Visit the small town of Hopefield on the West Coast during the week and you might not notice much going on; pop in on Saturday morning and you’ll see it buzz with activity. Find it about 120km from Cape Town, close enough for a weekend away. Here are 8 things to do in and around Hopefield.
1. Die Plaasmol farm stall
On the way from Langebaan, about 5 or 6km from Hopefield on the R45, we stopped at Die Plaasmol farm stall, lured in by the funky flowers made from recycled plastic cold drink bottles, and a zany stuffed scarecrow. A pergola in the garden at the back was made from plastic bottles filled with plant matter and strung together to create shade. Inside a fire was roaring on a cold morning, surrounded by chairs made of recycled car tyres and a family having breakfast. We wandered around the warren of rooms stuffed with knick knacks, something odd around every corner. There seemed to be a little of everything from jams and other eatables to boere kitsch, craft items, antique irons and treadle sewing machines.
Kids can come here to feed the sheep or turkeys and the whole family will enjoy the small army of odd stuffed creatures, some of them poking their noses out of hollow columns, others buried waist deep in the ground with the soles of their shoes painted with odd messages like ‘Help me’ or ‘Eish, it’s dark!’ Shoes and boots have been turned into plant holders, a kettle is parked in a garden bed as if it’s a plant. Signs at the entrance caution drivers to take care around ‘free range children’ and warn that ‘trespassers will be recycled’. It’s a weird place for sure, but well worth stopping to appreciate the sense of fun and get an insight into the strange workings of the creators’ minds.
2. West Coast Fossil Park
Imagine sabre-toothed cats, short-necked giraffes and African bears roaming the West Coast. You can find out about them at the West Coast Fossil Park 23km northwest of Hopefield, just beyond where the R45 joins the R27 to Langebaan. Take a journey 5 million years into the past on a guided fossil tour to a dig site, hike a nature trail, go hiking and mountain biking, or have a meal in the coffee shop. To check opening hours and tour times, tel 022-7661606, email info@fossilpark.org.za.
3. Traditional hartebeeshuisie
Kids can come here to feed the sheep or turkeys and the whole family will enjoy the small army of odd stuffed creatures, some of them poking their noses out of hollow columns, others buried waist deep in the ground with the soles of their shoes painted with odd messages like ‘Help me’ or ‘Eish, it’s dark!’ Shoes and boots have been turned into plant holders, a kettle is parked in a garden bed as if it’s a plant. Signs at the entrance caution drivers to take care around ‘free range children’ and warn that ‘trespassers will be recycled’. It’s a weird place for sure, but well worth stopping to appreciate the sense of fun and get an insight into the strange workings of the creators’ minds.
2. West Coast Fossil Park
Imagine sabre-toothed cats, short-necked giraffes and African bears roaming the West Coast. You can find out about them at the West Coast Fossil Park 23km northwest of Hopefield, just beyond where the R45 joins the R27 to Langebaan. Take a journey 5 million years into the past on a guided fossil tour to a dig site, hike a nature trail, go hiking and mountain biking, or have a meal in the coffee shop. To check opening hours and tour times, tel 022-7661606, email info@fossilpark.org.za.
3. Traditional hartebeeshuisie
Take time to appreciate the replica of the traditional hartebeeshuisie in the grounds of the library in the main road (Voortrekker Street). It’s a testament to the nomadic lifestyle of the past. The cattle farmers who used to live in the area in the old days had to travel in search of better grazing. Because various types of reeds were readily available in the area, they used them to build their houses when they trekked from place to place. They secured reeds between wooden poles and sometimes covered it all with mud. Two of the main advantages were that the houses could be built quickly, and they were warm in winter and cool in summer.
4. Dutch Reformed church
4. Dutch Reformed church
Stop to admire one of the prettier Dutch Reformed churches on the West Coast. Built in 1879, it has one of only ten Forster and Andrews organs imported into South Africa from England. When the organ was installed in 1911 it was so large that the pulpit had to be moved to one side. More than 100 years later it’s still being used for services every Sunday. The church has an attractive clock tower too.
