Author Archives: Stefan Lomas

After a leisurely breakfast and farewells to our gracious hosts from the last four days, we “set sail” for Mossel Bay, continuing east along the Garden Route (N2). Our journey took us from the Over Berg back down to the cooler temperatures of the coast. During our travel along the N2, we noticed a fairContinue reading “Mossel Bay & Wilderness”

We’ve truly enjoyed our stay in Onrus; everyone we’ve met here has been wonderful. We didn’t even mind too much about getting well and truly beaten by the Kleinmond Tennis Club—they were so welcoming and far more humble than I would have been if the tables were turned! After thanking Ryno, one of our graciousContinue reading “Swellendam & De Hoop Nature Reserve”

We set off mid-morning from the cottage and headed back towards Cape Town along the R44 coastal road, making our way to Betty’s Bay, which was high on Rachel’s list of places to visit. We arrived just after mid-morning and decided to visit the main beach first to stretch our legs. We parked in aContinue reading “Betty’s Bay”

About two hours from Onrus, we arrived at Babylonstoren, one of the oldest Cape Dutch farms dating back to 1692, set at the foot of Simonsberg in the Franschhoek wine valley. The estate has been meticulously restored to reflect how it would have looked back in the day, complete with a beautiful fruit and vegetableContinue reading “Babylonstoren”

We picked up the car from the business district, which was only about a 10-minute walk away. The process was straightforward, and before long, we were on our way, leaving the Hertz car park and heading back to the apartment to load up the car. After a quick coffee, we were finally on the road,Continue reading “Onrus & Hermanus”

A driver arrived outside our apartment to take us to the dock for the ferry to Robben Island. Although it was an unusual way to spend my birthday, I had been keen to learn more about the island, its history & of course Nelson Mandela. During the ferry ride, we watched a video about RobbenContinue reading “The Long Road to Freedom…Robben Island”

There’s only one AC unit servicing the entire apartment, and since we’re in the height of summer here, we’ve had to keep the bedroom door open to stay cool. This means we’re awake as soon as the sun pokes its head over Table Mountain, around 6:30 AM. We’ve been enjoying exploring different parts of theContinue reading “A hike up Table Mountain”

We had this trip planned for some time, but with so many things going on, we weren’t entirely sure we were going to go. I did try to change the flight last minute, but when British Airways quoted me five figures just to rebook the outbound flights, I decided it was better to just makeContinue reading “We made it to Cape Town”

Christien convinced me that the 3 of us needed to go skiing, and together, we managed to talk Seb into it—though neither of us needed much persuading. On the morning of January 10th, I set off from Hartford, Christien left from Wokingham for an early flight from Gatwick, and Seb departed even earlier from Manchester,Continue reading “A fabulous ski trip in Crans Montana”

We accompanied Mum to church on Christmas morning, and it’s always a joy to see the excited faces and the close-knit community coming together. Christien arrived around lunchtime to spend Christmas with the three of us, which made Mum very happy. We had ordered our Christmas feast from a local farm, and Rachel cooked itContinue reading “Christmas festivities and a trip to London.”