South Africa - 4 of 11 - Aquila Game Reserve - Cape Town 2025

Game for a Drive - Animal Magic

We had to get on the move early. We were leaving Just Unwind for one night and heading inland on the over two hour drive to Aquila. It was another scorcher as we headed inland on good roads. We were a bit concerned that if we broke down we would be cooked.  However, we made it to our oasis OK without any dramas. Our aim was to arrive in time for a nice lunch and we sort of achieved that as we were on-time. Unfortunately we visited the wrong Restaurant. There is one for day guests and one for overnighters. To be fair they were both Buffets and there was not a lot to choose between them. 

After lunch we checked into our really nice room in a large modern block. Our first floor room had a great view of the swimming pool and the park behind. 

Afternoon Safari

It was soon time for the first of our two Game Drives. TW, with her dizzy issue, was kindly given some special treatment by the Front of House Manager. Concerns about motion sickness were allayed by being allocated seats behind the driver and extra cushions.  Our driver was brilliant, Randall, giving enough interesting information but not too much and we saw all the animals we wanted to see plus some stroppy baboons. Rhinos, Hippos and Elephants, Zebra were my highlights. The Lions are just big pussy cats and were very sleepy.

We were back in time for Dinner. We managed to bag an outdoor table and hungrily consumed a decent buffet. Can't say that the food was that great but it's a long way from anywhere. We did a bit of star-gazing after Dinner. We saw the Milky Way from the grass behind the pool. It would probably be better viewing out in the park where there is no stray light but not sure we were keen to get eaten by a lion just to get a better view of the Southern Cross!

Morning Safari

We had to be up early, at 6am, for a 7am departure the next morning. As it was early, the previously dozy Lions were wide awake. Not sure that's a good thing, one female lion looked very keen to share a private tour with a young couple. Amusingly their guide was safely ensconced in the the front cabin with the windows up. Afterwards we had another close encounter with the elephants which we really enjoyed.

Anyway, the animals looked to have a happy home at Aquila and we were happy visitors and felt lucky to have seen them.

Breakfast was very welcome. TW had a massage at the spa as she was getting neck pain. Yours truly had a dip in the pool and relaxed under a shady umbrella. 

On the long road home

After a coffee we heading back on the long road back to Somerset West. There are virtually no places to stop on the way until Stellenbosch and it was after 3pm before we could stop for Lunch. We chose the magnificent Guardian Peak. They were about to close the restaurant but allowed us to order. We had a lovely meal looking out on the beautiful vines. Arguably the nicest meal of our stay. Faultless service, tasty fish with veggies and a lovely white wine. 

Guardian Peak

Nice

Guardian Peak view from our table

South Africa - 3 0f 11 - Table Mountain - Cape Town 2025

 Table Mountain - Turning the Tables - no tablecloth today

Our spinning lift to the Table top

Cape Town with Robben Island

We had to delay our trip to Table Mountain by one day. High winds stopped play! When the lift is closed, you have to walk up to the table top, and that's not for us. The wind dropped, and the clouds cleared for our day on the Table. We waited for the morning rush hour to disperse before getting in our little car in Somerset West and heading to Cape Town on the M2. The traffic was okay initially, but then it slowed to a stop, and we were diverted through Mitchells Plain and some less than savoury areas. Eventually, we rejoined the M2 and took a convoluted route to our Kloof Nek Park and Ride on the Table Mountain hillside. Well, it's supposed to be Park and Ride but became 'Stand and Wait'. Roadworks meant the shuttle buses were being held up. We took a taxi with a couple from Sussex who were also short of patience in the burning midday sun. Once at the lift, we discovered a mammoth queue estimated to be about 2 hours and 30 minutes. Far too long for us. We opted to upgrade our standard pre-booked fare to the Fast Track option; it meant paying an extra £50, but hey-ho. With the extra payment, the queue shrank miraculously to 15 minutes, we were soon on our way up on the Cable Car. It has a weird turntable floor so that nobody can hog the best view. Our Sussex taxi mates were on the same lift, having also paid the upgrade fee. A rapid rise to the top and time to take in the view. 

 

Pretty stupendous outlook up there and certainly provides an excellent overview of Cape Town and the locality. The geography is quite complicated around the Cape and it's easier to understand with an eagles eye view. Quite busy, of course. I suppose if you have waited hours to get up there, you are not going to do a quick turnaround. It's also fair to assume a lot of the punters were yesterday's men and women whose visits, like ours, had been delayed by the windy weather. We had a bit of lunch in a cafe up top. Not very exciting but probably our fault as we noticed a better place to eat near the Fast Track entrance on the way down. Once at the bottom we bumped into our Sussex mates again. They were going to drive to Chapmans Peak wheras we planned to go to the V & A waterfront. We decided that as it was such a lovely clear day we should do something similar and save the waterfront for another day. 

