The stark and stunning Swartberg behind us, we drive the dirt road to Calitzdorp where we stop for at a quiet country hotel for a small snack. Then on to Barrydale, another small country town, sliced by South Africa’s route 62, which is meant to have echoes of Route 66 in the US. On Mai’s advice we check into the Tradouw B&B, run by the effusive Leon and his far quieter partner Denis. We have a room in the back with a cozy verandah looking out over the extensive back yard. Across the street they also have land, on which they keep their pet pig Priscilla, and where they’ve put in an interesting Native American medicine wheel garden.
On our two evenings we are treated to extraordinarily good food—first on the main drag(Rt. 62) at Clarke’s in the Karoo, and on the second night at the home cum part-time eatery run by the charming chef Michelle, called Mez. Both serve up exquisite food from thoughtful menus. During the day we explore in the hills above town, and after desisting from looking for “actual” trails, simply move back to dusty country roads—of which there are plenty. Small vineyards sprawl in the central part of town. Locals loiter outside the small grocery store. We find a small café with wifi and wile away some time there and in the sunny garden outside our room.
From quiet Barrydale we continue west, briefly detouring south through another mountain pass into Swellendam—one of the country’s oldest towns, and then it’s not much farther before we arrive in Montagu.
Montagu appears after one drive’s through the “English Fort”, a huge hole dug into the solid rock that once made the town much more remote. It has an impressive collection of Cape Dutch style buildings. We again find a lovely B&B at the foot of a beautiful garden, but spend our time roaming the few streets in town. We’ve booked to take the much touted “tractor ride” up the mountain in the adjoining Koo Valley, but the following morning we’re disappointed to hear it’s been cancelled due to rain. The weather does clear up, but there is no rescheduling.
Instead we go on the historical walk of the town, snapping pictures of the various well-preserved and restored Cape Dutch buildings, including one that houses a small museum. A retired couple—recent arrivals from Durban—orient us through the rooms and talk about their relief escaping the increased danger and violence in suburban areas. To me one of the most fascinating things about the house is that many floors were made using peach stones, which were then set in place with thick layers of beeswax. Ingenious and attractive, too!
In the afternoon we drive out into the Koo Valley to see what scenery we missed on the tractor ride. Again, it’s quite beautiful, although living in many of these valleys does seem awfully isolated—even today. We get ourselves ready for a change in direction as we’ve decided to head northwest for the spring flowers before returning to Cape Town and the south coast to (hopefully) see whales.
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