Epic Western Cape Road Trip

Leg 1: The Approach – Bloem & Beaufort West

To say this year has been tough is an understatement of note. I developed Long Covid after contracting the Corona Virus in June 2021 and let’s just say it affected more than my ability to write blog posts. Crippling and debilitating fatigue was the main symptom. So bad that I ended up having to quit all three of my jobs. All three of my ‘dream come true’ jobs. It was heart breaking and soul destroying. Despite a slew of happy pills, I thought seriously about taking my own life on more than one occasion. Without enough energy to enjoy watching a TV show or even reading a book, all I did was stare at the walls and resent people who had simply got Covid and gotten over it. Why me? What had I done to deserve this life sentence? I wasn’t living, I was merely existing.

This holiday, nicknamed the ‘Epic Western Cape Road Trip’, had been in the works for a year. Because when you want to stay in places like the Sunset Dome in Tulbagh and the Greenhouse in Swellendam you have to plan a year in advance. And when you’re feeling like you’d like your life to end, it’s good to have something to look forward to. But thinking of the trip exhausted me. Just the thought of packing had me resenting the very idea of going on holiday. But then a funny thing happened. On the Wednesday before we were due to leave, I had a break through during a therapy session that helped to heal a wound from the distant past. I have long believed in the deep connection between mind and body and have many theories that unhealed trauma is preventing my physical body from healing from various ailments. From the moment I left my psychologist’s office I felt lighter. I had energy. I packed with gusto. And for the first time in a long time, I got excited.

My newfound energy remained with me over the coming days. I was able to help Hubby with other packing responsibilities, including carrying heavy items to the car. Anyone who has spent any time with me over the last year will know what a big deal this is. Eventually the morning of departure arrived. As did loadshedding, which, coupled with a stubborn garage door on a pap battery turned our quick getaway into a slow stutter. But no worries, we were in no hurry, as my mum said, “As the end of any road trip is home, the journey is what matters.” We collected our obligatory road trip lunch on the way – various pies from De Bakery, Edenvale – filled up with petrol and hit the N3 south.

Bloemfontein is not glamorous as destinations go, so I tried to find somewhere quirky for us to stay to make the stop a bit more fun. And that brought us to the Rabbit Guesthouse, which doubles up as a theatre school. As guesthouses go, it was more of a hotel, or a hostel. It looked like a converted warehouse, but it had character. An efficient self-check-in system had us checked in to our well-appointed room very smoothly and we had soon unpacked our cold food stuffs into the tiniest bar fridge I have ever seen in my life. On a recommendation from Hubby’s brother, we hit NY Slice for some sustenance. Delicious New York style pizza, sold by the slice. We received two slices for free as they accidentally nuked one of our slices during the warming up process. When we returned to the guesthouse, other guests had checked in and we discovered that the walls were extremely thin and noise travels. Sigh.

We still managed a good night’s sleep and a simple self-check-out process, but I couldn’t help thinking that it was all a little impersonal. Which made me realise I had changed a lot. The old me would have been delighted that I didn’t have to interact with anyone, but this new version of myself felt somehow let down that I hadn’t interacted with anyone I had exchanged messages and money with. Oh well, this is what has become of the new world. After the mandatory (yet surprisingly yummy) road trip Wimpy breakfast, we were back on the road, headed for Beaufort West.

Beaufort West is one of those towns that doesn’t have to try very hard because it’s on the main route and people will stop over there anyway. And so, it doesn’t try very hard. Fortunately for us, Lisa, owner of Beautiful Betty B&B, tries extremely hard. Where the Rabbit had fallen short, she more than picked up the pieces. We had a self-check-in process similar to theirs, however, she came by personally shortly thereafter to make sure everything was ok. Her rooms are delightful with lots of attention to detail and personal touches. However, her bar fridges are just as tiny and the bed did give Hubby a sore back. For sustenance we visited the 4Sheep restaurant where we had been on our honeymoon. It’s a bit of a weird spot situated above the convenience store of a Caltex garage. Tasty enough food though, with excellent service. Breakfast the next morning at the B&B was delicious.

