Schoone Oordt in Swellendam

On our trip we stayed at Schoone Oordt Country House and loved it. Go to their listing to make a booking for a great weekend away in Swellendam from R550 per person sharing.

In the sixteenth century the Dutch East India Company started trading with the KhoiKhoi from the coast and as far inland as Swellendam. As a result, it is the fourth oldest town in the country. Although it has only grown to have almost 30 000 inhabitants, today you will find over 50 provincial heritage sites and a town steeped in history.

It was about four o'clock in the afternoon when we started our adventure. The traffic from Cape Town wasn't too congested and we were soon zooming past beautiful landscapes. Over the green and brown sheep-filled hills we could see some snowy peaks in the distance.

We stopped at Riviersonderend, an hour and a half out of Cape Town, to fill up on diesel and Steers burgers. From there it was a very quick drive to Swellendam, although it was already dark and getting colder by the minute.

At Schoone Oordt we were warmly welcomed by Sonette and Wander. They helped us with our luggage and showed us to a luxurious room, complete with king-sized bed, Victorian bath and thoughtful touches. The room was warm and cosy, a hot-water bottle was already warming the bed and there were two pieces of mouth-watering millionaire-shortbread to taste as well.

After a good sleep, I opened the door the next morning, to find an open umbrella on the patio, thoughtfully put there to protect us from the deluge on our way to breakfast. Judging by the standard set by the room, we shouldn't have been surprised by the excellent breakfast fare. On arrival we were offered coffee (and our table was also set with a delicious carafe of juice). A buffet of fruit salad, cereals, granola and yoghurt was located across the beautiful breakfast conservatory for starters. The next course was a panacotta topped with nutty granola and fruit and the last course was salmon egg benedict.

Armed with the borrowed umbrella, we set out determinedly to explore the town centre. Among the things we discovered were: a delightful green park, a rushing river, a quaint art gallery and many interesting shops, beautiful old buildings with traditional façades and the large, towering church built in eclectic style (it had been rebuilt in a new style after having burnt down in a big fire many years ago).

By this time we were no longer completely dry, but still as determined to make the most of the day. The Wacky Wine Festival was on in the surrounds that same weekend, so we thought we would see what it was all about. Unfortunately, the weather got the best of us and we returned to Swellendam thirsty and with wet shoes. In all honesty, my favourite part of that outing was the scenic drive below the mountains along the winding R60.

Back in Swellendam it was peaceful and quite dark. For supper we enjoyed tasty calzone pizza's at Woodpecker's and then drove back to Schoone Oordt to relax.

On Sunday the rain abated and gave way to sunshine. This was going to be a very busy day, but at this point we didn't know it yet. Like the day before, we started with a great breakfast. After a cappuccino and a visit to the buffet table for some yoghurt, fruit salad and granola; we were each served a pancake with a cinnamon apple filling and cream. The last course was a breakfast stack: a slice of tomato with mushrooms, bacon and an egg layered on top. There was also freshly baked bread to make sure that no gap was left unfilled.

Taking advantage of the sunny weather, we set out in the direction opposite to the town and soon found the Drostdy museum in Swellengrebel Street. The street is named after the first South African-born governor, Hendrik Swellengrebel. The governor and his family stayed in the main farmhouse at Drostdy where one can see some of their belongings on display. There are some artefacts from the East (as a result of the trade and the Dutch East India Company) and others made internationally, such as an impressive safe made in France.

In previous centuries, a little village was established at the Drostdy that attracted various artisans such as wainwrights, traders, coopers and tanners. Their services were well employed by the rest of village and travellers because Swellendam was the last outpost on the eastern frontier. Today this is part of the Drostdy museum. We explored the various cottages displaying the artisan's trades, real-size carriages and buggies from older days and we learnt about the lives and heritage of the slaves in Swellendam.

After an extensive tour of the museum and grounds, we wandered parallel to the main street and discovered a large graveyard with some old and interesting tombstones. After all that walking, we were quiet tired and decided to head back to Schoone Oordt to get our things together and do some more exploring by car.

Just out of town, we got back onto the N2 and headed towards Cape Town. We had heard something or other (I am not sure what) about Genadendal and so we put that in as a via-point on the GPS. We have no idea where we turned off the N2 but it wasn't a tarred road. Luckily after all the rain it somehow wasn't too muddy and our little Polo managed well on the well-maintained, scenic road. We passed by farm houses and through lush, green fields directly below the mountains. Although it was fairly slow going, this road was somewhat of a pleasant surprise.

The next surprise was that the sand road ended at Greyton. We drove through the town and passed a quaint restaurant called Abbey Rose. Even though the pork belly was sold out, lamb shank sounded like just the kind of substantial food we needed to keep us going, so we stopped there for lunch. As it was quite late in the afternoon and things were starting to get that quiet Sunday-afternoon feeling, we drove around the town to take in the sights of autumn leaves, quaint houses and cute shops before heading back to the N2 (and right passed Genadendal).

After about two more hours of driving, we arrived home before dark feeling very relaxed.

Even though winter means that it is cold, dark and you feel so lazy, I recommend taking advantage of the sunny days, the windless days, the winter specials and the quiet towns! Get out and see the snowy mountain peaks, feel the cold, see the frost and get soaked in the rain. Just because it's winter, it doesn't mean that adventures have to go on hold.

To find out more about Schoone Oordt and to book a weekend away, go to Schoone Oordt Country House.