Stellenbosch to Noordhoek

Mountain Breeze campsite is one that grows on you. Roger and I both have an immediate prejudice when all we notice initially are alien trees. However, we soon realised the advantage of all the pine trees when the weather turned and we were so well sheltered against the wind! Besides that, the staff are friendly, and the facilities are good and very clean. And they have a Laundromat! We were told that the trees at Mountain Breeze are King Pines and found this interesting bit of information on the Internet:

According to wiki.answers.com the King Pine got its name because during the American Colonial period the largest Eastern White Pines in the forest were marked and reserved for making masts for ships, by order of the King. Cutting down one of the King’s Pines would be punished by death. However, occasionally in a storm, a massive white pine would fall. These trees could be salvaged privately and sold for lumber, at very large profit. These damaged trees, or ‘windfalls’ are also the origin of the term windfall.

It is really a challenge to wake up in the mornings when it is drizzling and dark outside and we inevitably don’t get going until late morning. Anyway, after two nights at Mountain Breeze we headed out and met up with an acquaintance in Stellenbosch. Sandra does telesales at Frogitt and Vonkel Wine Merchants and although we have chatted on the phone for years we have never actually met! We spent some time with her before moving on towards the De Reuck Winery on the Crow’s Nest farm.

We met Marcel de Reuck at the Wine Show while we were in Jo’bug and at that time promised to visit when we were in the area. We received a warm welcome from him and his wife Deirdre. After sharing a pot of coffee and a bottle of his superb wine it was already way past 4 in the afternoon so it did not take much convincing for us to accept his offer to park right there for the night. Again, the hospitality of people we meet along the way is absolutely wonderful.

Marcel and Deirdre have this amazing winery where they produce wines with low sulphur content because he is sensitive to sulphur; right up my alley! If you would like to know more about avoiding that ‘morning after the night before’ headache check out their website: www.dereuckwines.co.za They also farm with free-range pigs, breed (or used to breed) with Rhodesian Ridgeback dogs (the Rhodesian Ridgeback is one of only two registered breeds indigenous to Southern Africa) and with Friesian carriage horses. A busy, full and very active life-style, yet very chilled… A big ‘thank you’ to both of them for their hospitality.

The next day’s first stop was at AC Motorhomes to address some of the issues with Ufudu, none of which were serious. The reverse camera that was damaged by the baboons was beyond repair so they had to install a new one. The other items were all small and not even worth mentioning. As always Hein was welcoming and helpful and Melissa was quick with a mug of coffee to counter the morning cold. It is always a pleasure to visit them.

Next we went to the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. Fortunately they had wheelchairs available which solved the problem of me not being able to walk much. Roger, however, got a serious workout in the process. We did not realise before how steep the pathways are! The gardens were beautiful and being winter the aloes are flowering, attracting plenty of sunbirds!

The main reason for our visit to Kirstenbosch was to view the new Centenary Tree Canopy Walkway which was opened in May this year. This 130 metre raised steel-and-timber walkway winds and dips its way through and over the trees of the Arboretum. It starts and ends at ground level but is crescent shaped and at its highest point is 11,5 metres above ground level. It is most impressive!

We next headed towards Noordhoek where we camped at the Chapman’s Peak Caravan Park for 2 nights.

The reason for being in Noordhoek was to be close to our friends Carol and Mike, whom we spent the first evening with. We went to the Food Barn, catching up on all the news, enjoying good food and good wine. It was great to see them again! Thanks to Carol for making all the arrangements (and for the eggs!).

On Saturday we went to the Boulders African Penguin colony which is part of the Table Mountain National Park and situated between Simon’s Town and Cape Point. Again, we got a wheelchair and Roger did the chivalrous thing. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful partner!

Next we went to Cape Point. We took the Funicular up to the top but this time when we asked for a wheel chair we were informed that they were kept at the bottom station! It was so cold and windy anyway that we were not too disappointed to not see Cape Point this time round.

With the wind howling and the rain coming down we were more than happy to get back to Ufudu where we snuggled up for the night. We did spare a thought for the less fortunate out there in the cold…

After a night of heavy rain and wind due to a cold front, we spent Sunday 1^st of June (can you believe how time flies?) with friends Hannlé and Nico. First stop was a wine tasting at Eagle’s Nest Winery, followed by lunch at the Lookout Deck at Hout Bay. We had the most entertaining waiter. Thabo was quick with a response when Nico called him ‘bright’ after he anticipated our starter order. He immediately responded with ‘Yes I know, my mother even calls me son!’

The weather was kind to us and we had a thoroughly enjoyable day. Thanks to Hannlé for arranging everything (and for the wine and olives!).

Sadly we have to move on again, but hey, there are more places to see and more friends to visit!