Easter weekend in Cape Agulhas

Janet and I had last visited Cape Agulhas, the southernmost tip of the African continent together almost thirteen years ago so I thought this would be a good time for her to see how much the Struisbaai and Agulhas area had grown, I have been there twice in the interim attending the Freedom Road rally which is now held there instead of Stillbaai.

This was not to be a motorbike trip for two reasons; first I intended to do some wine farm visits to stock up on my red wine collection which had been decimated by my family when they visited last year. They are due back in the middle of this year! Secondly rain and lousy weather is traditional over Easter and this time was to be no exception.

We set out early on Friday and until we hit the N2 at the R300 junction the traffic was pretty thin so I made good time, but once on the N2 everyone was going the same bloody way! We stopped for a nice breakfast at the False Bay one-stop but after that it was hectic, we went up over Sir Lowry's Pass heading for Caledon and the traffic actually came to a standstill on several occasions, nothing for it but to relax and go with the flow (or non-flow!).

Much of the traffic turned off at the Hermanus intersection and I was relieved that we weren't going there for the weekend. We arrived in Caledon just after 11h30 and stopped for a drink, Janet wanted to hit the machines in the Casino for a bit but this time they robbed her.

The wonderful R316 through Napier and Bredasdorp, although not as enjoyable in a car, was still a joy and relatively quiet after the N2 and it wasn't long before we were rolling into Struisbaai and looking for the Cape Agulhas Lodge which conveniently turned out to be within walking distance of the best restaurants and pubs. (My "walking distance" is not more than 50 metres!)

After settling into our small but comfortable room we took a walk to "Seagulls" restaurant where I had eaten an amazingly fresh Yellowtail fillet the last time I was there. We sat at the bar counter sucking on cold Castles and enjoying the crowded vibe of the busy eatery, the lady behind the bar assured me that they would reserve a table for us later that evening.

They did not have Yellowtail that evening but I selected a fillet of "Geelbek" or colloquially "Cape Salmon" which probably sounds a bit better, it was succulent, fresh and delicious and I enjoyed every morsel. Janet had Hake and chips which she also thoroughly enjoyed.

From there we walked over to "Zuidste Kaap" restaurant for a nightcap, I knew that there was a nice little pub at the back. The restaurant advertises that it is the southern-most restaurant in Africa but actually it is not, evidently since they put the sign up two others have opened within fifty metres to the south!

The pub was very festive, one of the patrons very intoxicated fell down and actually broke his fall with his face, broke his nose too but he was back there enjoying himself when we went back the next night. They breed 'em tough in the western cape!

Still on the hunt for fresh fish we ended up back at Zuidste Kaap for a late lunch after a morning spent visiting some of the more out of the way wine farms in the area; Black Oystercatcher and Strandfontein wines where we made a few purchases but I found them to be rather overpriced. It had started raining whilst we were driving around and from the angry skies we could see that lots more was on the way, we were glad that we weren't on the bike.

The restaurant had sold out of fish! I was devastated and was on the point of leaving when Janet pointed out that they had prawns on the menu, second favourite. They were outstanding! I was so impressed that I forgot to take a photograph but here's one of the aftermath;

A dozen perfectly prepared large prawns served with crispy chips, a delightfully messy finger meal and among the best prawns that I have ever had.
During the middle of the afternoon there was a lull in the rain and we decided to go for a walk down to the beacon marking the two oceans,

There is a wooden walkway all the way from the lighthouse to the southern point and although we could see advancing storm clouds we decided to go for it, there were quite a few people out braving the weather.

The storm clouds were getting closer, it was time to head back to the car.

In the background is the 167 year old Agulhas lighthouse, still in service but now with an electric light. After a rest in our room to let the rain pass over we ended up at the restaurant and pub at 158 on Main, which was pleasantly quiet after the other places and they had Yellowtail!

 Happy man, not looking much like a biker at all! The wine was cold and the fish was fresh, the company was good and the atmosphere was relaxing, what more could one want?
We spent two nights in Agulhas, there's not a hell of a lot to do there but plenty to see in the surrounding area if you want to drive around and the food is great, if you go to Agulhas eat fish, it's fresh and it's delicious.
Heading home on Sunday after breakfast it rained again but not for long, it was a pleasant drive and we found another excellent wine farm between Ceres and Tulbagh which was open for tasting;  Waverley Hills, excellent wines at far better prices, I bought most of my weekend wine there and now my wine racks are almost all full, here's one of them;

We did not braai at all, we did not ride the bike but we did drink a good few beers so I think it's alright to include this story, all in all a good weekend.