The Cape is a
land of many secret
valleys. Banhoek
Valley
is one of those
destinations awaiting
discovery off
the well beaten
tourist track,
the kind of secret
hideaway that
travellers pass
on by word of
mouth. If you
take the path
less travelled
by, you'll discover
Zorgvliet, a winelands
destination for
a vineyard holiday
for the whole
holiday.
BY GRAHAM HOWE
On all my travels
around the world,
I have rarely
come across a
valley as breathtakingly
beautiful as Banhoek
Valley.
It lies less than
sixty minutes
from Cape Town
but a world
away from the
hustle and bustle
of the city.
Leaving Stellenbosch behind, we ascended the Helshoogte - a precipitous pass that lives up to its name. The spectacular road climbed to the summit like the steeply-terraced vineyards which scramble high up the mountain slopes to the vineyards in the sky. In the clouds, we came across some of the Cape's most renowned cellars award-winning wineries like Zorgvliet, Thelema, Tokara and Delaire as well as lodges and guest-house getaways set in vineyards with views that go on forever. Imagine waking up to this!
We were following in the footsteps of the first settlers. When Simon van der Stel and his pioneering expedition ventured this way on horseback on 16 October 1687, the mountainous ascent must have seemed like "hell's heights".
The modern tarred road makes the route easier but no less dramatic. The Governor generously rewarded all 23 men in his party with a farm in this outlying settlement - naming it "Banghoek" (fearful corner) because of its wildness. Fleeing religious persecution in Europe, the French Huguenots also found a sanctuary here, settling the first farms and taming the wilderness.
Shoe-horned between
the busy wineland
destinations of
Stellenbosch and
Franschoek, the
Banhoek
Valley
lies high on the
slopes of the
Simonsberg, one
of the Cape's
top wine wards.
If you¹re
looking for a
convenient base
from which to
explore the gastronomic,
natural and heritage
attractions of
the Cape winelands,
it offers the
best of both worlds.
Far from the madding
crowd, the Banhoek
Valley
offers travellers
a sanctuary in
the heart of the
country in close
proximity to the
tourist honey-pots
of the Western
Cape.
Banhoek is easily explored by car, by bicycle, horse or on foot on vineyard trails. Scenic detours to protea, fynbos and fruit farms like Rainbow¹s End or Clouds Village tempt the traveller. Farm tracks take daytrippers into the heart of the Cape countryside. The landscape changes colour whatever season you visit. The amber and russet tones of the vineyards in Autumn; the scented blossoms of the fruit orchards in Spring; the mists which shroud the valley with mystery in Winter; and the green blanket which lies over the contoured slopes in summer as the grapes ripen on the vine, awaiting the harvest.
The winding valley road took us through undulating farmland past some of the Cape's top wine cellars, restaurants & lodges. We stopped for lunch at Le Pommier Restaurant & Country Lodge, an old farmhouse with oodles of character, named after the old apple farm where it is located. A country restaurant painted in pumpkin tones, it serves traditional Cape cuisine inspired by the French Huguenot settlers as well as a special children¹s menu in an informal setting. We owe more than snails and frog¹s legs to the culinary legacy of those early pioneers who planted the first vines.
We were offered a romantic nook in the cool interior with its thick stone walls and terracotta floors beneath wooden beams. On a summer¹s day, we opted for a table on the covered terrace overlooking the gardens. The restaurant serves the highly-rated wines made at nearby Zorgvliet - including Le Pommier¹s own wines made from grapes grown in its vineyards.
The opulent, spicy reds Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Shiraz are the perfect match for the robust flavours of chef¹s famous chicken pie, lamb shanks and oxtail in winter with zesty white wines, lighter salads and seafood in summer. You can buy the wines by the glass - or by the bottle at the wine shop.
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