Lessons learned from this leg of the journey were that perhaps on the way to somewhere like Tulbagh, one stop is enough. i.e. Drive that bit further and only stop once. This would give you one extra day at your destination. The Free State is extremely flat, has a lot of windmills and as scenery goes is very monotonous. I am getting better at staying awake on road trips! Next stop, the Sunset Dome!

Leg 2 – The Sunset Dome, Tulbagh

From the moment I laid eyes on the Sunset Dome, perched upon a wooden deck overlooking a private dam lined with weavers’ nests, I felt a kinship; a homecoming of sorts. I know that sounds dramatic and over the top, but it’s honestly how I felt. I didn’t know it was possible to feel quite this content with life. Obviously, I acknowledge that it’s easier when you’re on holiday, in beautiful, tranquil surroundings offering complete escapism from everyday pressures, but even still, I never believed that I was capable of achieving a level of such bliss, even under those conditions.

The Sunset Dome on La Bruyere Farm in Tulbagh, Western Cape offers such peace and stillness, you can’t help but hope you can take it back with you beyond the holiday. I mean, come on, it’s a freaking tented dome on the edge of your own private lake. You have about 8 different places to choose from, from which to view the epic sunsets. The water pressure in the outdoor shower is amazing and the bar fridge is slightly bigger than previous accommodation – what’s not to love?! It has long been on my bucket list and it did not disappoint!

The drive in offered splendid scenery – particularly coming through Ceres – and it’s pretty much as advertised – a domed tent, one portion of which is translucent, overlooking the dam. It’s remarkably sturdy and keeps most of the great outdoors, outdoors. (We had an inquisitive field mouse, so kept the door closed most of the time.) There is an outdoor bathroom with flushing toilet, hot water shower and a bathtub on the deck, as well as a separate kitchen with most of what you would need on a self-catering holiday. Our only disappointment was that the braai is gas and they don’t allow fires for safety reasons – we do love a good fire. You can swim in the dam and there are walking trails, although we struggled to follow them, and got infested with ticks so didn’t pursue them any further.

No one told me that being in the Western Cape in mid-September meant we would get to experience all of the seasons in a week. The first night was freezing and I mean freezing. The temperature dropped to about 4 degrees – bitterly cold, especially for September. Thank goodness I had thought to bring my trusty hot water bottle. There were various heating options available but we braved it with just blankets. The dome was still quite warm in the early part of the evening, having been heated by the sun during the day. Not so at 2am when Hubby got up to use the bathroom and came back freezing! I predicted night 2 would see the use of some heating equipment.

Hubby has a theory that time moves more slowly when you’re in unfamiliar surroundings, and boy did his theory hold some weight on this leg of the journey. As we lazed the days away, moving from shady spot to shady spot, reading, chatting, eating (oh man did we eat!) time seemed to evolve at such a leisurely pace that the days stretched like weeks before us. We were there for four nights, but it felt like a month. Glorious!

And the sunsets, oh the sunsets! There are no words to adequately sum up their magnificence. We spent a good two hours watching the sun slowly dip over the horizon and another hour watching as it turned the sky wondrous shades of orange, pink and purple, eventually giving way to a dark, milky sky of twinkling stars. We saw satellites galore and even got to wish on a shooting star! Although what more you could possibly wish for, I don’t know.

It would be too cold in winter and too hot in summer. We were forced to stay in the dome one day due to strong chilly winds, but it was still wonderful! You have to book a year in advance. But if you plan it just right, it’s the holiday of a lifetime. Do it!

Leg 3 – Gecko Rock, The Karoo

We left the Sunset Dome with mixed emotions. Four nights had been the perfect length of stay (even though our last day and night were slightly marred by poor weather) but it still felt sad to be leaving. It held such fond memories and embodied emotions of such peace and grace, I wanted to bottle them up and take them with me. But we had places to be and all good things must come to an end. And so, we were en route to Franschhoek, the Franschhoek Motor Museum specifically, a detour on our way to our next overnight stop in the Karoo. As museums go, it is excellent, housing an exquisite collection of some very rare cars that you get to see really close up, in all their splendid detail. Hubby was in his element. After stocking up on Woolies Food supplies, we were on our way again.

