De Doorns, Breede River Valley

De Doorns lies on the main route to and form Cape Town, Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth. With its wide range of service and commercial facilities, it has become the business and shopping centre for the entire valley and surrounding towns. De Doorns is a town with a particularly impressive cultural heritage. In 1819 De Doorns was proclaim a sub-drostdy of Tulbagh. Two farms were bought for the purpose of laying out a town. In 1822 De Doorns was proclaimed a full drostdy.

The little town of De Doorns lies at the centre of the Hex River Valley only one and a half hours’ drive from Cape Town, just off the N1 and 35 kilometres north of Worcester, in the midst of South Africa’s Table Grape industry. This is a valley of vineyard upon vineyard, historical Cape Dutch homesteads, and snow-capped mountains during winter that combine to make it one of the most picturesque valleys, particularly during autumn when the different vines give rise to a display of variegated colour so rich that all who see it are inspired and none left untouched by its beauty.

De Doorns literally translated means ‘the thorns’ in Dutch and refers to the Acacia thorn trees that dominate the Hex River banks. De Doorns’ wine cellar boasts the longest harvest season in the world, from December through until April, and the area exports some 17 million cartons of grapes annually. Farms here lie nestled between the Hex and Quadou Mountains, which provide much in the way of hiking, mountain biking and rock climbing.