Travel: No kicks on Route 66? Try Route 62 (part two)

Also, quality of sleep is one thing that all the towns we visited offered generously. I’m not sure if the combination of the open road, fresh country air, crisp country evenings and mornings, down comforters on most of the beds, wine from nearby farms or generous portions of heartily prepared meals has anything to do with it, but country sleep certainly beats city sleep. The night skies in the country are so much brighter and clearer than in the cities so star gazing is quite popular. Bring along your entire wish-list because shooting stars are plentiful so you too can wish upon a star!

 

It’s along this stretch of the R62 (from Montagu to Barrydale) that winds through the majestic Langeberg Mountains and the fertile Tradouw Valley. Along this stretch of road you’ll pass the Karoo Saloon, a slate-stone oasis in the middle of practically nowhere. The mannequin sitting under the dead tree with coke cans tied to the branches or the giant Spur-like emblem built into the slate-stone wall will attract your attention while driving by. Its worth popping in and we were told that the pizzas are really good but our huge breakfast was still doing its thing so pizza was not what we needed.

 

Everyone we had chatted to in Tulbagh and Montagu had the same advice: “You must stay at the Barrydale Hotel” and “You must visit Magpie.” It seems these are the two major attractions in Barrydale. As it turned out, we were already booked to spend the night at the Barrydale Hotel which is situated opposite the Magpie head quarters on Van Riebeeck Street, the main drag through the popular and picturesque little town on the border of the Little Karoo.  

 

The Barrydale Hotel has been described in many ways by many different visitors over the years, with phrases like “a jewel of a place”, “wonderfully renovated”, “over the top” and “luxurious yet intimate” and with words like camp, fabulous, gorgeous and divine!

 

Decide for yourself which description works best but do so only after you’ve spent the night in one of the designer rooms, sat on the front stoep looking out over the town with a cool gin and tonic and owner Phillip, had a cocktail at the uber-camp hotel bar and enjoyed a decadent breakfast at The Barrydale.

 

A visit to Barrydale would not be complete without popping in at Magpie to marvel the la-la land of recycled chandeliers and objet created by the hugely talented creative team of Scott Hart, Shane Petzer, Sean Daniel and Richard Panaino. Not only do they create works of art that are shipped all over the world, the team also hosts an annual costume ball (usually the first weekend in February) and a Christmas tree ceremony in December.

 

Food options in Barrydale are plentiful and although Clarke of the Karoo was recommended, we chose the charm of Jam Tarts for a late and lazy lunch where owner Terri joined us on the terrace for a pizza and a bottle of local wine. And for dinner that night we feasted on more meat at Karoo Blues across the road from the hotel.

 

Our next stop was Oudtshoorn and along the R62 you’ll pass through Ladismith and Calitzdorp, the Port capital of South Africa, and this stretch of the journey should take about two hours. You’ll want to stop at Ronnie’s Sex Shop just because it’s what you do when travelling on the R62 and you’ll also want to stop in the Huisrivier Pass because the views are spectacular.

 

Oudtshoorn, like Montagu, Barrydale and Tulbagh, is a town that has lots to offer the visitor and activities range from hot air ballooning to visits to cheetah, crocodile or ostrich farms to hiking and loads more. Also, like most of the towns along the R62, the tourism information offices are very helpful and worth checking in with them when you arrive.

 

Thabile Lodge, which means a place of happiness, is on the road to De Rust just outside Oudtshoorn. It’s a working farm with cattle, sheep and ostriches mainly, but there’s also a couple of crazy chickens running around and a small pack of Jack Russells. Owner Len has built 12 rustic yet comfortable cottages on a piece of land near to the main house where all meals, from the hearty breakfast to the traditional dishes on the evening a la carte menu, are served on the large veranda overlooking the garden. The cottages also have a great view of the Swartberg and surrounding red stone mountains that change colour depending on the time of day. There’s also a small fitness room and a Jacuzzi and steam room overlooking the pool and farmlands that can be explored on quad bikes.

 

From Oudtshoorn it was over the breathtaking Montagu Pass to George and then on to Klein Brakrivier, a 70s-style seaside holiday resort. The weather was a bit shitty so the beach was not an option and that didn’t leave us with much to do. That is, until the evening when we headed off to Vaaljapie, a divine little restaurant snuggly fitted into an old railway station that, until recently, was used by the Outeniqua Choo-Choo. The theme of the restaurant and the menu is boere-kitsch so expect something really extraordinary.

 

Vaaljapie owner Frikkie insisted on taking us through to Mossel Bay, which is about a 15 minute drive away, for the evening that he promised we wouldn’t forget … and we probably won’t. Let’s just say it involved a newly opened and fabulous little gay bar and lounge called Caprice (situated in an old haunted building overlooking the Mossel Bay waterfront), three friendly fashionista queens from Joburg, Celine Dion songs, a red leather cap, a straight rave club (yes, they do still exist) that was packed with hunky Natal rugby players and strawberry milkshakes from the BP garage at 4am.

 

Fortunately the drive to Knysna is only about an hour long. In Kynsna there’s a development called Thesen Island and on Thesen Island is a fabulous boutique hotel call The Lofts. Its an old boatshed that’s cleverly been converted into a luxury accommodation and offers amazing views of the lagoon and easy access to the many swish restaurants on Thesen Island. There’s also a splash pool and a beauty spa if you’re into that but we thought the martini bar lounge was a better option.

 

A friend once told me that sunsets become more surreal when seen through the bottom of a martini glass and this was the perfect opportunity to test this theory.

Yes, it is true!