The large white hearts kept appearing between the trees, drawing us like magnets to the bottom of the garden, past a pear orchard and across a make-shift bridge. What did they mean? What were they doing fastened to poles next to a dark, glassy stream?
Beyond the last one lay a path leading up the mountain, which topped out on to a plateau populated by orange-breasted sunbirds quaffing nectar from cream sugarbush flowers. The Groenland Mountain loomed above, shedding water into the Houw Hoek Valley below.
The air was cool and clear in this part of the 35 000-hectare Groenlandberg Conservancy which is home to 87 Red Data plant species. Local farmers have created the Green Mountain Eco Route, which blends outdoor activities in great scenery, vineyards, conservation and sustainable use of the area's rich biodiversity. A network of trails skirts the mountain, enticing hikers and mountain bikers with invigorating fresh-air fixes.
We had started out at Wildekrans Country House, a good base for exploring the area. Owner Alison Green explained that the metal hearts in her garden had first stood in an Overberg wheat field next to the N2 near Botrivier. They were her symbolic farewell to the family farm, which had been sold, and a fun Valentine to her husband, Barry Gould.
Avid collectors of contemporary art, the couple have quirky sculptures lurking in their garden. From the honeymoon suite you can see sheep grazing beside the pear orchard, but they don't move. They're an art installation to commemorate the farm animals slaughtered during the Anglo Boer War.
Many people associate the area with Houw Hoek Inn, which has been welcoming travellers since 1834.
Wildekrans Country House is up the road and is a solid Cape homestead, built around 1811. It is furnished with antiques and each of the three double bedrooms has a comfortable four-poster bed, as does the main bedroom in the self-catering cottage in the garden.
The work of renowned contemporary South African artists such as William Kentridge and Robert Hodgins hang on the walls in the cosy lounge, which is warmed by a log fire in winter.
The house's thick walls block out the drone of trucks on the N2 further up the valley, so you can sleep as peacefully as when Houw Hoek was a popular stop en route to the eastern outposts of the Dutch East India Company in the 18th century.
At Houw Hoek Farm Stall and Restaurant you will find preserves, baked goods and local wines at cellar prices. The new owners, Juan van der Westhuizen and Frans Groenewald, are chefs who worked here early in their careers, but gave up globetrotting when they heard the place was for sale.
They have put their hearts into the restaurant, which offers a range of world-class dishes at next-door prices. The trout are caught in the dams on the property, and the delectable chocolate brownies make cheating on your diet worth every bulging extra calorie.
If the curves of the dual-carriage Houw Hoek Pass seem tame compared to the old route (which you can still hike or ride and see the scars left by ox wagons), try Van der Stel's Pass, which links Botrivier with the route from Grabouw to Villiersdorp.
The dirt road along the Bot River Valley is a favourite with cyclists and bikers, who stop at Goedvertrouw to taste wine or, if they've booked, a farm lunch cooked by the hospitable Elreda Pillmann.
- Published by arrangement with Getaway Magazine. For the full article see the October issue or www.getawaytoafrica.com