By the time the ad appeared in the Cape Times, the Valley had been spotted and occupied by European and other settlers for nearly 350 years. And still they keep arriving.
‘House to Let – Riebeek Kasteel’. Where on earth could that be? Victoria and I had only been in South Africa for a short while; me back after a long sojourn in London, and Victoria as my willing partner in our new adventure.
Enabled with a map, we travelled the hour north from Cape Town. When we reached the summit of the small pass that precedes the valley we took deep breaths. Unfolded before us was this vast vista, a plain galloping towards distant, never ending mountains. And snuggled against the mountain, Riebeek Kasteel, and a mere 4km further, Riebeek West.
A memorial at the summit of the pass commemorates the first European party to have ventured on an expedition in 1661 seeking a famed golden city called Monomotapa. The city was never discovered, but the visual riches of the Riebeek Valley must have been a substitute.
They were not the first residents of the area, however; it had been occupied for aeons by indigenous San and Khoi peoples – they left their record on the mountain, and details of conflict with early settlers is well documented.
We were not able to take up residence at that point, but the Riebeek seed was well planted and grew over the following years until we were in a position to move. In the interim we visited often; our quest to find a place to live outside Cape Town invariably resulted in the Valley being the destination.
Villagers we met were very embracing – we felt we were coming home on every visit. When our gorgeous cottage was eventually found, and we announced that we were coming to roost, the warm welcome was palpable.
It felt as if we had arrived in heaven. Riebeeks Kasteel and West nestle against the side of Kasteelberg, a massif rising out of the surrounding plains. A Kirstenbosch authority stated it contained flora unique to the area, and duiker, baboon, porcupine amongst others occupy its steep slopes. Even lynx are spotted! And recently rumours of the return of leopard, last spotted well over a century ago!
The views from the summit take you all the way to Table Mountain in the south, to the Piketberg and Piekernierskloof in the other direction, and an endless chain of peaks running north to the Cederberg and beyond. Because of its situation, an 18th century astronomer, Abbé de la Caille, utilised it as a point in a triangle (the other two points were Strand Street in Cape Town and Aurora) to measure the circumference of the earth in the southern hemisphere.
Covering the slopes around the villages are vineyards, set amongst farms (like Kloovenburg, Allesverloren and Sonquasdrift, established as long ago as 1704), olive groves, and in the winter months, endless fields of green wheat. The colours constantly change with the seasons, providing a variable palette to stimulate any eye.
This probably accounts for the artists and creative types that found refuge and have been inspired by this spectacular setting. We soon came to realise that there were painters, ceramicists, sculptors, metal workers, wood workers, leather workers, musicians, writers... virtually any creative discipline in residence.
To complement these talented people, newcomers over the succeeding years began opening restaurants, guest houses, bars and new shops – steel furniture, country craft, second hand furniture, a couple of wine emporiums, clothing boutique, nurseries, and soon a revitalised art gallery, and fresh produce outlet. Together with wine and olive products available from outlets or cellars, there is not much one needs to venture away for. The growth energises this impressive area, and embellishes the established farming activities that were long the central focus.
The relative newcomers to the towns invariably carry with them their ‘previous’ lives, their work ethos, various skills, styles, interests, social backgrounds, which are melded together to create diverse, varied crowd. In order to survive in a rural environment many combine their experiences: an architect becomes a web designer; the plumber is also a master furniture restorer (and painter and photographer – hate him!); a shoemaker who became a garden nursery owner, then publican; a helicopter pilot that worked on the SALT project. I could go on and on about the cross section of humanity that makes up this cassata.
So these are working towns, centres for the farming community to congregate, and mingle with the villagers, creating vibrant hubs. For some reason people of different nationalities found this little outpost: we have English, Welsh, Irish, Scottish, Zimbabweans, an Australian, Germans, a Malawiian, Belgians, a Frenchman, someone from the Congo and our northernmost resident, a Fin. Couple this to the complex cultural groupings from South Africa and we have a veritable United Nations.
Each village has its own church (and the history which created this conundrum) with steeples being visible landmarks from the surrounding plains. And there is still a friendly rivalry between the Riebeeks. Each dorp has its own hotel, and the pubs and restaurants allow for an easy trawl between the two.
With so many new places opening and this almost Mediterranean setting in a vast African vista, the number of visitors is constantly increasing – now is the time to visit this gem of an area. I sometimes do not want to tell anyone about our secret little valley, lurking between the west coast and the hinterland, but we all want to survive here, so we do find ourselves spreading the word.
Twelve years have elapsed since the ‘house to let’ ad appeared (ten years we have lived here now), and we are deeply ensconced in this area, this place of special physical beauty, and especially wonderful people.
Riebeek Kasteel
Riebeek West