Sedgefield

We totally fell in love with Sedgefield this December. Due to work commitments, we can only take family holidays during the peak December period and it has always been a struggle to find a holiday spot that is quiet, peaceful and beautiful but not too far from civilization! We enjoyed Sedgefield with our children of 6, 11 and 14, because we could visit attractions in nearby George and Knysna as well as the wonderful Swartvlei, Myoli and Buffalo Bay beaches nearby, while still having utter peace and quiet at home. No traffic noise, long queues in the supermarket or battling for parking in town to spoil your holiday! I found that the town provides for everything the holidaymakers need in terms of shopping, banking and medical facilities. Funnily enough I also liked the desalinated tap water - it seemed to cure my acne within a week. We'll be back!

Just my kind of town, slow and clean. A pleasure to stay over for a two week holiday.

Great place - away from the maddening crowds.

lovely place to explore with stunning view and enjoyed the markets. regards madiera ally and family

What a lovely town. Hired mountain bikes and enjoyed the town in slow motion. A truly lovely slow down spot! and of course the fantastic market ... well actually its sort of 3 markets that roll into each other ... a boerie roll under the many trees ... ahhhh

Sedgefield is a very nice place not too crowded, with a great beach. We thoroughly enjoyed our holiday at Sedgefield. There is also plenty to do around Sedgefield, from Tsitsikamma up to George.

An ideal family destination to relax and enjoy the great outdoors, this little village nestles in the heart of the lakes district. With its surrounding lakes, lagoon and four splendid beaches, it is no wonder that Sedgefield offers more than the average range of outdoor activities. This picturesque village is a nature lover’s paradise with a pleasant, temperate climate, an abundance of natural forests, fynbos and wild flowers and a rich and varied bird life, including marine, estuarine and evergreen forest species. 21kms of spectacularly unspoilt beach and lakes present a variety of water tricks – from simply splashing around to excellent bass fishing, sailing, canoeing, kite surfing, rock- and surf fishing and sailing. Gericke’s Point on Swartvlei beach is the ideal spot for snorkelling and spear fishing, with beautiful rock formations and pools. With good offshore winds, Sedgefield is undeniably a veritable paragliding hotspot, with no shortage of sites perfect for this activity along the adjacent coast; and is known as the paragliding Mecca of the garden route. Other activities on offer include hiking, horse riding, mountain biking, moonlight meanders on the beach and mashie golf. Bordering the Goukamma Nature Reserve, it boasts an abundance of fascinating fauna and flora hidden in a water network and indigenous forest. Boasting a few marine protected areas and nature reserves it is undeniably a hotspot for bird lovers. Archaeological, geological, and historical findings also lends to the growth of tourism possibilities in the area, especially for walking tours which can incorporate nature, culture and history. Life in Sedgefield happens at its own pace and you can meander around quaint coffee shops, follow the Tortoise Tourist Route or join in on the village’s national hobby – the art of mosaic. Saturday is market day and you can buy organic produce from local farmers at the Wild Oats Farmers’ Market or, just next door at the Scarab Market, arts and crafts from the numerous artists that have settled in the area. - Sedgefield Tourism

Sedgefield is South Africa's first officially recognised Cittaslow 'Slow Town'. Set in the beautiful and lush Garden Route, Sedgefield is surrounded by natural beauty and is blessed with five stunning beaches, the ocean, lakes, rivers, dunes and a mountainous skyline it is a largely undiscovered gem in the Western Cape destinations. Sedgefield offers the best attractions for the whole family. With its unspoilt beaches, Sedgefield has a varity of water sports, from just splashing around, to excellent fishing, kayaking, boating, canoeing, water skiing, sailing and windsurfing. The Island is well known for its abundant birdlife and tortoises are a common site. Enjoy cycling and walking in a safe, peaceful environment unspoilt by the hustle and bustle of city life. Sedgefield is a paragliders mecca, with no shortage of perfect spots for this activity along the adjacent coast there is also mountain biking. If you are looking for the perfect holiday destination then Sedgefield is the place for you. Our summers are warm with little rainfall.

Sedgefield is the only Slo Town in South Africa. A jewel of a village nestled into a bend of the Swartvlei Estuary, it is centrally situated between Mossel Bay and Plettenberg Bay, on the beautiful Garden Route. This makes it popular with golfers to play all the top class golf courses in the vicinity. Bordered by the Indian Ocean to the South, and the Outeniqua Mountains to the North, it is known for paragliding, kite surfing, hiking, mountain biking, fishing, or just relaxing on the beach. On Saturdays there is one of the best markets in the Western Cape, selling farm produce, food and arts and crafts, which brings people from far and wide. Sedgefield also offers a wide range of top class accommodation to suit all pockets.

Sedgefield may be Africa's 1st slow town but don't let the name fool you. Sure one can take things at a leisurely pace with the abundance of wildlife, bird watching, numerous lakes and estuarys for fishing as well as gorgeous and easily accessable beaches. OR you can take the adrenaline filled aproach: Kite surfing, paragliding, abseiling, paint balling, tree swinging, water sports. You're sure to get your heart beating. Then take a break and stroll through the infamous Wild Oats Market. Maybe a bit of shopping? Browse the excellent selection of cars at Segefield classic cars or visit some of our very well known artists who have made Sedgefield there home. As they say... Different strokes for different folks, but whatever your desires for your holiday you are sure to have them fulfilled in Sedgefield!

