#loveoverberg

Swellendam is fast becoming a MTB Western Cape destination, with events like the TransCape MTB, routes in the Bontebok & Marloth and the CoronationDC

Cycling in Swellendam – MTB Western Cape0

Posted 24 February, 2015

MTB Western Cape

Goodness, this post has been a long time coming…  August last year was the last!  It has been an amazing season (although not quite over yet!) and we are so grateful.  Thank you to the wonderful people that stay with us, we look forward to seeing (a lot of you) again next year…

Swellendam is fast becoming a MTB Western Cape dream destination, with events like the TransCape MTB, routes in the Bontebok & Marloth Nature Reserves and the road cyclist’s Coronation Double Century beginning and ending in Swellendam each year, more and more cyclists, both professional and leisure are coming to stay…

Even if not a serious cyclist, exploring the village and surrounds is an ideal way to fully experience the natural beauty of Swellendam and work up an appetite for the gorgeous food available on almost every corner.

MTB available for hire from Swellendam Tourism to explore the beautiful natural surrounds

Owing to its central location, only a hop and a skip from some of the most tranquil lunch spots, coffee shops and easy mountain walks, Schoone Oordt Country Hotel is the perfect accommodation choice.  Best of all, you don’t even need to lug your own bike along, because Swellendam Tourism hires them out for the day. They have put together a brilliant little cycling map, which highlights all of the places along an easy loop around town. Why not cycle to your massage at Rain before a long lunch at Tredici?  What a way to get to know our town more intimately.

Exquisite mountains and captivating scenery just minutes from Schoone Oordt Country Hotel in Swellendam South Africa

We tested out one of their bicycles one perfect Sunday morning, accompanying Sonette (manageress extraordinaire)  and @shadowthehoteldog (yes, he has his own Instagram account) on their morning walk into the Marloth Nature Reserve. It was such a pleasure heading off into the crisp morning at 6:30am, cycling directly from the hotel. We would recommend the experience to everyone!

Shadow the Hotel Dog loving the farm dam just before the Marloth Nature Reserve in Swellendam

Little could compare to the feeling of elation, when after only a few minutes of cycling, a resplendent scene unfolded before us. The magic of those Swellendam mountains must really be felt to be understood. The rising sun imbued them with a red-tinged hue as Shadow swum around in the dam like a hippo. We sat and admired the grandeur of nature – almost disbelievingly. Swellendam sure knows how to show off!

Spectacular scenery and soul food for humans and dogs within easy reach of Schoone Oordt Country Hotel Swellendam

After half an hour of gentle cycling, gorgeous views, soul food and some feel-good exercise, we were very happy that the road went slightly downhill towards Schoone Oordt.  “Coffee. Orange Juice. Three course breakfast,”  thoughts taunted as we freewheeled back to the celestial comfort of Schoone Oordt.  Isn’t cycling before breakfast the perfect way to start the day?  It was 8am and we’d had our eyes so chockfull of beauty, it felt like we were harbouring a secret at the breakfast table.

If you want to change perceptions, call in the bloggers. That’s what the recent #Swellenblog tour was all…

How do you change perceptions of a whole town? Put it on the map? Persuade people that it's not just a fuddy-duddy museum piece but an adventure destination of note with a vibrant food and wine culture too?

You call in the bloggers, of course.

Add in activities like microlighting, river rafting, a foefie slide, plenty of good food and wine, knock-out scenery, comfortable beds and a packed programme, and you have a sure-fire recipe for success. 

This was the thinking of Amanda Shackley of Swellendam Tourism, assisted by Thaya Bedford of LoveOverberg, who recently organised a media tour of Swellendam and its environs for a group of eight bloggers under the banner of #Swellenblog.

Dairy cows in the Hermitage Valley outside Swellendam

I was the lucky representative from Flow Communications, who tagged along wearing our South African Tourism hat.

The amazing Amanda crammed in as much as possible, from visiting De Hoop Nature Reserve to breakfast in Suurbraak, to horse riding in the Langeberg mountains and indulging in milkshakes and waffles at the Diesel & Creme roadhouse near Barrydale.

Every day's activities were interspersed with beautifully prepared meals (including possibly the best steak to be had in the southern hemisphere, at De Companjie restaurant, which brings the meat straight off its own farm). 

Delectable teacakes at Pennantwing coffee and decor shop in Swellendam

And that's not to mention the wine tastings, solving-the-meaning-of-life-late-night conversations, and barrels of laughs that went along with it.

So, when @bestcapetownSA, @pacuraru, @ishotimagesza, @curious_luke,@redwingstarling, @VagabondScribe, @deshaakonsen and @moving_sushi came to town, Swellendam didn't quite know what had hit it.

"What's the Wi-Fi code?" was the generally rallying cry of the group as we poured out of the van provided by SwellenCab and driven by @Simon87guide (yes, he too had just started his Twitter account).

The next question was: "What's your Twitter handle?"

Amazingly, Amanda had managed to get practically every outfit we visited to sign up to Twitter, so even the Twitter newbies were able to answer.

Then, before a fork was lifted, a sip of wine tasted or an adventure embarked on, everything and anything was photographed, filmed, instagrammed and tweeted from every conceivable angle.

See the results of the #Swellenblog twitter onslaught here.

What follows is a taste of what we got up to (and Swellendam can certainly say that it has now truly joined the Twitterverse) ...

A garden at the 200-year-old mission at Suurbraak where we stopped for breakfast at Paradise Organic

Lisa Huang and Ovidiu Pacuraru aboard a sundowner cruise on the Buffeljags Dam. Ovi had just volunteered to be a human outboard motor for a canoe (somebody forgot the paddle) and so was shivering back to life

Jon Meinking with Desiree Haakonsen to the left photograph the Tradouw Pass

Jon and Luke Bresler play a quick game of table tennis at the Barrydale Hotel

Lisa poses with a retro petrol pump at the Barrydale roadhouse, Diesel & Creme

Luke and Jon indulge in some slo-mo action on the Malgas pont, which they helped pull across the Breede River

Jon buckles up his headgear for a Breede River rafting trip and reveals that he used to be a river guide

Thaya Bedford tests her new life-changing Canon camera at the Buffeljags Dam

Honey tasting at the bee shop in Swellendam

Thaya braves the skies in a microlight