Since our first trip to the Karoo when we visited the quirky town of Nieu Bethesda one New Year’s Eve, we have been mesmerised by it. The vast expanses, the rugged terrain and the magical night skies. We just had to include it on this trip. But unfortunately, our stay at Gecko Rock reads like a school report: So much potential, could do better.

We were looking for isolation and in this Gecko Rock did not disappoint. Our cottage was about 3km from reception and about 2km from the next closest cottage. But the road was awful. Full of jagged rocks and sharp stones that had me holding my breath, clenching my jaw and just waiting for a tyre to go. Still, I suppose you have to expect these things in such an isolated place. When we eventually arrived at the cottage it was breath taking. Literally. I felt breathless. Everywhere you looked there was just space. Mountains and fynbos and blue skies and just nothing else for miles. It was a bit intimidating. But spectacular. The very definition of awe.

Then there was the cottage itself. I know we had been spoiled by the Sunset Dome, but even taking that into account… it just seemed that when building the cottage, if there was a corner to be cut, they had cut it. If something needed four screws, two would do. For the finishings and furnishings they had chosen the cheapest of the cheap. And this was by no means budget accommodation – it is literally advertised (and priced) as luxury accommodation. There was so much potential to make these cottages something special without too much extra effort but the opportunity had really been missed.

And then there was the electricity anxiety – the cottage was entirely solar powered but we were strictly warned not to use too many things at once or it would trip the system, incurring a R250 call out fee to reset it. So, now Hubby and I both had electricity anxiety that we would trip the system. Not a fun state to be in when you’re meant to be relaxing.

We also had a visit from a little rodent creature who seemed to have made a home for himself in the solar battery box and refused to be chased out of the cottage, meaning we had to pack all of our foodstuffs in the car for safe keeping. Not the end of the world, but not ideal either.

But not to worry, we were in the Karoo, the magical Karoo, and nothing was going to get us down. We were going to have a fire and stay up all night admiring the glorious night sky… Except it was overcast and we couldn’t see a thing. And the wind was so strong and so cold it killed our braai before we had time to properly cook our meat and we ended up having to finish it off inside in a frying pan.

But believe it or not, this did not dampen our spirits. And nor did a second night of chasing Jupiter through the clouds with the telescope always at the ready but never getting its moment to shine. We put on extra layers, made smores, batted away moths and revelled in the peace and tranquillity of being the only two people within a 2km radius and having absolutely no cellphone service for the first time in a long time.

Was my trip to the Karoo what I expected it to be? No. Would I recommend Gecko Rock to fellow travellers? No. Did I have an awesome time despite the ups and downs? Yes! Next stop: Swellendam!

Leg 4 – The Greenhouse, Swellendam

If we had to suffer through the severe averageness of Gecko Rock in order to be worthy of the pure luxury and indulgence that was the Greenhouse in Swellendam, then it was worth every creaking floorboard and loose doorhandle! The Greenhouse was beyond my wildest expectations. Such refined attention to detail, there were little touches everywhere, and you could tell everything had been chosen specially and with purpose. From the scent of the hand soap to the aroma of the Greenhouse itself, it was all perfect! And they had a full-sized fridge!

Glorious twisting roads through ravines and mountain passes with fantastic views and truly beautiful scenery brought us to the small town of Swellendam in time for lunch at Grace + Merci, where the service was as slow as the sleepy town on a Sunday afternoon, but the food was absolutely delicious! A slow drive along a well-maintained dirt road took us to Fazenda Farm, where host Marilouise showed us to the Greenhouse – a tiny, self-contained cottage in the middle of a forest, constructed entirely out of glass panels. With its own private pool, Le Creuset crockery, and Mungo towels, it is luxury living at its finest.

