Coastal drive to Hermanus and inland to Swellendam, South Africa

7 - 9 Dec 2007

Montagu: South African 'Provence'

7 December 2007. We drove to Montagu via the beautiful and windy south coast: Gordon's Bay, Cape Hangklip, Betty's Bay, Kleinmond and Hermanus. Then we headed inland and went through a hole in the rock (gateway to Klein Karoo) to Montagu, where we stayed for two nights at 'Les Hauts de Montagu', an old Huguenot farm owned and recently renovated by a charming French couple: Eric and Myriam Brilliant. It reminds us of Provence here with its mountainous landscape, olive trees and lavender and it’s a pleasure to speak French again with our hosts.

8 December 2007. We spent the morning visiting the charming town of Swellendam surrounded by wheat country and a spectacular ridge, part of the Langeberg Range. The main attraction was its museum set in an 18th century Drostdy (magistrate’s house). We lunched at charming 'La Belle Alliance' restaurant which shares the same name as the ship that transported my ancestor Walter Currie to South Africa in 1820. We returned to 'Les Hauts de Montagu' in time for a dip in the pool and a walk in the cool of the evening before the superb dinner cooked to perfection and beautifully presented by our host Eric. Strangely enough, although this was Saturday night, we were the only customers so we were able to enjoy long chats with Eric and Myriam.