Be Whole

Grab some snacks, your camera, a buddy, and take a drive through Route 62.

You won’t be sorry.

If you’re looking for a cosy, affordable destination to escape to – not too far from Cape Town, stopover in the quaint town of Montagu.

The town is absolutely peaceful.

Shops are closed on a Sunday, there’s no rush to go anywhere – the people are friendly, and you can find  some genuinely mouthwatering healthy snacks at the markets.

Nothing beats catching wind on the back of a bakkie; getting to drive through messy puddles, sifting through heaps of vintage treasures, and taking home the bulk of the town’s specialties. Home baked biscuits, nuts, biltong, dried fruit and wine, wine, wine – is what you’ll find lots of at low cost, along Route 62.

One disappointment; I curse Cape Town’s coffee shops and restaurants for treating me to variety – unless you’re planning a sit-down at a restaurant for coffee, the most exotic option you’ll find is a Cappuccino with full cream milk. No Chai Lattes, no soy milk or honey substitutes, not even a decaf Cappuccino to go (to be found), anywhere from the N1 to Ashton. I packed my almond milk for the weekend, in case I wanted to have some Oats for breakfast at Montagu Springs Resort.

The self-catered experience

Who doesn’t love waking up to a rich breakfast in the morning. Staying over at a place that doesn’t offer breakfast can sometimes be inconvenient, especially if you’re trekking to the middle of nowhere. I love traveling light so I usually ensure that wherever I go, there’s a place to grab breakfast nearby. This is why staying at Montagu Springs Resort was perfect. While the resort is a fully self-catering venue, we could walk (but chose to drive) to Main Road, where restaurants and grocery stores lined the streets. There is also a superette just outside the resort where you  can find the essentials like tea, bread, milk, and biscuits.

At the resort, there are three swimming pools, one heated – it’s like getting into a bath, except that it’s outside, surrounded by greenery and mountains. There’s also three tennis courts, lots of space to braai, a huge playground where kids can jungle gym, swing, and run around, and bicycles for hire (at about R30 per hour). Avalon Springs is right next door with a restauarant, two bars, a spa, and the natural mineral springs. We popped into Avalon Springs but didn’t use any of the facilities so I’m not too sure whether it’s any good.

Our chalet was spacious and cosy. We checked into a Josmont Heights Chalet, which had a private deck with a braai place, a walk-in bathroom, a fully self-catering kitchen with cutlery and crockery, and a glass door in the main bedroom, leading out onto the deck. Waking up to the sound of birds, spotting the greenery and towering mountains, is definitely worth the experience. This is not a luxury resort so don’t expect percale linen or fancy furniture. Check out the resort pricing and chalet specials on their website for more information and photos.

The drive Through Route 62 and using GPS

You don’t really need GPS for this road trip, it’s pretty straight forward. The road is long and scenic, something a writer like me finds inspiring. The towns you’ll pass through, if you’re travelling from Cape Town, and let’s stay, stopover in Montagu, are Paarl, Worcester, Nuy, Robertson, and Ashton. There’s more than enough to explore on the way there and back.

We’d planned to go hiking in the mountains, a few steps from our chalet at Montagu Springs; we wanted to cycle through the town, enjoy a Saturday lunch at one of the restaurants but we just didn’t have enough time. At leas three to four full days to absorb the atmosphere – to really explore all that Route 62 has to offer, would have sufficed. If not more.

Here’s how to get to Montagu from Cape Town

Roadtrip essentials

• Water
• Cash or credit card for e-toll gate
• Sunnies
• Warm clothes or blanky
• Padkos (road trip snacks)
• GPS or road map (if you must)

Montagu is just over 2 hours drive from Cape Town and there are quite a few pitstops along the way where you can refuel, refresh, and take lots of photos.

What has been your best road trip yet? I’d love to hear from you. Pop me a comment in the space below or email me directly to robyn@bewhole.co.za