A day in Riebeek West

Riebeek Kasteel and Riebeek West sit about five kilometres apart along the R311, at the foot of the same mountain. West is quieter, more spread out, and worth a full morning.

Start at Die Boomhuis at the Riebeek Valley Garden Centre, a greenhouse built around a baobab with stained glass, a nursery and a coffee shop. KremaTart is next door if you are hungry.

Taste at Marras, where lunch is served in an old stable, or at Allesverloren, the valley's oldest wine farm and a family estate since 1872. Swartland Rusks has a factory shop on the West side of town, and a bag of beskuit is the right souvenir.

History lovers can visit the Cape Dutch house where Jan Smuts was born, now a national monument on the grounds of the cement works.