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Discover
Alternatively you may consider the Drifters Wild Coast Trail covering the more
northern section of the Wild Coast and taking you past places such as Waterfall
Bluff and Cathedral Rock. The trail is a short 59km. A slightly longer one at 80km
is the more southern Diaz Cross Trail starting at Woody Cape in the Alexandria
State Forest and which takes you via the Diaz Cross and Kenton-on-Sea to the
mouth of the Great Fish River in the south.
Another operator offers the self-catered Pondo Explore Trails; or the fully
supported Pondo Hopper Trail; the Mtentu Explorer Trail which is easily
accessible from Durban; the Haven to Cebe Trail which has hikers staying in
a community lodge on the stunning Nqabarha River, approximately half-way
between the Haven and Kob Inn hotels; a Port St Johns to Coffee Bay trail;
another from Coffee Bay to Bulungula; as well as tailor-made trails. A great
variety of trails and itineraries are offered by these and other hiking tour
operators here.
Contact: Active Escape Tel +27 (0)33 3295259 or Cell +27 (0)84 2407277, or
Email tours@active-escapes.co.za; Wild Tours Cell +27 (0)82 507 2256 or +27
(0)82 507 2256, or Email jimmy.toursandhikes@gmail.com; SA Adventure Trails
Tel +27 (0)33 343 1564 or Cell +27 (0)82-323 4022, or Skype paulmiles2809;
Dirty Boots Tel +27 (0)33 343 1564 or Cell +27 (0)82 323 4022.
Solms-Delta…so much more than a
wine estate
There are many wine estates one can visit in the Winelands of the Western
Cape, either to taste some wine, enjoy live entertainment, eat in their topclass
restaurants, or picnic under trees alongside the vineyards. But there is
one wine estate very different from all the rest: Soms-Delta. For here you can
meet and mingle with the workers who now co-own this wine estate, many of
them descendants of slaves. In their own museum you can learn about their
fascinating history and heritage, as well as the story of how they came to own
their own piece of wine-making heaven. And you can still also do all of the
things all the other wine estates offer, and more.
Following South Africa’s democratic elections in 1994, Professor Mark Solms
returned home to South Africa in 2001 as a sixth-generation member of a
farming family, to breathe new life into the neglected Delta farm. As part of
an initiative to restore the dignity and sense of belonging of workers and their
families living on the farm, and to facilitate their right to own a fair share of the
land, Solms and the workers literally started digging up the past of this farm.
During the archaeological excavations they uncovered artefacts and evidence
from different periods in the history of the farm. With it came the fascinating
story of the slaves who had lived there, and the realisation that everything on
the farm – from the vineyards to the elegant Cape Dutch buildings – was built
by slaves.
PhotoSky / Shutterstock
Realising that the tenants and workers who live on the farm today deserved
a fair share of their ancestors’ sacrifices and their own current effort, Solms,
with the help of British social entrepreneur Richard Astor, launched an initiative
through which ownership of land and equity in the business could be shared
by all living on the farm. The workers and residents of Solms-Delta initially
acquired a 33.3% interest in the business of Solms-Delta, increased in 2016 to
45%.
The historical and cultural treasures that were uncovered during the
excavations that uncovered the history of the farm, now form a rich storytelling
tapestry of the lives of the people of Solms-Delta. These can be viewed at
the Museum van de Caab social history museum and Music van de Caab centre
located on the farm. Learning from its past, the wine estate now is a daily, living
celebration of co-ownership and co-operation, as well as a celebration of the
food, the people, the music and, of course, the wine, of Solms-Delta, and of
South Africans in general.
Michael Potter11 / Shutterstock
Visitors to Solms-Delta – which is a 45-minute drive from Cape Town and lies
just off the R45 between Franschhoek and Paarl along Delta Road – can now
indulge in good food, good wines, entertainment, a sense of heritage and a
fascinating historical education. Picnics, with food baskets from the farm’s
Fyndraai Restaurant and deli can be enjoyed on a lush lawn alongside the
forest, or on a sandy riverbank or a shady spot overlooking the dam. Wine
tasting and farm tours are also offered.
A highlight is the journey back in time at the Museum van de Caab, housed
in the farm’s original wine cellar dating back to the 1740’s. The Music van de
Caab museum and project, sponsored by Solms-Delta and Boschendal wine
estate, shares research on the traditional music of the Cape and celebrates it by
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