A thatched Cape Dutch house, the style so typical of this area, surrounded by hundreds of roses
Over the years, it has become a bit of a tradition for us to visit Chart Farm in Wynberg whenever hubby’s family pay us a visit in Cape Town. It’s a delightful little place just visible off the M3, driving from Constantia towards town.
There’s a lovely restaurant there called The Terrace, which serves home-made cakes, breakfasts and lunches, from 9h00 to 16h30 every day. Next to it is a little farm stall, where you can buy whatever fresh farm produce happens to be in season, as well as compost and mulch for your garden. During cherry season in November and December, they also sell fresh cherries from Klondyke Cherry Farm (though I would really recommend a drive out to Ceres to pick your own – it’s so much fun!), which we had visited a couple of days earlier.
All the colours of roses you can possibly think of...
We met up with a friend for some scrumptious scones and crumpets in the restaurant, and afterwards strolled around the beautiful rose gardens. I hadn’t explored them much before, so I had no idea they were so large! And what a view: you can see all the way south to Muizenberg and northwards along the Constantiaberg and towards Kirstenbosch and Devil’s Peak.
The range of colours and delicious fragrances was quite overwhelming. If you wish to take some roses home with you for your sweetheart, you can even pick your own! Just ask at the farm stall, and they will supply you with secateurs and picking trays – and, I presume, weigh your pickings afterwards to determine the price.
On the day we went, a rather brisk wind was blowing – and thus it wasn’t ideal weather for taking photographs, what with the petals fluttering about and the camera struggling to maintain sharp focus. Soooo, I think we should just go again another day! After all, I can’t imagine a more lovely place to have scones and tea, surrounded by heavenly roses!
I only managed to get to Chart Farm on one occasion, and the roses were not in bloom; but notwithstanding this, the surrounding scenery was gorgeous.
Now’s a good time to go, I think, Alison, as there were sooo many roses in bloom.
Hi Reggie
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Thank you for letting me know, Indigigirl – I hadn’t heard of this. Are you going to the protest march?
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Sounds heavenly! You can take me there should we ever get over to visit!!! 😉
Oh definitely, Houdini! If you ever decide to visit South Africa, and come to Cape Town, please let me know – I’ll gladly suggest some places for you to visit! 🙂
Very beautiful! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Oregon. 🙂
Hi Reggie
I am busy using all my feminine wiles to convince hubby to take me – he is very anti crowds. Maybe I can even get a visit in to Chart farm on the way home. Hold thumbs for me – hopefully I haven’t lost my touch after 27 years of marriage!
Gosh, well, I’ll hold thumbs then! A visit to Chart Farm for some civilised scones and tea might just tip the scales in your favour, you know…. 😉
I really like this slideshow you have at the end of this blog post – lovely photos and I think slideshows work very well in blogs, actually. I’ll have to try that out in one of my own posts at some point in time.
Thank you for your kind comment, Rebecca. I tend to use slideshows quite often, because I usually have so many photos I want to include! Now if the slideshow could have an accompanying musical soundtrack, it would be even nicer, but I don’t have the video or sound file upgrade on my blog, so it’ll just have to be a silent slideshow for now. 🙂
You have absolutely stunning photos on your blog!
I have really been enjoying your blog. The pictures and descriptions make me feel like I’ve taken a mini-vacation without going anywhere.
Thank you – that is really nice of you, Paprika! 🙂
Even though I’m late reading your post, I’m glad to say the tea’s still hot and the scones still fresh. When I come to Cape Town that’s what I want to do on my first day!
I love your photos of the Roses. They are my favorite flower 😀
If you want to visit the Chart Farm, and to time your trip accordingly, I would recommend phoning them up first to make sure that they are open! I can’t tell you the number of times we’ve driven out all the way, pretty sure they’d be open, only to find the gates locked. I think they close their doors at least once a year for a longer period, though I’m never sure when that is. 🙂 Glad you’re adding it to your ‘must see’ list of places though! You’ll love the rose garden. 😀
Wow, I’m so happy to stumble upon your blog. I haven’t been to South Africa yet but my husband who spent a few months of practical work as a university student told me of how beautiful the country is especially along the Cape peninsula and those lovely vineyards in Stellenbosch. It is still a dream for me to go there for holidays so in the meantime, I’ll travel through this lovely country through your blogs. 😉
In that case, welcome, Malou! I am pleased you are enjoying your ‘visit’ to our beautiful country. I have read your stories of snow and ice in The Netherlands, brrrr….! 🙂 And if you plan a visit to South Africa, and need any advice or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to ask.