Yorkshire Airlines

A friend and fellow Yorkshireman posted this on his Facebook page recently. It made me chuckle.

Township visits

Most visitors to Cape Town only see the townships as they arrive and depart from the airport. It isn’t very sensible to go there on your own, but it is safe and interesting to go on an organised visit. Some people are put off the idea thinking its like treating local residents as curiosities, but I think it comes down to the way the visit is organised. There are a number of operators who provide a range of tours that are run by people who live in the townships, so the money they make directly benefits the local area, which has to be a good thing. Reputable tours typically include visits to a range of community projects, a market and a bar. You can also organise evening visits which include a music venue and meal. You can even stay in a house in a township for part of your stay. Notionally you book into Vicky’s B&B, but as she only has two rooms, she may be full, so will put you in touch with a network of other people who offer a similar service. It is a world away from the Cape Town most people visit, but worth doing if you like to get a feel what it is like to live in a township. Sometimes this sort of thing can be a bit phoney, but done properly a township trip can be informative and have a real benefit for the local community you are visiting. For more information about Vicky’s B&B follow this link http://www.vickysbedandbreakfast.com/

A symbol of hope

This is a travel blog and not a politics blog, but I just had to include these pictures, which would not have been possible in South Africa's recent past and offer hope for its future. They were taken on the beach at Camps Bay.

Steenberg wine estate, Constantia Valley

The Steenberg wine estate in Constantia Valley, is just a short drive from Cape Town and not far from the slopes of Table Mountain. It is away from the main Cape Winelands tourist route, but an easy visit if you have a car or a driver/ guide. You can go there and combine a visit to Kirstenbosch Botanical gardens in half a day, leaving Cape Town after breakfast and getting back late afternoon. Everything at Steenberg is beautiful and stylish. The vineyard also has a high end hotel and spa next to it, never been there, but it rates highly on Trip Advisor. There is also a restaurant in the main vineyard. I made sure I wasn’t driving for this vineyard visit, so got to do the tasting. Previously I had only had the Sauvignon Blanc, which I love and was keen to see if the rest of the range was of the same standard. I am pleased to say that it was and particularly recommend the Merlot 2007.

Cape Winelands - Franschheok, Stellenbosch and Paarl: much more to them than wine

It isn’t hard to see why Franschheok, Stellenbosh and Paarl are the part of the Cape wine region most tourists visit. It must be one of the most beautiful wine regions in the world. You can enjoy the highlights on a day trip or do things at a more leisurely pace and base yourself in the area for part of your holiday. There are a wide range of accommodation types from hugely expensive (we are talking four figures a night) to cheap and simple. You also get plenty of fine dining opportunities, especially in the Franschheok area, which has some of the country’s best restaurants. Paarl is the largest town in the Cape Winelands and boasts a huge granite outcrop. Stellenbosch is a University town so is more vibrant and youthful, where as Franschheok is pretty and quaint. Much of the area has French connections and as its name suggests Franschheok (French corner) has strongest links with France. French Huguenots established vineyards here in the seventeenth century and they were welcomed by the Dutch who gave them land rights. When I think of this part of the Western Cape, I think of big blue skies, dramatic mountain backdrops, Cape Dutch architecture and of course wine.

Companies such as Day Trippers organise a small group trip, which means there are about eight of you in a mini-van http://www.daytrippers.co.za/ . This is good value and good fun. You have some scope to influence where you go, get a chance to share travel tales with others and sharing the trip with them cuts costs. On a couple of occasions I have been the designated driver for DIY trips, so visited vineyards but not tasted; even though I love the grape, I still enjoyed the day. If you want to visit particular vineyards and no one wants to miss out on the tasting, then hire a driver for the day. Although more expensive than the group trips, it represents good value for what you get and means you have total control over where to go. I would organise this through Randy’s a thoroughly professional outfit who specialise in airport transfers and private tours http://www.randystours.com/index.html.

My favourite vineyard visits in this area include:

Villiera http://www.villiera.com/ which isn’t as pretty as some other vineyards, but has a fabulous range of Methode Cape Classique wine (this uses Champagne technique to produce some great fizz).

Graham Beck http://www.grahambeckwines.co.za/ also does some great bubbly and the range of wine in general is consistently good.

Fairview http://www.fairview.co.za/ is a highly commercial operation and attracts lots of tourists with its gift shop, cheeses, eatery and goat herd.

Solms-Delta http://www.solms-delta.co.za/ is of interest as it has a strong community empowerment focus and interesting museum, they produce a red fizzy wine called Cape Jazz Shiraz, not a fine wine, but a fun one and a great choice to quaff at a braai (South African barbecue).

A typical view

Huguenot memorial at Franschhoek

Offerings from Graham Beck

Resident goats at Fairview