Table Mountain is clearly not as flat as it looks from below

 Lovely - Llandudno Beach

We put Camps Bay into our Sat Nav and headed off on our next adventure. It wasn't far to the Atlantic Coast and we were soon down on Llandudno Beach which was lovely. Only time for a paddle in the clean but icy cold water before heading on to Hout Bay where we stopped at the Chapmans Peak Hotel for a drink. We took a seat in the comfortable cafe only to be tapped on the shoulder by our new friends from Sussex. Unbeknown to us they had also stopped at the same place, quite a coincidence. We joined them and decided to also have something to eat. After a pleasant stop we headed on to Chapmans Peak. This stretch is a toll road and very scenic. Its probably more enjoyable in the opposite direction as its easier to stop although a certain vertigo sufferer probably would not agree, particularly as she had already seen enough steep drops up on the Table! We pushed on, making the occasional photo stop, towards Kalk Bay and then up the M3 towards Cape Town. The sun was starting to go down at this point and we were a bit concerned that if we got lost we might be vulnerable. Our map had recommended a scenic drive along False Bay but we were advised that this might not be safe. There was a horrendous traffic jam in the opposite direction which added to our anxiety. Anyway, all is well that ends well and we made it back to Just Unwind just after dark at 8pm

By the way we spotted the Monkey Valley just above the fantastic Noordhoek beach. We thought it might be a nice place to stay - until we looked at the reviews. What a fantastic location.

Nordhoek Beach

South Africa - 2 0f 11- Vergelegen - Cape Town 2025

 

A view from Stables at Vergelegen

Vergelegen Winery.

Wow, what a place to kick-off with. Vergelegen covers a huge area of parkland in addition to the fields of grapes. 

We had pre-booked a lunch at Stables, a very nice restaurant in the grounds. We ate there three times in total as it became our destination of choice. It's only about 5 minutes from Just Unwind by car. You enter by a long tree-lined road, cross a narrow bridge and then get to a barrier. Oldies pay 10 Rand to visit, less than 50p, but it was free for us on this Monday in January. We felt special. After our first walk in the grounds, past the Sunflowers, we headed for a lovely lunch. We sat inside as, although it was bright and sunny, it was very windy. On subsequent visits we sat outside on the terrace. And so it was we we had our first South African meal!After tasty starters we both had lovely tender Sirloin Steaks. Service was friendly, efficient and faultless. Our bill with tip was about £50. 

We decided we were going to like it here!

Another wander to see the old colonial house and library etc and more of the grounds and gardens followed by Coffee and Cake in the Rose Garden Teashop. What's not to like! We'll be back!

Agapanthus

Living the dream on my tractor

Sun and Flowers

A very genteel cup of Tea

South Africa - 1 of 11 - Heading for Somerset West - Cape Town 2025

  Heading South

It’s supposed to be an easy flight to South Africa. It’s only a two hour time difference and it’s all downhill! We beg to differ. Sitting up all night wishing for a bit of shut eye is no fun. Most of the flights are through the night from UK and we much prefer a daytime flight where you can pass the time watching films or TV programmes. Anyway we made it. TW attempted to introduce a bit of late drama at LHR as she tipped a whole bottle of water into her lap whilst sitting comfortably in the departure lounge. Fortunately, in addition to a kitchen sink, she also carries a change of clothes in her hand luggage. Or, more accurately, my hand luggage. So, with the flight being called, she disappears into a remote loo to change. We should have run for the flight but my legs are gone so we had to take a chance. Happily we made it onto the plane in time for a Prosecco and took off on time. After about eleven and half hours we set down in sunny Cape Town. Virgin Atlantic was very good but the paint job on the wing left a lot to be desired. Hope its not indicative of maintenance issues on their fleet of 787’s. The queue for immigration was not too bad. At least we did not have to suffer the indignity of the slow lane like we do now on the continent. We were trying our best not to look lost as we headed out into the African sunshine. We were quickly intercepted by an AVIS/Budget golf buggy to take us to our rental car. Just as well as its helluva distance on foot. Our Budget Lady was efficient and were soon the proud renters of nice little blue KIA. Not sure why we were give a blue car, most other cars on the road are white. Good to stand out, NOT! So after carefully examining and photographing our little car we headed off to Somerset West. It’s a good road and easy to navigate. The ‘townships’ alongside the road are a reminder of the big gulf between rich and poor here. It was only a 40 minute drive to our little cottage, Just Unwind. We had been promised an early check-in but our host had contacted us the previous day to inform us that we would have to wait. Happily the cleaners sprang into action and the Cottage was ours for three weeks.

Nearly there on Virgin Atlantic

After a quick change we headed to D & D’s for a coffee and then our first experience of a South African Supermarket. Not a terribly relaxed shopping expedition. Checkers is one of the big chains and has a decent selection but it all seemed a bit edgy. Some dubious characters seem to be hanging around. The parking attendants seemed friendly but, as new arrivals, we were not at all sure who’s side they were on. We were expected to give the attendants a reward for their help. This posed a problem as initially we had no small notes or coins, just about all our payments were with a card. We managed to gear ourselves up after a few days and were able to hand over a small note or coin. I attempted to get a loyalty card from Customer Services. The young lady took my driving licence and passport and keyed information in but apparently my ID was inadequate. TW reckoned I was getting hacked so we decided to abort the mission and pay a premium for our goodies.

