Our third day arrived bright and early, I had booked a driver to take us around the dramatic Chapmans Peak Drive and to show us around the Eastern side of the Cape, we'd also scheduled a couples of stops at some of the vibrant craft beer breweries that have sprung up around Cape Town in recent years. First stop was Noordhoek, a little beach town nestled on the Western side of the Cape Peninsula, a quick 30 minute drive from our hotel over the mountains separating the Western and Eastern sides of table mountain delivered us there. It was a little early for drinking beer so our first stop was a stroll on the huge beach there (see above) the sky was blue and, even at 10am, the sun was really strong! The turquoise water appeared framed by the mountains and the white surf in a picture postcard way, such a contrast to the previous few weeks in the UK.
After a decent couple of kilometers on the sand we headed back into the little village to a venue called "Aegir Project Brewery" a little wooden framed building nestled in the trees above the beach, it was a delightful location and the views from the outdoor terrace bar, looking back over the sands, superb.
The tap list was impressive (see above), just like being at home! Plenty of choice and some interesting brews on offer. I opted for the "Fields of Simcoe" as Simcoe is one of my favourite hops, it was delicious and a perfect remedy for the growing heat as we approached midday. The beer (pictured above) was a classic Simcoe forward brew tropical fruits with an underlying (dank) herbal vibe, very good indeed. We agreed that it was difficult to beat the combination of (cheap) quality food and drink and that being consumed outside in the Sunshine, in a picture perfect setting with 28 degree heat, I might just move here myself!
Our driver "Mark" was a youngish chap (although most people look young to me these days!) and we had a good old chat with him about life the universe and everything, although he was more interested in getting our opinion on his love life, which sounded similar to that of our own Son back in the UK. After a quick beer at Aegir we headed back to the car and drove along the Chapmans Peak Drive (built in 1915 with convict labour), a 9km toll road that clings to the side of the cliff and is reputed to be one of the world's most spectacular marine drives, it doesn't disappoint (see below)
At the other end of the scenic drive is Hout Bay ("Wood Bay" in Dutch, after the saw mill that used to be here), another beach side town that's part of the Cape Town Metro-Area, home to many rich South Africans, some of the houses up on the surrounding hills with sea views are to die for.
After a pit stop in Camps Bay we headed up to a suburb called Kenilworth and a little spot called "Banana Jam Cafe", a Jamaican themed bar and restaurant serving up an impressive range of craft brews (made on-site) along with some fiery Caribbean inspired dishes (see below)
The beers were of excellent quality, the vibe relaxed and the food looked good, we vowed to return one evening later in the week when we had more time. After a full day of being driven around sight seeing and imbibing some really good craft beers we headed back to the hotel as the Sun was setting, and after an early dinner and an excellent wine from local Constantia producers Steenberg (a Nebbiolo, see picture below) we were ready for some shut-eye.
We had an early start the next day and a full schedule of touring around the city sampling some of the sights and local food delights, more on this in part IV.
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