Cape Town - The Cape Country Meander is described as a portal into a land which is green, healthy and wholesome. Who can resist such an invitation?
Meanders have popped up all over as towns get together to market what they have to offer the traveller, be it accommodation, activities, food, local specialities, or fun things to take home.
The local tourism body under which the Cape Country Meander falls has a name which evokes pictures of streams rushing down gorges and valleys – Theewaterskloof Tourism. The towns under its umbrella are Caledon, Elgin Valley and Grabouw, Botrivier, Greyton, Genadendal, Riviersonderend, Villiersdorp and Tesselaarsdal which, despite my extensive travels in South Africa, I had never heard of. My reputation as a wanderer who has explored most little side roads was at stake.
So I felt a whole lot better when I was told few people had heard of the place. In fact, it is said to be the Cape’s most hidden village, tucked in among the mountains between Caledon, Napier and Hermanus. It seems even that ubiquitous travel writer TV Bulpin never even mentioned it when giving an account of his travels.
The village stems from the days when land was often given in payment for services, which is how a lieutenant in the Cape Cavalry, Johannes Jacobus Tesselaar, came to receive two large farms in 1748, one of which was Hartebeestrivier – the name originally given to the settlement, before it finally was renamed after its owner.
By 1797 Tesselaar was one of the wealthiest men in the Overberg, having acquired more farms. We are told he had about 125 horses, 505 sheep and 40 cattle. He also had several slaves. He and his wife had no children, but it is believed when he died, among the heirs were two daughters born out of wedlock from his relationship with a woman ‘of mixed race’.’
After his death, his wife, Alida, continued farming. A forward thinker for her time, she stipulated that on her death all her slaves were to be freed, while those under the age of 15 were to be educated. The locals take pride in the fact that Tesselaarsdal is possibly the only place in South Africa where a mixed community maintained its land despite apartheid.
Nowadays, the village is a spot where those who love roughing it on their mountain bike can find trails on nearby farms, while horse riders and 4x4 owners can enjoy their own kind of fun.
When it comes to what tempts the palate, Elgin Valley/Grabouw is famous for its apples, as well as Appletiser and Grapetiser. It also produces wines and potstill brandy, while Genadendal is famous for its honeybush syrup. In Caledon, caramelised onion tart – made from the region’s Caledon globe onions – is a big drawcard.
This being one of the oldest parts of our country, it is also rich in history. In 1898 medical doctor and Cape senator Sir Antonie Viljoen established the first commercial deciduous fruit orchards – thus starting our apple industry.
He was knighted in 1916 for his efforts to bring together Boer and Brit after and Anglo Boer War.
For me the big lure in Caledon is to soak in the hot mineral waters and in flower season stroll amid the scents and colours of the Caledon Wild Flower Garden. By the way, Errol Tobias, the first black South African to receive Springbok colours (in 1980), hails from here.
As to Villiersdorp, it plays host to the Oude Radyn House, built in 1843, which is the only building in the Cape with the original wooden Batavian gutters. It is also located near the attractive Theewaterskloof dam with its mountainous backdrop.
This is also where the Riviersonderend, which lends it name to the town, starts its life, then meanders some 140km to join forces with the Breede River not far north of Swellendam.
As to Theewaterskloof dam, it is said to be the seventh largest dam in the country, covering some 50km2. And who can resist a place with the name of Aphrodisiac Shack Smokehouse, which provides picnic baskets for those wanting to munch lunch on the shores of the dam.
You get to choose from an array of cheeses, meats, fish dishes etc and the Shack throws in a complimentary bottle of wine or soft drink and a loaf of bread.
At Botrivier, Beaumont Wines on Compagnes Drift farm (the site of the Dutch East India Company’s outpost) houses one the of oldest water mill houses in the Overberg.
Now it is a museum, providing insight into the history of wheat production.
We also learn that Charles Darwin, during his visit in 1836, was intrigued by the rock formations in the area.
Around these parts, the traveller is highly likely to encounter our national bird, the blue crane.
Many years ago my best sighting was of about 50 of these elegant birds in just one field. Nowadays I doubt they are that prolific, but it is still an evocative sight if you come across them.
Genadendal is probably the most fascinating. The oldest Christian mission station on the African continent was established here in 1738 by Moravian missionary George Schmidt.
Schmidt was a tireless worker who diverted the Baviaans River so the settlement crops could flourish. From humble beginnings, with just 32 Khoikhoi attending reading classes in the first year, Baviaans Kloof (the original name for Genadendal) became the biggest settlement outside of Cape Town by 1798.
It also opened the first teachers’ training college in the country in 1838.
There is a timelessness to Genadendal, a place where you can simply walk and get the feel for another era.
Perhaps you might like to spend a few silent moments under the old pear tree which served as a classroom to the early students.
Incidentally, Ilse – the wife of anti-apartheid campaigner the Rev Beyers Naude – was born at this mission station. Her parents worked here throughout their lives.
So, if you are in the area, this meander has something for everyone. - Sunday Tribune
l Contact Theewaterskloof Tourism on 028 214 3300. They have the numbers for each of the towns on the meander.
Aphrodisiac Shack Smokehouse on 028 840 0313.