At the end of January, we went on another Great Escape, this time a return to lovely Yzerfontein, by the sea up our West Coast, for 10 days. We enjoyed our Karoo/Garden route trip in October so much that we had been longing to get away, but had to wait until the Omicron variant of Covid had abated. As you will see from the photographs, the surf was up – it is only 79 kilometres away, you Cape surfers. And there is lots of accommodation available at reasonable prices. We are so pleased to see some new restaurants and many food trucks, which may well belong to people who are pivoting to survive. Yzerfontein has a permanent population of 3000, which swells to 30000 at peak season, which is why we like the off-peak times
We found a superb apartment on AirBnB at a rate we thought was very reasonable. On Upper Street, which a friend says is THE place to be, it has superb views of the north beach and the town and it more than lived up to expectations. Lynne is very picky and spends a long time on all the platforms until she finds the perfect fit. It must be spacious, have our own entrance, have a view and somewhere to sit outside, good free WiFi, off road parking, and must, of course, be comfortable. A good TV is a bonus, but we take our computers so we can watch Britbox on them. John's has a 24" screen, better for editing photographs - and watching TV. We like a good kitchen, as Lynne likes to cook, and John likes a braai. Modern requirements nowadays are lots of plugs and a table and chairs where we can work and play on our computers at night. Oh, and hooks in the bathroom to hang clothes while you shower. So few places have got there yet, but they will. This place was a very good fit. Just a few steps into the apartment
A large and very comfortable bedroom with an en suite shower bathroom
It is down three steps from the main room and there was ample storage space
The small balcony was a dream to sit out on, as it is completely sheltered from the South Easter
which can plague the south beach
And this is the view. We loved the different moods of the sea and its lovely wave sounds, especially late at night
Those aloes and trees in front are bursting with bird life
The main room with a large dining/work table and the Binnebraai (inside barbeque and fireplace). A welcome fan and tiled floor throughout
A gas stove top, a microwave and all the other implements you need for two people
Looking back up the hill from the beach, you can see our house,
in front of the palm, top right, with two white towels on our balcony
The large house below our apartment is also available for rent
You can walk down to the beach quite quickly, but Lynne can’t climb hills well with her hip problem, so we drove
It’s a spectacular beach and very popular, not only with swimmers, but kite and surf skiers, bodyboarders,
stand up paddleboarders and, especially, surfers on the side nearest our place
Three boys on Yzerfontein beach, trying to move a heavy rock to build a fort
Waves advancing on Yzerfontein beach, good for surfing
We spent a very pleasant evening with Charles and Janet Withington at their home
and drank this excellent 2013 Chardonnay, made by Charles
He wishes he had kept more, as we do. NBC stands for Nothing But Chardonnay
It was layered and full of all the lovely golden fruit flavours one expects
with good acidity and complexity and it has lasted so well
and another excellent wine, made by Anthony de Jager at Fairview for Charles Back, from the Drie Papenfontein vineyard
A superb 2016 Darling Sauvignon Blanc Semillon Blend
Charles has also made a Brandy under his Withington brand called Voorkamer
(Afrikaans for the front room, especially of a Cape Dutch house or farmhouse)
which was enjoyed very much. Just the right thing to end the evening with, after some lovely food
We had Spar’s new pork, sage and apple sausages, expertly cooked by Charles on the braai
Early next morning the surfers were out
Good long waves, not too high
On another evening, we lit our Binnebraai and cooked over the coals; a deboned leg of lamb
which we had brought with us, from Woolworths. It was pre-marinated in red wine, herbs and garlic, Greek style
We had also brought a large aubergine from our garden and that went on the braai too and cooked perfectly
Aubergine, crisp skin and gooey inside; tender and medium rare lamb
One of the lovely sunsets
The perfect match for the lamb was a bottle of Haskell Aeon Stellenbosch 2013 Syrah,
made by talented winemaker and member of the Cape Winemakers Guild, Rianie Strydom
Spiced cherry on the fragrant nose, it is light in texture, but not in flavour,
with cherry, raspberry and rhubarb in layers on the fruity palate
Spice and black pepper with still a few grippy but supple chalky tannins, showing it has more to give in future
Lovely with the Mediterranean style lamb and aubergine
We had a lazy day the next day and a walk on the beach at the end of it
We had a little cloud and some rain mid week but it just gave us the excuse to put up our feet and relax
- and wash our dirty car in the rain water
Die Groot Klip (The Big Stone) is a small rocky island in the bay at Yzerfontein
Most of the weekenders leave, so not many people on the beach
Walking on Yzerfontein beach at high tide another day
A middle aged bearded man, wearing a wet suit and a hat, surfing off the beach at Yzerfontein, late afternoon
It becomes a daily necessity, if the weather holds, to go for a walk
We prefer the evening, but many locals were out from very early
One day, Lynne woke before 5 and watched the sun come up. And then went back to bed!
Children, people and Hartlaub's gulls on Yzerfontein beach, early evening
Lovely soft evening light on wet sand
A group of women and children celebrating a 40th birthday
Serious swimmers and 'dippers'
A Kite surfer in a strong wind on another day
The wind was very strong, so they retreated after being blown quite far down the bay
Some great waves to fly over
Experts, needing no assistance getting out to sea
Good Night!
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