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Liana48
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Picnic areas near Stellenbosch
Picnic areas near Stellenbosch where you can take your own picnic basket
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jencroc
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Picnic at a naturally beautiful, ecologically friendly wine estate
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
We’re in the car, my daughters and I, on our way to Spier Estate. It’s a short enough drive (about 45 minutes out of central Cape Town) for the kids not get edgy, but long enough to make you feel like you’re going out into the country. Spier is situated just outside of the historic town of Stellenbosch, the second town to be established by the Dutch when they came to the tip of Africa in the 1600s. It’s also the town where I went to University so I know the road with its picturesque farmworkers’s cottages, rolling vineyards, and the splendour of the Stellenbosch mountains well.
Spier Estate offers a huge number of activities and things to do. We opt for a picnic lunch alongside the beautiful dam surrounding by lush lawns and trees. First we visit the deli shop. It’s a real delight and we stock up with crispy French loaves, gypsey ham, slices of Leiden cheese, fresh fruit juice for the girls and a half-bottle of wine for myself (one of Spier’s excellent wines, but they also sell the wines from other estates, and you can buy beer and light alcoholic beverages in the deli), and a Greek salad. I love the little pots of mayonnaise and grainy mustard they sell, as well as the snoek (it’s a local fish) pate which is to die for. My daughters pick up packets containing plates, knives and forks and we’re set for a picnic under the African sky. All for the reasonable price of R184. I know from previous visits that you can’t bring your own picnics to Spier, which is fair enough as there is no cover charge for sitting on their gorgeous lawns or relaxing next to the Eerste River that burbles its way through the estate.
After we have finished eating my eldest daughter goes off for a pony ride. She’s actually a very good rider and the pony rides around the picnic area are really for small kids, so she persuades me to take her for an hour’s outride at the Spier Equestrian Centre later in the afternoon. That’s a little more pricey at R250 an hour, but you get to ride gorgeous horses, can borrow hard hats, but not shoes, and the guide is a delightful man who knows his horses and is fully-trained in first aid, so I feel very secure in letting Hannah go off with a group of about six tourists who are joining them on the ride.
My youngest daughter and I spend the time while Hannah is riding wandering around the grounds, and we use up the rest of our loaf of bread feeding a very sweet duck family: complete with babies. Then it’s time to doze on the lawns, the ultimate end to any successful picnic in my opinion. The great thing about Spier is that the security is excellent so within reason I feel very happy to let my children wander around on their own, although they are 10 and nine, so they know how to keep out of trouble.
Although we enjoy assembling our own picnic you can also pre-order picnic baskets from the deli as long as you make the booking the day before. For more information go to www.spier.co.za
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hanneso
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Lanzerac Manor, Stellenbosch, South Africa
This 300 year old wine estate is one of South Africa's most famous, mostly because of its spectacularly beautiful setting in Stellenbosch's Jonkershoek Valley. It really takes you back in time. In summer Stellenbosch gets very hot, and then its the perfect time to find yourself under Lanzerac's oak trees, or in one of its pools. My room was big, but I'm sure not the most expensive one there - prices vary from around EUR90 per person during out of season time, and can go as high as EUR450 for some of the fancier rooms - I'm told they're spectacular. Lanzerac, of course, makes its own wine, so it adds to the atmosphere come dinner time.
Lanzerac is located on the outskirts of Stellenbosch, so its away from the bustle of this student town, but it is near the Jonkershoek Nature Reserve. A very fine base to explore the Cape Winelands from.
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hanneso
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Stellenbosch, South Africa
A quick visit to Google will quickly help you with this town's rich history, so I won't go into that here. Instead, because I lived here for four years, I'll try tell you what you HAVE to do while in Stellenbosch, and have limited time.
* Oom Samie se Winkel - this an antique store with a difference. It's very much like an old general dealer that got frozen in time. Fabulously quirky stuff inside.
* Tollies - a favourite pub/bar hangout for the thousands of local students. Good beer, real party atmosphere at night (Wednesdays and weekends). Sometimes there's a live act.
* University campus - its massive and sprawling (almost a town in itself), but there are many very pretty buildings, and its got a nice vibe - go have lunch in the Neelsie Student centre
* Spier wine estate - just outside the town on the way to Strand, this is a very upmarket wine estate with beautiful scenery. And you can touch a cheetah - at a price, of course!
* Jonkershoek Nature Reserve - if you like hiking in nature, then go for a walk here. Beautiful. Even the 5 min drive to the main gate is spectacularly pretty.
* Wine tours! Many cellars around this town. But get a designated driver, because I promise you, you won't be able to stop.
Art galleries - many to choose from, and also the SASOL Art Museum.
Hillcrest Berry Orchards - just over Helshoogte Pass, this place makes the best berry jams!
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Timsaunders
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Wine Tours in South Africa
I love wine tours. Whenever I go on a trip somewhere that is known for its wine (or even if it is not known for its wine), I like to take a tour of its wineries. Unfortunately, I usually can't remember much about these trips the next day. Although I often have disturbingly strange memories of penguins.
The penguins didn't fail to turn up when I decided to follow the wine routes in South Africa. It is a country whose wines are good, although not wildly exciting, but the countryside the wineries are in is exquisitly beautiful.
The route I followed took me to Stellenbosch, South Africa's second oldest town. Founded in 1679, this town is an oasis of quaint white buildings, lush and shading trees, and open green parks. There is also a university there, and the students weren't afraid to challenge me to a few of my favourite drinking games.
There are more than 300 wine and grape producers in this region, their well kept vineyards framing picture perfect old homesteads. Perhaps the best place to check out is the Stellenryck Wine Museum and Libertas Parva Cellar. Here you will find an interesting history of the region's wine. And another place I liked was Bergkelder, situated under Papegaaiberg, which offers tours and tastings.
I like wine very much. Pity about the penguins.
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