We started off our Tulbagh and Ceres sight-seeing weekend at Oakhurst Olives, up the ever-so scenic Twee Jongen Gezellen road – yes, the namesake wine farm is on that road too, as is Saronsberg, but note they close early on a Saturday, so plan ahead for an early start.
But we’re not talking wine here, that’s old hat. Instead, we’re talking another ‘liquid from a crushed pipped fruit’ – olive oil.
Once you’ve wound your way up the gravel drive and marvelled over the idyllic country scenes of tractors and horses dotting the bright green fields, you make your way up the sweeping staircase to an elegant tasting area. They offer salty black kalamata olives as you’d expect, as well as the unexpected olive oil shots. This nothing like glugging back the yellow stuff You're imagining – instead it’s mild and faintly aromatic, with scents of cut grass, rosemary, pepper and chamomile lingering after a swift sniff and swirl on tongue.
We were pleased to learn that olive oil can serve as a natural anti-inflammatory, and after our shots mopped up the excess with crusts of fresh, warm bread.
We were also pleased to learn that there’s absolutely no anchovy in their newest baby, a soft, fresh tapenade paste swirled with capers to intensify the savoury tang. It's a gorgeous setting too, all the more enticing to purchase the products you’ve just sampled. Go there!
Invigorated by the different start to the weekend, we made our way into the main town of Tulbagh and soon found ourselves at the four-star Tulbagh Historic Boutique Hotel. It’s an excellent home base for your excursions in the area and is the epitome of old-school charm from 1859 with a fresh twist – think waxed wooden floors, claw-footed or free-standing tubs and gabled ceilings in rooms named after fynbos and Proteas. It also has all the modern amenities like Wi-Fi and conferencing facilities if you’re there for business, as well as all the home comforts like fluffy coral-fleece gowns, hot water bottles cosy in dinky custom jerseys, DStv, a kettle and coffee plunger complete with sachets to brew and rusks to dunk. If you'd prefer a dunk yourself, there are three pools on the premises just right for the warmer months. Simply blissful.
The rooms are large and cool and speak of elegant tradition with air conditioner units, waffle-weave grey carpets, and metallic brocade curtains over wooden blinds, padded headboards and neutral floral patterned bedding with gleaming crystal chandeliers and well-stocked honesty-system fridges. There's also a couch and writing desk if you feel nostalgic and want to pen a letter home.
That’s just what I was in the mood for but first, lunch at the Olive Terrace. This is the perfect spot from which to view the rest of the town slowly passing by as the birds twitter in the trees. It's received glowing reviews on Facebook, Twitter and TripAdvisor, and rightfully so. Tucked just outside the hotel's front door, it spreads across a terracotta-paved patio with a large, light-strewn tree slap-bang in the middle offering shade during the day and blue ethereal air once the sun goes down. Having paged through the many pages of the menu I eventually went for the ‘Schuster’ – there's a pizza on my stoep. It’s crispy-based, served on a handled wooden pizza board and just what I was after, sprinkled with feta, topped with chunks of avo, sprigs of rocket, slices of peppadew, bits of biltong, and just the right amount of stretch in the cheese. I managed most of it but asked for a takeaway box to nibble on the last few slices later in the day. My husband went for one of the day’s specials instead – a delicious butterflied BBQ chicken burger with side of chunky fries and onion-y purple coleslaw. Eat it!
Tummies lined we slowly made our way back to our room, warmly greeted by all along the way. It was an unseasonably hot afternoon so we stopped in the invitingly cool bar area where the build-up to the Merryweather-McGregor boxing match was on screen. With Persian carpets on the floors, triangular prism mirrors accenting the lilies on the tables and studded velvet-covered bar stools, it was a quiet spot in the afternoon but bustling with early dinner guest later on. More on that later…
Back in our room for a quick coffee breather, we were ready to tour the main town. This entailed donning our sunnies and slowly strolling down Church Street. You can also take a guided tour but it’s just as much fun on your own. This is no hustling bustling city centre – in fact, almost everything was closed – but we got a sense of the quiet heritage of Tulbagh, the country’s fourth oldest town.
