Somerset West

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The Lourensford River at Morgenster

The search for a Geocache while visiting Somerset West took me to a beautiful spot I probably wouldn't have seen otherwise.  Travelling down a narrow road I came up to a closed gate and parked the car.  Walking through a side gate this was the scene waiting for me.  Turned out to be the old entrance into Morgenster Wine and Olive Estate.  Although the property on the other side of the river was private property, this side of the river had trails running…

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03/04/2014
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Vergelegen

The Vergelegen Wine Estate in Somerset West is less than an hour's drive from Cape Town yet back in the 1700's it took three days by ox wagon to get there.  In 1700 Willem Adriaan van der Stel succeeded his father, Simon van der Stel, as governor of the Cape and it didn't take him long to claim himself a modest 30,000 hactre piece of land just like his father had done with Constantia.  The farm was on the slopes…

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26/06/2012
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Pink Vergelegen

One of the wine estates in the Western Cape I've always wanted to visit but never had the opportunity before was Vergelegen in Somerset West.  Earlier in the year I was in the area and pinched off an hour of my time to pop in for a look a this historic estate established by Governor Willem Adriaan van der Stel in 1700.  I'll do another post about the estate in general, but wanted to show off these two pictures of the old Cape Dutch…

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21/06/2012
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Somerset West ghost hill

When I was in primary school we went on a school tour to Cape Town and one of the places we visited was the ghost hill in Somerset West.  I remember how the teacher parked the school bus on the hill, switched it off and let go of the hand brake, making the bus free wheel... UP the hill.  I've always wanted to return and on a recent trip to Somerset West I made some enquiries and headed up to…

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15/06/2012
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Vergelegen in pienk

Die Weskaap is wêreldwyd bekend vir sy wynplase, party van hulle wat soveel as drie eeue terugdateer.  Een van die oudste wynplase in die Kaap is Vergelegen in Somerset-Wes.  Willem Adriaan van der Stel het sy pa, Simon van der Stel, in 1700 opgevolg as goeweneur van die Kaap.  Kort voor lank het hy 'n groot stuk grond aan die voet van die Hottentots Hollandberge vir homself geeien net soos sy pa met Constantia, die oudste wynplaas in die Kaap, gedoen het.  Dit het drie…

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26/04/2012