“I owe my being to the hills and the valleys, the mountains and the glades, the rivers, the deserts, the trees, the flowers, the seas and the ever-changing seasons that define the face of our native land.”
– Thabo Mbeki
This quote, an extract from Mbeki’s “I Am An African” speech, is what ran on repeat through my mind while Granville and I were heading to Greyton a few months back.
The drive to this little town, less than two hours from Cape Town, is filled with spectacular views of the ocean on your right and mountains on your left as you make your way over Sir Lowry’s Pass which then gives way to open fields (used for farming) as far as the eye can see.
Some of the scenery as you make your way to Greyton and the welcome sign that greets you as you enter the town.
On entering the town, it seems as though you have been transported to another time and place. Trees line the main road that is filled with art galleries, restaurants and antique stores (as are many of the side roads throughout the town).
After travelling down Main Road, and mentally making plans to buy property in this beautiful part of the world, we took a right onto Cross Market Street and found our home for the weekend and what a home it was!
Clockwise from top left: This church overlooks the Greyton market. A street view of our accommodation for the weekend. The entrance to our cottage. The garden is filled with some of the most amazing treasures.
Used as stables by the town’s doctor back in the 19th century, Garden Cottage is filled with old-world charm — from its kitchen with a two plate gas burner and stone indoor fireplace, to the suspended wrought-iron Moroccan bed.
A view of and from the bed from where this figurine watches over you.
The cottage is open-planned but still very cosy. Here Granville is making one of my favourite things — tea.
This doorway leads to the garden that is filled with lemon trees. If you’re not up for a walk through it, you can simply look at it while waiting for the water to boil on this two-plate gas burner.
Set in a garden filled with lemon trees and birds who call it home, which you can explore at your leisure, it was easy to forget that we were just a few meters away from the famous Greyton Saturday Morning Market.
The garden is filled with birds who the owners (who live on the property) give fruit to every morning.
Clockwise from top left: Some of the birds in the garden. These peppers grow freely. They don’t seem to be picked often and instead are left to dry out like this one. The garden’s bird bath.
More finds in the garden.
Granville was like a kid at Christmas when he discovered that this old trunk was filled with braai/fire goodies
After making our way to the market where you can buy the most amazing homemade jams, cheeses and baked goods, Granville and I headed out to explore the town. There are various ways to do this without having to spend a cent on petrol — You could hire a bicycle, go on horseback or walk. Going with option three, we strolled through the town discovering many hidden gems along the way.
Some of the homemade jams, preserves and dried fruit for sale at the market. They also offer horse drawn rides.
Taken as we started exploring the town. This is what the main road looked like on a Saturday morning.
Outside one of the three churches we found in the area — all of whom still toll their bells on a Sunday morning.
Greyton’s beauty and simplicity has made it a town that my old soul has definitely fallen in love with, with future visits an absolute must. Even if the most traffic we encountered was a horse and cart crossing the road…
Cheers to us and a glorious weekend away!
This was the most traffic that we encountered in Greyton.
a crazy kind of normal 