5 Day Round Trip – George, Oudsthoorn, De Rust, Prince Albert, Mosselbay – again
How fortunate we are here on the Garden Route in our octopus-type setting, tentacles that can stretch for hundreds of kilometres.
My husband, Mike and I enjoyed a magical 5 day trip in which we experienced and saw so many landscapes and different ways of life, from Ferraris to donkey-carts, lush green growth to soul-destroying drought-stricken areas. However, wherever we went there was a constant reminder of the grand vastness, big skies and overall beauty of this wonderful country, our South Africa.
We stayed in George on the first night and then travelled through to Oustshoorn to visit our favorite, quaint trading store and restaurant, Smitswinkel. Our eyes, ever-roving were constantly drawn to the oddities – an unusual collection of WW11 side-car motorbikes, complete with model soldiers in full dress uniform, to hobby collections and homemade goodies.
There was just so much to see, but with the uncertainty of what the road works, delay would be like, between Oudtshoorn and De Rust we pushed on through. It is always best to add at least an extra 30 minutes to your travelling time each way when you travel this route.
We would normally just whizz through De Rust, but decided to hang around and find out why Country Life in their latest edition, called it ‘the Klein Karroo town that never sleeps’.
We quickly understood why the local yokels gather at Ray’s Coffee Shop. The tree-filled garden added to the pleasure of a light meal, and most importantly, that much needed cuppa.
Later, we visited a few quaint shops and found the owners and assistants to be most hospitable and friendly – certainly a little town that should not be overlooked or underestimated. Sadly our time was limited and there is so much more to do and many places to explore. Go see for yourselves and have fun – all so nostalgically normal.
Prince Albert was our next stop. It is amazing travelling through the awesome, magnificent Meiringspoort, which can be sometimes a bit scary, but at the same time exciting. The current drought conditions were most evident in the dried-up river beds and tributaries, which is quite a contrast when just a short hop away is a waterfall. The rondavel restrooms are extremely well maintained and clean should you need to make a pit-stop.
Arriving at Prince Albert, we stayed at the Swartberg Hotel with its olde-worlde Victoria dining room, with its beautiful art, crisp white table cloths, patterned wallpaper and huge portions of good food, we felt as though we had stepped back in time.
I highly recommend you try out the cozy pub, the welcoming lounge with its huge fireplace and then, of course, one should not miss the Reading Room for the aperitifs or sundowners. We found some most interesting, historical books to browse through and the overall feeling was of being in a place of rest and peace where a weary traveller should tarry.
As one explores the many interesting little shops, you get a sense that there is no need to rush. The Tourism office was most hospitable and more than happy to elaborate on further activities in the area.
Having the Museum so close to the Tourism Office is also very convenient and what an amazing, interesting time we had, housed in a really aged premises with old, creaking Pine floors from a bygone era, arrows pointing us in the right direction, so as not to miss any of the numerous items on display in the many rooms – the Museum is a must-see.
We spent our fourth night at Eight Bells, just 35 km from Mosselbay. This inn is set in the most tranquil surrounds, with rolling mountain ranges providing an equisite backdrop for the well maintained, tree filled gardens. The rooms are spacious and light and we stayed in what used to be the stables of the inn, now modernised of course. The menu is excellent as is the service and breakfasts are a feast.