Some of the grocery prices are reasonable, other items cost more than UK. The quality was good though. We hadn't really come to terms with the currency at this point, when you multiply the price by 23 it makes everything look pricey. The Avocados were our best purchase, very tasty.

We did make a couple of further visits to Checkers but we were not comfortable. We opted instead to go to the local Woolworth stores which seemed to be in much safer locations. We also started to eat out more as the trip wore on. Restaurants and Cafes meals are very reasonably priced and it was nice to interact with the staff. Another factor was that our cottage was a bit basic with just a microwave and stovetop and sadly no dishwasher, apart from me! 

England - Carbis Bay, Cornwall in January 2025

Sunday Drivers to Cornwall

An offer of an inexpensive week in Carbis Bay was too good to miss. We managed to make it down to Cornwall before the storm hit. We even managed to load up at the local M&S in Hayle on the way. We picked up a good variety of goodies to load into our capacious American Fridge. 

It was a wild night with rain beating, waves crashing and wind gusting. Things were much quieter in the morning and a rainbow welcomed us to North Cornwall.

Carbis Bay

The beach at Carbis Bay - after the storm

Porthminster Beach

Monday morning walking

Our first excursion was a traditional wander down to the beach and then along the Coastal Path to St. Ives. Not much has changed since our last visit but a few new buildings have sprung up. We are still getting used to the wooden structures next to the Carbis Bay Hotel. None of the new buildings are very attractive but they are probably practical with optimum glass and flat roofs. The coastal walk to St. Ives is still a pleasure though. We stopped by at Nautique on the way back to make sure the new owners were looking after the place.

Penrose NT on a Tuesday

Penrose Footpaths 

TW by the Loe Pool

In the walled garden

Loe Pool

Loe Pool

Loe Bar

Penrose is a National Trust property near Helston. We had not been there before and were disappointed to find the Car Park was very small and packed full. We opted to drive down towards the coast and found a free car park at Highburrow. We set out on foot back along the road and luckily met up with a Lady walking her dogs. She gave us excellent instructions on where to walk to reach Stables Cafe at Penrose and recommended that we walk back alongside the Lake (Loe Pool). We followed her instructions to the letter and had a great walk. Our guide was obviously doing the walk in the opposite direction and we were able to thank her when we passed her some hours later. There is a large country house on the Penrose Estate but it’s privately leased so we couldn't go there. We had to eat in the Stables! They only serve simple fare but my Bacon Bap and TW’s Cheese Toastie were perfect for us. The walk from Stables alongside Loe Pool was exceedingly pleasant with great views. When we reached the coast we found lovely beaches, it must be a great place in Summer. We joined the Coastal Path and ended up back at Highburrow. We had good fortune today as, the Car Park being full meant, we learned of a lovely circular walk. We will happily do it again in Spring or Summer. One of the conditions of the gift of Loe Pool to the National Trust was that it be kept as a place of great beauty for people to enjoy without distraction. Boating, swimming and fishing are not allowed! It’s the largest natural freshwater Lake in Cornwall.

The view to Porthleven

Wetness on Wednesday 

Rain didn’t quite stop play today but it did limit our operations. Not too much of a problem as we have a lovely comfortable place to stay. We did manage a couple of walks on Carbis Bay Beach and also a wander to Porthkidney Beach, TW’s favourite. The Carbis Bay Hotel additions on the seafront are actually quite impressive from the sand. It’s not obvious from behind, on the coastal path, but they look to offer several storeys of impressive accommodation. Bit pricey though at about £6k per night in June. But they do sleep eight!

Cliffs at Carbis Bay Beach are leaking water

TW hits the beach

Which way is North

At the going down of the sun

A stream springs up at the South end of the beach

Porthkidney Beach 

Thursday Coving

We took the half hour drive to Sennon Cove today. It hadn’t changed but it was definitely a sleepy old place in January. The pub was open but that was about all. It has a lovely Ocean Beach and is just to the North of Lands End. We wandered to the end of the beach and back and then walked back through the village and a walk towards Lands End.

TW on the beach at Sennen Cove 

Lands End in the distance

Sennen Cove Harbour

Friday - fridge and final footing

Activities started late today because of the visit of the fridge repairer. We had to wait in for him. And he was very late. He seems to have fixed the American fridge that was leaking onto the floor so it was probably worth waiting. We did have a quick walk on the beach first thing, for us anyway, at about 10:30! After lunch we had a good walk to Porthmeor Beach, the surf beach in town. It was quite a calm day but we did get some nice gentle rollers hitting the beach. Happily 11St. Ives was nice and quiet, in the season it can be burtsting with tourists. Most of the restaurants looked to be open apart from the Porthminster Beach Cafe as it’s getting a refurb. 

We would normally eat out and have multiple coffees stop on our Cornwall adventures. On this little trip we ate mostly at home. Too many post-christmas bugs in circulation!

Rolling in - Porthmeor Beach St. Ives

Sweetheart Cottage St. Ives

TW hits the sand, Porthmeor Beach on a calm day