. This has a solid old stone barn built of Matjiesfontein chert and a charming Victorian home with a wraparound veranda.
Toorwater Spa
After a last walk around Prince Albert with a local guide and a farewell brunch on Monday, T and I set off up the Swartberg Pass headed for Toorwater Spa near Uniondale. Traffic on the pass has increased owing to the closure of Meiringspoort and one had to approach the narrow bends with caution. Once down the other side we took the shortcut road via Ou Murasie to De Rust. This is not very well signposted, but is a charming gravel road in pretty good condition. In De Rust (which has also suffered with the closure of Meiringspoort) we picked up some basic provisions and headed for Toorwater Spa along the R341.
I was very excited by the idea of visiting the newly opened spa at Toorwater, as it has for me always been an enticing place. The name means magic water and the site and the nearby gorge of the same name were known to the early San people. I remember coming to find the hot spring many years ago, when there were no facilities and the water was just being used to water the lucerne lands. The old farm was called Nietgenaamd and there is a Catholic mission church close by.
It is great that it has now been developed as a spa and we stayed in one of the 8 units, all of which have private baths on their decks and look out toward glowing red rocks in the distance. There are footpaths along the hillside and further away one can walk along the abandoned railway line through the very scenic Toorwater Poort. The spa also has a small museum.
Oudtshoorn
After two restful nights at Toorwater Spa we headed back along the R62 to Oudtshoorn. On the way, near De Rust we marvelled at the many red hills. Oudtshoorn was the centre of the ostrich boom over a hundred years ago and has many sandstone buildings from that era. Along with the nearby Cango caves there are several wildlife and ostrich farms to entice tourists, but we were more drawn to the excellent CP Nel museum. We also visited the home of C J Langenhoven, Arbeidsgenot. Included in the furnishings of the early 20th century is a magnificent brass bed. This is purported to have been destined for an Indian princess and off loaded at Mossel Bay, instead of Bombay. It was bought on auction by Langenhoven for his wife. One wonders what she said when he returned with it, especially as the mattress was so heavy it had to be cut into 3 so she could turn it!
Open Gardens weekend in Prince Albert
On Friday morning we returned to Prince Albert. Before climbing back up the pass we stopped at Karuso wine estate and micro-brewery and bought some wine and beer. We also stopped at Kobus-se-gat (dreadful name!) to try one of their legendary roosterkoek. For the 3rd time in a week, T safely navigated the Swartberg Pass and we found ourselves back at Aloe Lodge on the outskirts of Prince Albert.
The weather this weekend was unsettled and we visited gardens dodging showers. It was educational to see how creative people can be with the indigenous Karoo plants, using stones and wooden branches as decorative features and gravel or bare earth as surface cover. Spekboom abounds. It was also a treat to visit the Renu-Karoo nursery with its wide selection of indigenous plants. We were lucky to have Dr Sue Milton-Dean who set up the nursery and helps farmers revegetate their land, address us on the Friday evening. She also led a walk in the pass identifying plants. Wading through the drifts with water up to our calves while the wind howled is maybe what we will remember it for!
One of the joys of Prince Albert and the Karoo generally is feasting on Karoo lamb which is particularly flavoursome, thanks to the karoo “bossies” sheep graze on. These two weekends offered plenty of opportunity for that, but sadly all good things come to end they say, and on Sunday we had to brace ourselves to endure the N1 and the trip home.
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