Vines, Passes and the Sea - 145km

SOMERSET WEST

Nestling on the slopes of the Helderberg, Somerset West was founded in 1822 on part of the historic farm, Vergelegen. Originally named Somerset, after Lord Charles Somerset, Governor of the Cape from 1814 to 1826, the name was later changed to Somerset West to avoid confusion with the town of Somerset East in the Eastern Cape.

Other wineries in the Somerset West region include Avontuur, Meerlust and Eikendal. On the edge of Somerset West lies the Helderberg Nature Reserve, which covers 245 ha of unspoilt fynbos vegetation. The reserve is criss-crossed by a network of walking trails and offers good birding opportunities.

HELDERBERG WINE ROUTE

The Helderberg wine region owes its name to the majestic Helderberg Mountain, which dominates the scenery between Stellenbosch and Somerset West. The region is especially noted for its superb red wines and ports, but also produces outstanding sauvignon blanc and chardonnay wines. This tour allows sufficient time to visit some of the 21 wine farms, cellars and co-ops on the Helderberg Wine Route.

Among the well-known wineries are historic Vergelegen – granted to Governor Willem Adriaan van der Stel in 1700 – with its magnificent Cape Dutch manor house and avenue of camphor trees, JP Bredell Wines (renowned for its red and port-style wines), Vergenoegd, Longridge and Yonder Hill.

STRAND

...has been sought-after since the mid-1800s, when it was the traditional summer holiday resort for farmers from the Stellenbosch area. Situated on the northeastern shore of False Bay, the 5 km-long expanse of white sandy beach offers safe swimming, making it popular with families, sunbathers and surfers.

GORDON’S BAY

The picturesque harbour town of Gordon’s Bay lies in a secluded cove on the eastern shore of False Bay. From the slopes high above the town an enormous anchor, made of whitewashed rocks, overlooks the luxury waterfront developments that now line the bay. Main Beach and Bikini Beach, next to the harbour, offer safe swimming and are packed with sunbathers during the summer months. Candidate officers of the South African Navy are trained at the South African Naval College on the eastern side of the harbour.

KOGELBERG BIOSPHERE RESERVE

...lies at the southern end of the Hottentots Holland Mountains, in the heart of the Cape Floral Kingdom. Characterised by high mountain peaks and deep river valleys, the reserve comprises a core area of 18 000 ha and several smaller fragments. Kogelberg is internationally renowned for its diversity of fynbos plants, and is home to some 1 600 species, including 150 endemics.

Among its rare botanical treasures are the endangered marsh rose (Orothamnus zeyheri) and the greatest concentration of Mimetes species in the Cape. Visitors can experience the wilderness atmosphere and spectacular scenery along several day walks and an overnight trail. Kogelberg was declared southern Africa’s first biosphere reserve in 1998.

ROOIELS

...with its small sandy beach, takes its name from the farm granted to Abraham Louw in 1839 and the river of that name. It refers to the red alder (Cunonia capensis), a riverine tree occurring in the area.

PRINGLE BAY

...is a beautiful sandy inlet lying between the mouth of the Buffels River and a small rocky headland named The Point. Its name honours Rear-Admiral Thomas Pringle, commander of British naval forces at the Cape from 1796 to 1798. In the early 1800s, the bay was earmarked as a port to enable farmers to ship their produce across False Bay to Simon’s Town rather than negotiating the arduous Gantouw Pass over the Hottentots Holland Mountains.

Over the years, the bay’s remote location attracted its fair share of deserters and runaway slaves, and a cave just north of the Buffels River still bears the name Drostersgat (Deserters’ Cave).

HANGKLIP

...at the southern extremity of the Hottentots Holland Mountains, marks the eastern end of False Bay. Originally named Punta Espinosa (Thorny Point) by early Portuguese navigators, the 454-m-high mountain was later renamed Cabo Falso (False Cape) as it was sometimes mistaken for Cape Point during bad weather conditions. To the Dutch, it resembled a hanging lip, and so they called it Hanglip (which later became Hangklip). During World War II, Hangklip was the site of a radar station built to keep a watch for German vessels.

BETTY’S BAY

...is a pleasant coastal resort and angling spot established in the 1930s. At Stony Point, the western extremity of the bay, visitors can get close-up views of a colony of African penguins (Spheniscus demersus), one of only three mainland colonies in Africa. The first penguins started breeding here in 1982, and within eight years the breeding population had increased to just over 100 pairs.

Nearby can be seen the remains of the Southern Cross Whaling Station, which operated between 1907 and 1928. Relics include part of the jetty, the ramp used to winch carcasses ashore and the remains of the Balena, one of the last whaling vessels.