Wolseley, Breede River Valley

Lying in the picturesque Het Land van Waveren valley, surrounded by the majestic Waaihoek, Witsen and Waterval Mountains, sometimes covered in snow in winter, the quaint little Wolseley village is a stone’s throw from Tulbagh and Ceres and only 90 minutes’ from Cape Town.

Also in Wolseley's favour, if it weren’t enough of a draw card already, is its position on Route 62 - the longest wine route in the world with its scenic passes through mountains, rivers, vineyards and fruit orchards - and the fact that one reaches the town via one of four scenic passes - the Nuwekloof, Bainskloof, Du Toitskloof and Mitchell - making the approach one of the most rewarding parts of the journey.

Wolseley lies on a natural watershed dividing the Berg and Breede Rivers. The resulting abundance in water means that a variety of farming occurs in the valley, including fruit, vegetables, olives, wheat, dairy, sheep and grapes, and makes for breathtaking scenery and a variety of delicious food and wine.

You can read all about the watershed on an information board opposite the Wolseley Primary School in Mill Street and for more exciting history, two well kept blockhouses in the town date back to the Anglo-Boer War.

The Kluitjieskraal mountain bike trail is 41 kilometres of gorgeous mountain, forest and waterfall scenery, and there is a shorter trail of 14 kilometres if you’re not a strong biker. For the hikers, the New Munster trail is a lovely 3 hour walk through veld on the way to the foot of the Mostertshoek Mountain and is fairly easy. For the more avid hiker, although it’s still touted as a relatively easy walk, the Witzenberg hiking trail takes 5 hours to reach the summit of the Witzenberg Mountain range.