Wine Estates
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Darling Groote Post is a beautiful historic wine farm dating back to 1706, situated in the Darling area on the West Coast. Many of the buildings, including the Manor House and cellar, are National Monuments. Part of a family owned, 4 000 hectare working farm the winery produces award-winning wines.
The farm incorporates a game camp and offers game drives and a bird hide. The views of the Atlantic Coast and Table Mountain are spectacular. The popular restaurant (housed in the Manor House) offers modern country cuisine.
In spring the farm is covered in wild flowers. Along with these attractions the compelling feature of the farm is its membership of the Biodiversity Wine Initiative with a commitment made to preserving thousands of hectares of endangered fynbos.
Open Monday to Friday 09:00 - 17:00, Saturday to Sunday 10:00 - 14:30, Public Holidays: 10:00 - 16:00.
Wine Estates
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Darling The West Coast village of Darling – only one hour’s drive from Cape Town – is home to artists, actors, retired financiers, farmers and other interesting people (Cloof proprietors count themselves amongst those).Even if the region geographically and demographically is more than a little off-centre, Darling’s annual wild flower show – showcasing a selection of the 1 200 flowering species to be found here – makes it the focal point of the Cape Floral Kingdom.Cloof Vineyards, situated on the eastern slopes of Dassenberg, 70 kilometres north of Cape Town, are surrounded by wheat fields. In winter the most brilliant of greens, these fields ripen in early summer to earthy golden when the vineyards have burst into vibrant green leaf.Late in 2006 Cloof were named Champions under the Biodiversity & Wine Initiative, in recognition of the steps they’ve taken to conserve pristine natural vegetation, and to rehabilitate previously cultivated areas. The programme also sets extremely strict standards in terms of the potential environmental impact of vineyard and cellar activities.Darling’s unique combination of soils and climate give rise to the trademark bold-flavoured richness of Cloof wines, which ultimately is the real reason for visiting Cloof.Their passion for bold, well-defined flavours is expressed also in various food events at Cloof. Celebrating the best of country produce and simplicity in preparation, their wines are considered as being the ideal complement.Afrikaans has a word, gesellig, which best describes the happy mood that settles on a group when hospitality, good company, wine and food are brought together. That is the Cloof life and you are invited to share it with them.Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 10am to 4pm
Galleries and Museums
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Darling Get in your karretjie and head to Darling's Evita se Perron, a cabaret theatre started by Evita Bezuidenhout aka Pieter Dirk Uys, South Africa's famous satirist.
Perron means 'station platform' in Afrikaans and here you will find Voortrekker Monument kitsch rivaling apartheid signs – it's a place where everyone has a chance to laugh and/or cry, then remember and celebrate that we are no longer there. Tannie believes that by acknowledging where we come from, we will understand where we are going.
"In the bad old days when very few people had the vote, passenger trains steamed into Darling Station from Cape Town on a daily basis. Now everyone has the vote and there are no more passenger trains but the station has survived, thanks to a small group of darlings who did all they could to prevent the little pink blikgebou from being demolished. Darling Station is now an international port of call. The gravy train does not stop here anymore, but every tourist bus and visitors' Merc does. Our kitchen serves Tannie's legendary braai en slaai, roast lamb or bobotie, flanked by koeksisters en melktert. The droewors and biltong snack-platter, washed down with our excellent local wines makes for a special experience."
Sports Stadiums Clubs
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Darling Apart from golf, the Darling Club offers a wide variety of sport including bowls, netball, tennis, gymkhana and cricket.
The club hosts annual events such as the Darling Wild Flower Show, Nissan Rally, WP Gymkhana Championships and Boland Bowls Championships. It is also a popular venue for weddings, conferences and other social functions.
The 9-hole golf course is just 75 km from Cape Town and is popular with residents from Melkbos and Bloubergstrand. Bar facilities and light meals are available.
Things to do near
Darling
*Distances are shown as the crow flies and not necessarily the actual travelling
distance.
Four By Four Trails
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Yzerfontein (22.8 km from Darling) Buffelsfontein 4x4 is a sand route in the Buffelsfontein Nature Reserve just outside Yzerfontein. An entry fee is asked per vehicle and possibly per person. This is a fantastic adventure for the family as the trail has a grading of 1 to 3 and has a braai and picnic spot in the halfway mark of the route. The trail is 14 km long on a two-way drive, one-way is 7 km, and takes 1 to 3 hours to complete - you can redo this trail as many times as you like. It is recommended that drivers take a spade and maybe a compressor in case.
Four By Four Trails
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Yzerfontein (24.2 km from Darling) Blombosch 4x4 Nature Trail is located just outside of Yzerfontein along the West Coast in the Western Cape. The trail aim was for adventurers to experience the Sandveld vegetation. The sandy route may require drivers to deflate their 4x4 or 2x4 vehicle tyres. The trail has a 1 to 2 grading and is 13.5 km long; it takes approximately 2 hours to do the entire trail. This self-drive route requires low range, high clearance vehicles and is open all year round.
Tourist attractions are the limestone ridges, natural saltpans, old dune vegetation, lowveld fynbos and sea vistas.
