An Impromptu Road Trip Through Durbanville Wine Valley to Wellington

I’m not usually stumped when it comes to deciding what to do on an absolutely gorgeous day. I’m a serial planner you see, so everything is meticulously thought out and planned in advance. Now I know that the Durbanville Wine Valley and Wellington are quite far apart and not usually used in the same road trip sentence but let me tell you exactly how this decision came about.

Where to Go?

The day before our spur of the moment road trip it had rained tremendously so we were not expecting beautiful weather the following morning. Low and behold (in true Cape Town style) the sun showed its glowing face and right there hubby and I decided we could not let this ‘spring’ window period go to waste. But where to go? I couldn’t come up with a single suggestion. An absolute shocker even for myself. Then I remembered we’d always driven pass a sign on the N7 highway that said ‘Rondeberg Nursery’ with an inviting gravel road behind it. And that was it, we were off!

A Drive Through the Durbanville Wine Valley

Of course with our love for road trips we simply had to take the scenic route and that’s how we ended up driving through the Durbanville Wine Valley. I had never driven the full extent of Contermanskloof road as we usually only visit the wine estates on the Tygerbergvalley and Vissershok roads. So needless to say, I was excited! The grass is indeed greener on the other side of the wine valley and skies are a tad bluer too. And who says we don’t have castles in Cape Town? As you can see by my featured image, we most certainly do even though it’s a film set! I also encountered my first sheep roadblock (ha!) and one-way bridge which you’ll only find on the outskirts of Cape Town.

Discovering a Hidden Gem

Rondeberg Nursery is situated off the N7 highway about 10km before Malmesbury. It’s a quaint little place that’s been put together over the years. Their plants are very affordable and we walked away with a wheelbarrow’s load full! I’ve even vowed to come back every month for more. They also run a tea garden which serves light meals and has become quite popular over weekends. We had such a lovely time wandering around and chatting to the owner that we lost track of time. Our tummies were rumbling, dinner time was looming and we weren’t done road-tripping either so off to Wellington it was! And yes, we most definitely took another scenic back route.

We’ve Found the Perfect Place in Wellington

Once in Wellington, we stopped at the cutest Coffee Shop on Church street which claimed to be the best in town. They certainly looked the part! The Perfect Place (that’s really the name!) is also an antique shop so as you can imagine, I was in retro heaven with the interior decor. We didn’t have much time to browse around as we arrived an hour before closing time.  However, the owner and staff were so lovely they allowed us to stay and order a meal. We had the best burgers, cappuccino and milkshake in town and will definitely be returning to this hidden gem.

When faced with a travel decision – take the road less traveled. You never know what beauty it may lead you to.