It’s almost Spring! Just a few days to go and we can officially throw off the winter blues and head out into the sunshine. And not a moment too soon. It’s been a long, cold, rainy winter, which is a good thing as it means we have plenty of water for the upcoming Summer season. Our dams are over-flowing and the ground water table has been replenished. Quite a relief after our 3 years of drought. But now we are ready for an action-packed summer season full of exploring, fun and adventure.
I’d like to introduce you to a new member of staff. Addy the Adventure dog is our absolutely adorable Yorkie-Russel who is now just over 5 months old. He has won the hearts of every single person who meets him. He has the most amazing friendly personality and loves every single dog and human he meets. He is super friendly, loves to play and loves to go on long hikes and walks. He is so fast, I think I should have called him Bullet, and his favourite thing to do is race around a big open space at the speed of light! Addy joins us on our hikes and History walks and also on our bike rides (in his very own doggy backpack, thanks to our beautiful friends who brought us one from the UK). Tasting everything he sniffs out on the ground, is also a firm favourite activity, as is chewing wood.
You will get to meet darling Addy on your next adventure with us. I know you’ll love him as much as we do.
This summer we are introducing our brand new Fan Aloe Hiking Trail situated at Topiary Wine Farm. The Franschhoek Pass is closed, as you may know, due to huge rock falls and mud slides. These are the result of the big 7 day fire we had at the end of February, followed by the huge amount of rain we had in July. No vegetation was left on the slopes of the mountains above the pass and with the rain, the ground was too unstable and down it came. The department responsible is currently working on it, and they hope to be completed by the end of September. Here’s holding thumbs! This means that Mont Rochelle Nature Reserve is not accessible and we have to hike in our other mountains, which is a great opportunity to explore some more. We do still hike at the back of the Berg River Dam, and I invite you to join me for that one. But we decided to open up a hike in the Wemmershoek Mountains also and found a stunning trail with our two endemic plant species growing in abundance! The Franschhoek Fan Aloe and the Blushing Bride Protoes (also called the Pride of Franschhoek). How lucky we are to have not one but two endemic plant species in our valley. And you can see them easily and in abundance on our trail. It has great views of the Simonsberg Mountain and faces West so the sunsets are amazing. Although it is not a high mountain, it is a great ramble and we are opening it up for sundowner hikes. Join us for a glass of Topiary wine while we’re up there.
Another new feature this summer is the Franschhoek Adventure Bus. This sight-seeing orientation bus trip of about 1 and a half hours will take you on a great trip around the valley and the town and show you all the best spots and what there is to do and see in Franschhoek. We stop off at a famous landmark for your photo op and point out all the important places. For the first month, our inaugural guests will receive a goody bag of treats.
The tour starts at 10am every morning from the centre of the village and returns to the same spot.
Get in touch to book as soon as possible.
Don’t forget our other favourite activities. Mountain bike rides to wine farms, or a 20km scenic ride around the village with a coffee stop is a firm favourite. The Historical Village Walk, the Meet the Locals Township Tour and our cultural Rond-en-Bont Tour are also fun and fascinating.
Our team building Amazing Race events are becoming very popular. Get in touch for your year end function in Franschhoek.
Until next time, enjoy the flowers.
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