Swellendam to Stellenbosch

posted in: Home, South Africa | 2

I was sad to leave Swellendam – it had been a wonderful few days – but we had our final long drive ahead – 211 kms from Swellendam to Stellenbosch where we were spending our last week in South Africa.

The road to Stellenbosch

The R60 to Ashton runs alongside the Langeberg Mountains and it is a beautiful drive!

The R60 to Ashton & Worcester

The Langeberg Mountains

The Langeberg Mountains The Langeberg Mountains

The R60 to Ashton

At Ashton the road to Robertson and Worcester is in the Breede River valley.

In the Breede River Valley

In the Breede River Valley

Nearing Worcester
Nearing Worcester

The views in the Breede River Valley were stunning – the entire drive from Swellendam had been beautiful and I would have loved to linger in Robertson, stray onto the dirt roads, go to Montagu…. However we had a plan for the day and arrived in Worcester ready for coffee and pannekoek at The Teacup!

Suitably fortified we visited the Kleinplasie Open Air Museum where we were guided around the buildings – a Voortrekker ‘tent’, farmhouse, distillery, tannery, wine cellar – and also passed through the museum. You really should spend quite a few hours here, or else return on more than one occasion, as there is just too much to absorb on one visit.

Kleinplasie Open Air Museum in Worcester

I wanted to visit The Karoo Desert National Park, which is just outside the town, and it was absolutely fascinating – and boiling hot. This is just a taster – I am going to indulge myself on the gardening blog!

The Restaurant at the Karoo Desert National Park
The Restaurant at the Karoo Desert National Park
Looking towards Worcester
Looking towards Worcester

Not sure what this is...

Aloes

Karoo Desert National Park

We left Worcester with thick smoke drifting across the road and took the old road over Du Toit’s Kloof Pass,  initially built by Italian POWs.

The road out of Worcester

In Du Toits Kloof Pass

Du Toits Kloof Pass

Du Toits Kloof Pass

And finally we arrived in Stellenbosch.

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Worcester Open Air Museum

2 Responses

  1. anne54

    Stunning scenery! Thank you for sharing a part of the world that I have no knowledge of.

    • Candy Blackham

      Thank you. Yes, the Western Cape is an incredibly beautiful part of South Africa, and there is so much more to see in the country than the beaches and the Game Reserves.

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