Why Aren't More Brits Going to Cape Town for Holidays?

June, July, August are considered the wet months in Cape Town. However, our annual ascent up Table Top Mountain was as treacherous as they come due to the inclement weather. Our usual path up Platteklip Gorge was shrouded in the tablecloth, as the locals refer to it. The weather at the peak was so bad they'd shut down the restaurants, cable cars and toilets. The only thing to do was turn around and climb back down, with even more studious care.

After getting drenched for our morning sojourn, Anastasia bought more age inappropriate animal printed jump suits and then some local jewelry from The Watershed. We had lunch at COY. Kirk, our sinewy waiter with the arm tattoos doesn’t remember us from last time, but that’s fine.

For dinner we took a trip to La Colombe, a return visit to a once in a lifetime eating adventure.

They have a second one in Franschhoek, but it’s bigger and less intimate. Anastasia noticed the light fixture had changed since the renovation. Like a hanging bird's nest. We took a photo and sent it to our interior designer in Orlando. There are two big restaurants in Cape Town, both of which would be vying for a Michelin star had Michelin ever come to Cape Town. There are no Michelin Star restaurants in South Africa, or any parts of Africa for that point. There is a hawkers stall in the basement markets of Singapore, but that’s only because Singapore paid Michelin to come there. South Africa does not need Michelin , and possibly vica versa.

The next day, feeling surprisingly ginger, we took a steam train from Cape Town to Elgin. The Ceres Rail company with their stable of 80 year old steam trains operate a Cape Town to Elgin weekend return trip. With promises of a must-see for children (and adults) as they roar in with thunderous whistling, puffing and hooting. The train was 2 hours late so the arrival was somewhat laboured.

A retired couple sat across from us on the train. The man, bespectacled and Canadian, was keen to talk wine, but soon sloughed off when he realised my knowledge was lets say, de minimis. "The best pinot noir is in the Hemel en Aarde Valley which starts at the Whalehaven, and goes all the way to Creation. We're going to Elgin today, as you know. If any bottle has Elgin on it, you should buy it."

The man thumbed through his APP for South African wines, called the Platters App. Picked out several more before holstering his phone and drifting off into a deep upright nap.

At the Elgin Market there were food stalls of all kinds. We bought Biltong. Springbok I've been told is the best Biltong. Upstairs were neatly appointed odds and sods stores, antique fairs and craft stalls.

TIP: Ensure to book the cart with the bar that faces out the window. Speak to as many people as possible that know their onions about wine. Pack some nibbles for the train, the food is not their USP. Eat light and enjoy a bigger lunch at the Elgin Market.

It's unknown to me why more brits aren't going to Cape Town. The value is unmatched in both quality and price. For fears of crime, stay in the harbour and get Ubers everywhere, out of town. Perhaps it's the price of the flight. Maybe it's tougher to do a 12 hour flight with restless little brats in tow. But adults, solvent with disposable income, I implore you to exploit some of nature's finest surroundings and in the words of Withnail, sample some of the best wines available to humanity.

Photo by Tobias Reich on Unsplash