TULBAGH

Tulbagh (100km from Cape Town) comprises two main parallel roads, one an architectural pleasure, the other a sunbaked stretch of buildings plying a dusty commercial trade. The town’s pride and joy is historic Church Street and the long, moody valley – an alternating slideshow of foaming spring blossom, crimson autumn rust and mountains topped with swirls of winter cream. Church Street has the greatest concentration of national monuments in the country (32); most of these were virtually flattened by a devastating earthquake in 1969, but thanks to an impressive restoration effort all are back on their feet and doing a steady trade with local and overseas tourists.

Things To Do
  • Strolling down historic Church Street is the standard introduction to Tulbagh. The street is a concentration of Cape Dutch and Victorian architecture, beautifully restored after the 1969 earthquake pegged 6.4 on the Richter scale.
     
  • The village is enclosed on three sides by mountains – the Obiqua, Winterhoek and Witzenberg. This translates into good hiking, cycling, horseriding and scenic drives. A walking and cycling map, as well as permits for these activities can be collected from the tourism office on Church Street (tel 023-230 1348).
     
  • There are a number of wine cellars in the immediate area, including one or two new boutique cellars. TweeJonge Gezellen (tel 023-230 0680) and old faithful Drostdyhof (tel 023-230 0203) are the better-known estates, while Manley Wine Cellar (tel 023-230 0582) and Saronsberg (tel 023-230 0707) are among the new contenders. Most are open for tastings during the week and Saturday morning.
     
  • Tulbagh has several coffee shops and dinner options, which tend to come and go with the weather. As there are none of the usual fast-food outlets, we joined the blue-overalled locals at the Vis Paleis for hake wrapped in brown paper – the name alone deserved a visit. Aimed at tourists, Paddagang (tel 023-230 0242) is good for traditional Cape dishes, while Readers (tel 023-230 0087), on Church Street, has atmosphere and imagination. Further up the continuum you will find a few restaurants offering finer dining, but like many country ‘gourmet experiences’, the nouvelle cuisine can be a poor imitation of what you get in the city. Rijks (tel 023-230 1006) and its private wine cellar is arguably the best of the lot.