January 2024

Our summer holiday in Langebaan came to an end in early January and it was time to drive the long way back from the West Coast to the South East Coast of South Africa.

After travelling on Route 62 in December (read here and here), we decided to return to East London by the same road again.

However, on this road trip we’re going to show you places you haven’t seen before on our blog. We are going to show you a beautiful breakfast place on a hill, two magnificent wine farms and an incredibly beautiful place to stay the night. Fasten your seat belts and enjoy the beauty of Route 62 with us.

Leave the dry summer fields of the West Coast behind

It was slightly cloudy when we left the West Coast, but after driving through the Huguenot Tunnel near the lovely town of Paarl, the sky turned blue. We expected a scorching day – temperatures of up to 40°C/104°F were predicted in Oudtshoorn where we would spend the night. Don’t you just love summer months in South Africa?

High mountains and a clear blue sky

We had just a few rusks and coffee before we left Langebaan earlier this morning. After 2 and a half hours on the road, we stopped at a beautiful place to enjoy breakfast.

Nuy on the Hill:

On the R60 between Worcester and Robertson, lies Nuy on the Hill. This restaurant is indeed on a hill with stunning views.

Entrance to Nuy on the Hill

With the Nuy Winery located here, it is therefore no surprise that, apart from the restaurant, there is also a wine tasting room. The lovely deli with a variety of preserved products, cookies and delicious pastries is also very inviting.

Outside sitting area of the restaurant

After placing our order for breakfast, we took photos of the amazing views (and at the same time saw the most beautiful little flowers that bloomed despite the hot summer).

Views across the Nuy Valley vineyards

Lovely flowers

My choice fell on the Bacon Benedict and Berto ordered delicious French Toast. It was definitely worth stopping here for breakfast.

Hot drinks with our breakfast

Our breakfast plates

Different national flags outside Nuy on the Hill

Ashton Winery:

Barely half an hour after leaving Nuy on the Hill, we turned into the next wine farm. We had to pick up an order for a friend in East London from the Ashton Winery and of course we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to buy a bottle or two ourselves.

Ashton Winery

Ashton Winery, founded in 1962, lies in the Valley of Wine and Roses in the heart of the Robertson Valley in the Cape Winelands. The gardens here are beautiful and of course their wines are great.

Ashton Winery

View over the gardens of Ashton Winery

Colourful flowers

Beautiful Agapanthus

We drove past quite a few more wineries – you’d need a week (or longer) here to visit them all. But there was one place in the town of Calitzdorp that we saw on Route 62 in December that we didn’t want to drive past again.

Boplaas Winery and Distillery:

Since Calitzdorp is only about 50km/31 miles from Oudtshoorn, where we would spend the night, it was a good choice to also taste some of their wines and famous port. Well, it was actually only me who tasted, because Berto was the designated driver.

Boplaas Winery is certainly known for their port

Boplaas Winery has a long history of distilling. In 1880 their first order of potstill brandy casks was sent to Cape Town harbour by ox-wagon for delivery to London in the UK. (Source: Website of Boplaas Winery)

Boplaas Winery since 1880

Boplaas Winery

Entrance to Boplaas Winery tasting room

Boplaas Winery has received several awards over the years for their brandy, wines and port. After a visit to Portugal, Boplaas Winery began to specialise in port which is very popular in South Africa.

Inside the tasting room of Boplaas Winery

Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve Port, 1989 on sale for R25,000 (USD 1,300)

I tasted the Moscato, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinotage and Port. And the result was that we left Boplaas Winery with a box of wine and good memories.

Moscato

Pinotage and Port

Satisfied with our purchases

On the way out of Calitzdorp we saw a beautiful church and stopped to have a closer look. The Dutch Reformed Church was declared a national monument in 1991.

Dutch Reformed Church, Calitzdorp

The church was built in 1855, but in 1910 the original building was demolished. Using stone from the original church, the new church was consecrated in 1912. The organ was imported from Hamburg (Germany) and the church can seat up to 2,000 people.

Dutch Reformed Church, Calitzdorp

Karoo Retreat, Oudtshoorn:

We arrived just after two o’clock in a very hot Oudtshoorn. With the thermometer just above 40°C/104°F, our first thought when we got out of our ‘bakkie’ at our accommodation was: Yeah for the pool!

Karoo Retreat, our accommodation for the night

We checked in quickly and only took out a small overnight bag. It was great to walk into a cool room – thanks to the air conditioner being set to its coldest!

Room at Karoo Retreat

Inside our Double Room

It was just too hot outside to be in the pool and we decided to relax in our cool room instead. There are great and fancy restaurants in Oudtshoorn, but because it was so hot, we didn’t feel like getting dressed for dinner. So, we drove to the local Spur Steak Ranch – a place we visited many years ago. The milkshake, crumbed mushrooms and burgers hit the spot.

Strawberry Milkshake

Crumbed mushrooms and burgers

Satisfied we drove back to our accommodation and immediately changed into our swimwear. Although it was almost eight o’clock in the evening, it was still 35°C/95°F. We first cooled off in the pool before rushing to our cool room.

A great time in a cool pool on a hot evening

We left early the next morning – we still had 640km/397 miles to travel to East London. After a delicious breakfast at Karoo Retreat we drove on the last part of Route 62.

Breakfast at Karoo Retreat

Although it was overcast, it was still a hot and muggy day. We are definitely in the midst of a very hot summer!

The last stretch of Route 62

We crossed the border between the Western and Eastern Cape again. For the last few hundred kilometers to East London, the road will definitely not be as smooth as the first half of our road trip.

Road difference between the Western Cape and Eastern Cape Provinces

We stopped for the last time at a roadside café on Route 62 to buy cold drinks. This was a beautiful road to drive and I’m sure we will most likely drive it again in the near future.

Route 62 – what a beautiful stretch of road

Thanks for coming along. We hope you enjoyed this road trip as much as we did.