I am a sucker for road trips. Any “excuse” really to get out there and explore! That’s what makes Cape Town and the stunning surrounding areas so awesome. There are seemingly endless and easily accessible options for day trips. Whether you love the beach, enjoy mountain or forest hikes, shopping at a local market or exploring the many beautiful wine estates the Cape has to offer. So many options, so little time!
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So I sweetly suggested to hubby that we take advantage of the South African National Parks (SANParks) annual week-long campaign where South African residents have free access to nearly all of the 21 national parks from Monday, 12 to Friday, 16 September 2016 (depending on the park selected).
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And where better to celebrate the start of spring then the beautiful West Coast National Park. It’s only about 120km north of Cape Town along the R27 so it can easily be done in a day. Being the organized person I am (well, I try to be anyway!), I checked the weather and Wednesday, 14 September was forecast to be the warmest and sunniest day, perfect for seeing the vibrant spring flowers. Hubby had taken some time off and we arranged with Granny to spend some time with Daniel that afternoon. Sorted!
Wednesday morning arrived, sunny and warm just as predicted. Thank goodness as we all know how temperamental spring weather can be. Once Daniel was at school, we hit the road for a fun day out. I’m not the type of day tripper that likes to just go from Point A to B and back again. So hubby knew there would be a stop or two along the way. Our first one was at Vygevallei Padstal (farmstall) on the R27 (West Coast Road), opposite Jakkelsfontein.
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If we had more time, we definitely would have had a drink and bite to eat at the Coffee Shop – definitely next time! There is a Wine Shop filled to the brim with red, white and rosé varietals, many from the Swartland region.
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The play area has a large wooden jungle gym and there’s a farmyard with geese and chickens. The Winkel sells an abundant array of fresh home-made breads, pies, cookies, olives and a large variety of Nuweland preserves and other freshly baked goods.
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Arriving at the West Coast National Park a short while later, we waited in a long queue with about 50 cars ahead of us. We waited for about 20 minutes at the West Coast Gate and then headed for the Postberg Section. It’s only open to the public during August and September for the spring flower season and is a great place for game spotting too. We drove around for over an hour, stopping to take some flower and lagoon photos and saw loads of zebra, eland, springbok and ostrich.
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After all this driving (well, me sitting while enjoying the passing scenery and hubby doing the driving!), we headed to the picturesque and breathtakingly beautiful lagoon for a beach picnic at Kraalbaai.
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This is probably my favourite spot in the whole park that I have visited – it’s so serene and reminds me of a tropical island beach. What can I say? I’m a beach babe and sun, sand and sea = my happy place!
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We sat down near the jetty and just lazed around enjoying the sunny weather and our picnic lunch, watching the terns and seagulls swooping. Hubby was brave enough to dive off the jetty for a swim in the chilly water!
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I knew hubby was dying for a cold one by now, so we headed out the park towards Darling for some cold craft beers at Darling Brew. To those that know me, I am a wine lover through and through while hubby is the beer drinker. However, today I was going to be different and try some craft beer too. No one was more surprised by this then him! I think the last time I really drank beer was many, many years ago in Prague where my family is from. They really make some of the best beer in the world (in my opinion anyway). The other thing with drinking beer is that it makes me very hungry! And yes, this might sound odd since beer is rather filling, but it has the opposite effect on me 😉 I get sssooo hungry after only a few sips!
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We entered the cool interior which was very welcome after a few hot hours in the sun. I decided to try a small taster or two at just R10 each (100ml). My favourite was the Gypsy Mask, while hubby had his tried and tested Bone Crusher.
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The Tasteroom & Brewery offers interesting and interactive beer tastings and has a restaurant that offers a variety of meals including platters and beer paired meals. One can either sit indoors overlooking the state of the art microbrewery or the pretty garden below. There are wooden tables outside which are especially great for those with kids that are playing on the jungle gym – you can easily keep an eye on your little ones while enjoying your craft beer or tucking into your meal.
All too soon, it was time to head home. Time sure flies when you’re having fun and we had a great day out in the sun, flower and game spotting and beer tasting. There is still some time to enjoy the spring flowers, so what are you waiting for? Get out there and explore this beautiful part of the Western Cape!