There are historic homes and heritage sites everywhere you look, with informative placards in front – Church Street boasts the highest number of Cape Dutch, Edwardian and Victorian homes anywhere in the country. There are also quaint coffee shops, pubs and pizza shops aplenty, along with lush greenery that makes it clear why Tulbagh’s known as the ‘valley of abundance’. It made us smile as we relaxed into the unrushed charm of the town. Walk it!
Having walked through the sun-dappled cemeteries with many unmarked graves and an entire section washed away in severe floods many moons ago, we were back in our room well over an hour later, relaxing with another coffee, rusk and Johnny English on the TV to find the bed had already been turned down, with curtains drawn and tasty nougat bites placed on our pillows. Pure enjoyment!
Soon enough we were dressed for dins and headed back down to the Olive Terrace – inside this time, seated by a roaring fire, and absolutely fully booked. After complimentary Oakhurst Olives tapenade, olive oil and balsamic vinegar with triangles of crusty bread, it was my turn to sample one of the specials so I went for the spicy Mexican bean soup starter with crumbled nachos, feta, guacamole and grated cheese. My husband went for a favourite, the Cape Malay lamb curry served with crispy poppadum topped with pinches of coconut, cucumber raita and tomato-onion mix. Too full for mains I bravely soldiered on with the deliciously rich coffee crème brûlée and Frangelico Hazelnut mochaccino. It's the drink with the longest name on the menu, and absolutely a must-try.
Back in our room again much later that evening, we relished the bright plush gowns – no scratchy white terry cloth in sight – and mindless TV options so we could relax and refresh our weary bodies and minds.
Before long we were waking up to another glorious Tulbagh day, complete with birdsong and sunshine. It was so sunny that we braved breakfast in the windy outdoors, the only ones to do so.
I went for the granola with local fruits, double-thick yoghurt and drizzles of honey while my husband went for the salmon eggs benedict served on fresh corn fritters, all washed down with steamy cappuccinos. While the scene was set for a lazy morning lingering over the newspaper, instead we wolfed down that delicious breakfast, checked out and bade farewell to the Tulbagh Hotel's friendly staff. Relaxed setting aside, our pulses were racing as our adventure for the morning was set to take place high above the valley with Ceres Zipslide Adventures.
The 20-odd minute drive from Tulbagh to Ceres is truly beautiful, with many scenes just calling us to stop and snap photos of those enormous grey mountain peaks, pretty pastel pink blossoms and fields of bright yellow canola.
On arrival we swiftly signed indemnity forms, were tightened into harnesses complete with water bottles, as well as gloves with grip and bright safety helmets. Boy, did we need those safety helmets!
All kitted out, we hopped into the shuttle van with other excited about-to-be-zipliners and were taken to the rocky crags above some jaw-dropping gorges. Once there, we had a short, steep climb to the first starting point, a brief-yet-detailed safety talk and demonstration on their patented braking system, then we were off! We zipped and zigged and zagged, swinging and braking in all the right places for the most part, effectively covering 1.4km of course over 8 easy-to-manage stretches over an hour.
The scenery really is breath-taking. With the wind whizzing past and numerous rivers, terrifying cliff faces and clumps of trees popping up below, you can’t help whoop with delight, especially as your helmet sometimes connects with the zipline above to give you a jolt. You're more than safe sitting in the harness, but it sure is something! I can think of nothing better than that sheer thrill of swooping, shrieking, heart-pounding adrenaline burst to get your Sunday off to an adventurous note. Do it!
Pasqua Heard 7 Sep 2016
Click here for more to do in Tulbagh and here to see the memories I loaded of our stay on my blog. Tulbagh may be an old town but it's packed with new experiences.