5. Simply Bee
5. Simply Bee
Visit the Simply Bee observation centre in Church Street, where you can watch a real working bee hive behind glass. Bees come and go through the open side door. Next door is the Simply Bee shop, where you can taste the fynbos honey variants before you buy. There’s also a range of cosmetics and toiletries made from honey and beeswax. All products are badger friendly and not tested on animals. Some contain propolis, a resin bees collect from plants to protect the hive from viruses and to disinfect it. It has anti-fungal, anti-viral and antibiotic properties.
After a recent Carte Blanche TV programme about American Foul Brood (AFB) disease in bees, there's been a bit of an uproar in the industry. ‘The mistake Carte Blanche made,’ Simply Bee’s Helena van der Westhuizen told me, ‘was to put out the message that AFB is a terrible bacteria – and indeed it is very harmful to the bees – without mentioning that the honey is completely fit for human consumption! It doesn’t affect the quality of the honey either. We’re fortunate,’ she added, ‘not to have any hives that are AFB positive.’ Fortunate because having to destroy hives to prevent the spread of the disease is a costly business.
6. Mill Country Fair
After a recent Carte Blanche TV programme about American Foul Brood (AFB) disease in bees, there's been a bit of an uproar in the industry. ‘The mistake Carte Blanche made,’ Simply Bee’s Helena van der Westhuizen told me, ‘was to put out the message that AFB is a terrible bacteria – and indeed it is very harmful to the bees – without mentioning that the honey is completely fit for human consumption! It doesn’t affect the quality of the honey either. We’re fortunate,’ she added, ‘not to have any hives that are AFB positive.’ Fortunate because having to destroy hives to prevent the spread of the disease is a costly business.
6. Mill Country Fair
Just a little further down Church Street is a bright red building housing the Mill Country Fair. Inside you’ll find fresh products like pies, pâtés, cakes, breads, jams, eggs, and veggies, local arts and crafts. We bought some goodies to take away and ordered freshly made pancakes to eat on the spot, sitting in the sun in the garden to enjoy them. Nice and friendly in a uniquely small-town way. The market is open every Saturday from 10:00 till 14:00. Find it between the Merry Widow guesthouse, which organises the fair, and Simply Bee (see 5 above).
7. Spend a night or two in Hopefield
If you’d like to stay over in the Hopefield area to kick back, relax and soak up the country air, there are a number of places that offer accommodation. Browse through the Safari Now or TravelGround accommodation guides for the region.
8. Hopefield Fynbos Show
7. Spend a night or two in Hopefield
If you’d like to stay over in the Hopefield area to kick back, relax and soak up the country air, there are a number of places that offer accommodation. Browse through the Safari Now or TravelGround accommodation guides for the region.
8. Hopefield Fynbos Show
Some 500 fynbos species grow in the renosterveld, sandveld, rietveld and vleis around Hopefield. The Hopefield Fynbos Show hits the town on the last weekend of August each year. I asked the show’s chairperson, Ulrich Donaggi, what was special about it. ‘It’s of Chelsea Flower Show standard because many of the people involved have had experience at Chelsea in the past,’ he said. ‘The recreation of the veld in the exhibition hall is an exact copy of nature and the species table is so complete that it can be used for reference and research purposes.’
There’s lots of other action too – food stalls, beer tent, tractor rides, and animals for kids to watch. The Naval Band and organ recitals in the church (see 4 above) may be on the cards too. Simply Bee’s observation centre (see 5 above) is open for visitors and a partnership with the West Coast Fossil Park (see 2 above) allows show visitors to go to the fossil park too.
The show’s opening hours are 9:00–17:00 for stalls, entertainment and exhibition, live entertainment until 23:00. For more info see the show’s Facebook page. You can also phone the tourism office on 022-7231720 or Ulrich Donaggi on 073-1000357.
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There’s lots of other action too – food stalls, beer tent, tractor rides, and animals for kids to watch. The Naval Band and organ recitals in the church (see 4 above) may be on the cards too. Simply Bee’s observation centre (see 5 above) is open for visitors and a partnership with the West Coast Fossil Park (see 2 above) allows show visitors to go to the fossil park too.
The show’s opening hours are 9:00–17:00 for stalls, entertainment and exhibition, live entertainment until 23:00. For more info see the show’s Facebook page. You can also phone the tourism office on 022-7231720 or Ulrich Donaggi on 073-1000357.
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