Millstone Eco-friendly Farm Stall and Café in Pinelands, Western Cape

If your older kids love horse riding, while you love nothing better than to sit sipping cappuccino and watch the younger kids swing from a huge tree-house in a lovely garden, then Millstone is for you - providing an ideal hassle free and travel free alternative during your stay in the Mother City.

Located on the site of South Africa’s first windmill, you’ll find one of Cape Town’s best kept secrets hidden away beside the Black River in a corner of the Oude Molen Eco-village, opposite Pinelands station, an historical area that once played host to Zulu King Cetswayo, who was kept here as "state guest " while awaiting transfer to England.

Millstone is an eco-friendly farm stall and café, a rare slice of the old rustic Cape Town, situated alongside a riding school in the shadow of an old farmhouse. Made for lazy breakfasts and lunchtimes, with great coffee, freshly squeezed juices, wholesome snacks and meals, the delicious smell of freshly baked bread coming from wood fired ovens, its relaxed natural setting cannot fail to put the breaks on a hectic schedule of non-stop site-seeing.

Everything has this homemade feel about it, including all the tables and chairs, which were made from reclaimed timber. Millstone grows all its own vegetables organically, much of which is then transported to the nearby suburbs to be sold by horse and cart. There’s a small shop selling a complete range of homemade preserves and jams - ideal gifts.

Within site of the Café is a small riding school, which is home to 20 horses and offers a variety of riding opportunities. Riding lessons cost R80.00 per hour on the estate, and occur on Mondays to Thursdays and Saturdays. The estate itself consists of a sizable chunk of meadowland running alongside the Black River - plenty of space for a good gallop. The area was originally used by Khoi pastoralists for cattle grazing before colonial occupation in 1652, with the confluence of the Black and Liesbeck Rivers playing an important role in Khoi ceremonies.

For the younger kids, there’s the possibility of a wagon ride around the eco-village. And during your stay in Cape Town, should you get the urge to set up that surprise romantic carriage ride, a glitzy prelude to sundowners or an anniversary dinner, then you only have to make a few discreet enquiries.

To get there: Head to Pinelands Station on Alexandra Road (off Raapenberg Road) where you’ll see the main entrance directly opposite. Turn Left at the entrance and stay on the Ring Road. Look out for the Millstone sign which will be on the left.

Don’t worry! If the place has the look of a military barracks or an old mental asylum, with some rather glum looking buildings - that’s because it has been both of these things in the past.