Sedgefield is a coastal town on the Garden Route in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is situated on the N2 national road, between George and Knysna. The town offers beaches, adventure activities and bird-watching activities to the holiday revellers preferring its all-year mild weather. The town was proclaimed in 1929 on the farm Sedgefield, which in turn was named in 1894 after the village of the same name in the UK where the father (Henry Barrington) of the then farm-owner was born. The farm Ruigtevlei was granted to the widow Meeding by Lord Charles Somerset and upon her death in 1878, the farm was divided into 9 lots. Lots A and B were first bought by individual farmers, before eventually being purchased in 1894 by John Barrington, son of then-famous politician, farmer and industrialist Henry Barrington (referred to as ‘Henry Barrington of Portland’ in the novel ‘Circles in a forest’ by Dalene Matthee). John named the town in honour of his father’s birthplace Sedgefield in the United Kingdom. Incidentally, the original Afrikaans name Ruigtevlei translates loosely into Sedgefield, with ‘ruigte’ indicating sedge and ‘vlei’ relating to a field. Kate Maurice (nee Barrington) inherited the farm Sedgefield from her brother upon his death in 1901. Kate sold the farm in 1911 to Salmon Terblans. A part of the farm Sedgefield was subsequently sold as Middelplaas, but was reincorporated in 1926. Terblans and Thomas Moodie investigated the possibility of proclaiming a town on the farm. Eventually, Moodie invested a lot of work into developing a town plan after securing an option to buy the farm but due to an oversight by Moodie’s lawyer, Terblans was able to step back out of their agreement at the last moment and sell the ground to Thesen and Company. However, Charlie Thesen decided to compensate Moodie for his invested effort and allowed him to name the newly proclaimed town. The name of Sedgefield was but one of a number of names considered by Moodie. In the end, the fact that it translated well to the original Afrikaans name of Ruigtevlei as well as the observation that it was very descriptive of the environment gave sway in favour of the name. After proclamation, the town experienced organic growth by attracting families who were attracted by the ‘new winter resort’ advertised in the George and Knysna Herald from 1927 onwards. The first families to settle were the Salts, Schumachers, Browns, Barnards and Mullers. In 1921 a railway connection between George and Knysna was planned and the project was completed in 1928 by routing the line over a new bridge crossing the adjacent Swartvlei (‘Black lake’). In 1940, the town was given a postal service outlet and in 1947 the road through Sedgefield was completed, thus fully integrating the town into the commercial route between George and Knysna. A library was opened in 1962 and the town expanded further during the next four decades to comprise a central business district with supermarkets, pharmacies, filling stations, curio shops and other undertakings. Fresh water has been supplied from nearby George, but being pressed by an unusually dry summer a desalination plant was erected in 2009 to make the town totally self-sufficient in terms of water supply. The central area of Sedgefield together with the Island form part of the original town area. Since then, the extensions of Smutsville, Green Valley, Myoli Beach and Cola Beach were added to given residence to the approximately 10,000 permanent inhabitants of Sedgefield. The town’s main economic activity revolves around tourism, with secondary activities centred on serving the needs of local residents and regional farmers. The laid-back rustic village atmosphere is reflected in the town’s motto of being a place where ‘the tortoise sets the pace’. A popular attraction is the Wild Oats market which attracts large numbers of tourists and residents from the region every Saturday morning with offerings of fresh produce and local crafts. A golf course (the ‘Fynbos Links’), tennis court and bowls field caters to the significant portion of retired permanent residents of the town. Local natural attractions include Gericke’s lookout point which resembles the profile of a resting lion and the protected natural dune areas which harbours Cape Fynbos plantations and rare bird species. In September, 2010 Sedgefield was accredited as the first ‘Cittaslow’ Slow Town in Africa. It now has an annual Slow Festival that takes place around Easter, a Slow Food movement and a number of activities that are specifically related to the slow way of life.

We have been holidaying in Sedgefield for 30 years since our children were small and we still go every year now we are pensioners.

I have not been to Sedgefield for many years but visited for a few days last week. I found that I preferred Sedgefield to Knysna and Plettenberg Bay. It has a more friendly feel. Feels like home. I enjoyed the market and found the middle market to have more life than the top market. Everybody was friendly. Yes I could definitely retire here.

This is a very cosy and quite village. It is especially suitable for people who have had a hectic year and want some peace and tranquillity. The town folk are very friendly and make a person feel welcome. Keep up the good work Sedgefield.

Sedgefield's people are very friendly. The market on Saturdays ist a must to visit. Be early!

Sedgefield is an amazing place suitably located between George and Knysna. We had an awesome time doing family activities in Sedgefield, Knysna, George and Plett Bay.

We loved Sedgefield! Friendly easy going people everywhere. Good service at restaurants and nice little shops where you can browse. Shops are well priced!

Sedgefield was enjoyable and a quiet. What I like about it is the fact that it is a central venue if you need to visit Knysna and Plett, Wilderness, George and Mossel Bay.

This small town with a beautiful beach is brilliant for a holiday.

For the ultimate in relaxation, the slow sea side town of Sedgefield is a perfect location to relax and forget about the city bustle.

Lovely town. Safe, and the people are extremely friendly. Beautiful surroundings - will definitely stay there again.