Marilouise has done a spectacular job with the space, fitting everything you need for a self-catering stay into the small space without making it feel cramped or cluttered. There are also well defined ‘activity areas’ so you feel as though the space is bigger than it actually is. Add to that the outdoor space and you have everything you need for the perfect holiday. We even managed to follow one of the walking routes this time to the bottom of a stunning gorge.

But unfortunately, I can’t wax poetic about the entire experience… While the Sunday afternoon was blissfully peaceful, Fazenda is a working farm and roaring engines from construction vehicles blasted through the air from early morning until late afternoon for the other four days of our stay, painfully ruining the atmosphere. I strongly feel that this is something we should have been warned about as I would not have chosen to stay there during the week had I known about this. We were also visited by a troop of a baboons who made a mess of our outdoor seating area on two of the afternoons. One of the necessary downsides of being in a forest.

However, we were allowed fires and fires we did have! Which adds to the overall enjoyment of any holiday for us. It was still pretty chilly at night, so it was an added luxury to have an electric blanket on the bed and plenty of extra blankets. Marilouise even provided a hot water bottle which would have come in handy had I not brought my own.

It was a fabulous way to round off a fabulous road trip – in style!

While at the Greenhouse we did a day trip to nearby Barrydale to visit Diesel and Crème – a diner we had stopped at on our honeymoon road trip. They did the best milkshakes we had ever tasted and pleased to see they were still in business, we just had to pay them a visit. The milkshakes did not disappoint, but unfortunately the food did. However, it was still worth the drive to have a red velvet milkshake that tastes like a slice of cake has been liquidised with a scoop of ice-cream!

Time to head home.

Homeward Bound – Beach, Beaufort & Bloem

Is a road trip even a road trip if you haven’t seen the sea? It had almost been a year since I’d seen the Indian Ocean and I was suffering from withdrawal. We were so close and the detour would barely add an hour to our journey time. And so Mossel Bay was our destination as we bid farewell to the Greenhouse and turned the car in the direction of home. Sort of.

The weather was gloomy with a distinct chill in the air, but nothing would dampen my spirits. We visited Santos Beach, which was pretty much deserted except for a few kids who probably should have been in school. The sand was soft and smooth and the first wave icy – giving you that sharp intake of breath – but soon becoming warm as you get used to it. I was surprised by how small the waves were but we were in a bit of a harbour and I am used to the crashing curls of Umhlanga and Jeffreys. We enjoyed a seafood lunch at Kingfishers Restaurant and then headed back on the road towards Beaufort West.

I can’t quite remember my motivations when booking the accommodation for our return journey. Perhaps I was looking for consistency and the comfort of the familiar, or more likely I was tired and didn’t feel like researching anymore places; but I had booked for us to stay in exactly the same places as the way down. And so, it was back to Lisa in Beautiful Betty B&B and back to the Rabbit Guesthouse in Bloem. Beautiful Betty put us up in a different room just as charming as before and we had a wonderful stay. I would thoroughly recommend it for a stopover. The Rabbit put us in the same room and it was just as adequate as before. I probably wouldn’t stay there again. It’s just a bit hollow and lacking in character when you get down to it.

In future I think I would book a different route for the way back, or at least different places to stay – just to give you something else to look forward to. Although it provided some level of comfort and ease, knowing what to expect, it also made it a little boring.

And just like that we were home again. I remember turning off the highway, driving up the main road and looking all around me, expecting things to have changed, surprised that things still looked the same. I felt like I had been gone for months, not a mere two weeks. I felt fundamentally and profoundly changed. The fact that the world around me was unchanged seemed preposterous.

It’s been two weeks now and I still feel the mark this trip has left on me. I feel more at ease, more at peace with myself and my surroundings. I feel more determined to pursue a life that allows me to take more trips like this because they are so important for your soul and your relationships. And I feel healthy and energised – which is honestly not something I ever thought I would say. Who knows, maybe I’ll be writing more blog posts in the future. I certainly feel capable of it. Watch. This. Space.