Beaches
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Yzerfontein (24.4 km from Darling) Pearl Bay Beach is backed by seacliffs offering standout views of Dassen Island, Table Mountain and the Atlantic Ocean. This new suburb in the south of Yzerfontein is going through a rapid development phase.
Photo source: en.wikipedia.org
Four By Four Trails
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Atlantis (24.5 km from Darling) Atlantis Dunes is located just outside Atlantis and is exactly what the name says, a hug sand dune – or sandpit. Adventurers are able to take their 4x4 vehicles and no low range is required. A high clearance vehicle is recommended. This is a great day activity when visiting Atlantis.
Beaches
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Yzerfontein (25.9 km from Darling) Yzerfontein is mostly known for having wonderful spring wildflowers, great kitesurfing and windsurfing, and good fishing. It’s also known for the seemingly endless stretch of 16 Mile Beach, starting in the south at Yzerfontein Main Beach. A beachfront restaurant maximizes the view. There are public ablutions and just south of the beach is the interesting village harbour.
Photo source: en.wikipedia.org
Hiking Trail
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Melkbosstrand (33.5 km from Darling) This two-hour walk starts at the Koeberg Visitor Centre. Part of the walk is along the beach and passes a salt marsh, rich in bird life. The trail leads you around the main reactor, heading for the beach on the Cape Town side.
Mountain Biking Trails
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Melkbosstrand (33.6 km from Darling) This mountain bike route consists of two trails, both relatively easy. The one trail is a 7 km loop and the other a 25 km route to the beach. The trails are well marked and safe for all ages.
Nature Reserves
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Melkbosstrand (34.3 km from Darling) Eskom controls 3000 ha of West Coast around the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station. In keeping with both Eskom's environmental policy and national conservation trends, Eskom has decided to open this property to the public. Grysbok, Steenbok and the larger Duiker are buck species in the area and Bontebok and Springbok have been introduced as well. The elusive African wild cat, Grey mongoose and genet can also be seen. 153 Bird species can also be observed. A hidden treasure in the reserve is a large underground lake that supplies a lot of the surrounding areas with water.
Popular Attractions
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Melkbosstrand (36.5 km from Darling) This fun activity takes place at the Melkbosstrand Country Club. A minimum number of six players are required to make a group booking. A refundable deposit is required and a minimum age of 10 years old applies. Long-sleeve tops, long pants and good shoes are recommended. All paint used is bio-degradable and washes out. Protective clothing is available for hire.
Beaches
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Melkbosstrand (38.6 km from Darling) The first West Coast beach you will encounter on leaving Cape Town is Melkbos. Perfect for long, lazy walks and safe swimming, Melkbos Beach offers beautiful views of Robben Island and Table Mountain. The sunsets are stunning.
Good surfing conditions can be found at Corner, Tubewave and Derdesteen. Melkbos Beach is also a popular spot for kitesurfing, windsurfing, crayfishing and boating.
Popular Attractions
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Melkbosstrand (38.8 km from Darling) The Thandeka Stables in Melkbosstrand offers horse riding for novices and seasoned riders in some of the most beautiful parts of the area. With over 40 years experience, the owners ensure a safe and wonderful experience. They even offer riding for the disabled and specialized equine therapy. Picnics can be catered for and a quaint little coffee shop is situated on the premises.
Hiking Trail
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Melkbosstrand (40 km from Darling) The Dikkop Trail is a 13 km circular walk through the dunes and fynbos and a 2 km walk along the beach. The walk is at its most beautiful in spring, when the wildflowers are in bloom.
Golf Courses
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Melkbosstrand (41.1 km from Darling) The beautiful Atlantic Beach Golf Course is an 18-hole links-style course, just 700 metres from the beach.
Complete with lovely views of the ocean and Table Mountain, few courses can match the sheer pleasure of playing this course. This is a full championship course with training and driving facilities.
Wine Estates
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Durbanville Hills (42.7 km from Darling) Havana Hills, as it name suggests, is beautifully located on a hill, just 18 km away from Cape Town.
From this vantage point, the view of Table Mountain, Robben Island and the Atlantic Ocean will leave visitors breathless. Incorporating modern state-of-the-art equipment, as well as age-old methods of oak cask ageing, Havana Hills produces wines of superb quality.
Nature Reserves
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Elandsfontein Private Nature Reserve (43.4 km from Darling) Discover Elandsfontein’s rich fossil heritage on a guided Quad Bike Fossil Safari or 4WD Nature Drive.
The dunes on Elandsfontein are the final resting place of early humans and animals that date back to the early Stone Age. The safari includes a rest stop where light refreshments are served. All quad bikes have fully automatic gearboxes to ensure that even novice riders can enjoy this unique experience. To manage the impact on the dunes the number of quad bikes is limited to eight, but each quad bike is big enough for two passengers.
Watch wildlife in comfort during the 4WD Nature Drive. Originally the home of the largest inward migration of game in the history of the Western Cape, Elandsfontein is waiting to be discovered by nature lovers. Guests on the three hour nature drive can expect to see include eland, hartebeest, zebra, wildebeest, oryx, kudu, bontebuck, springbuck and Cape buffalo, the first of the Big Five to be reintroduced into the reserve. Unspoilt nature and rich and diverse birdlife complete the experience. The safari includes a rest stop where light refreshments are served.