Greyton
Only 90 minutes East of Cape Town, lies the town of Greyton. The town often referred to as the little Britain of South Africa is gently cradled between the majestic Overberg mountains. After passing the rolling wheat fields and infinite blankets of yellow canola flowers, one takes a step back in time and enters the village of Greyton.
The Greyton area, in South Africa, was first occupied way back by a tribe of Khoi, known as the Hessequas who traded cattle with the Dutch East India Company for their ships en route to the East.
In 1791, the area was given as a loan farm to a young Dutch farmer, Marthinus Theunissen who called it Weltevreden (well satisfied). He built a house, but lived in it for only a few years before selling the farm to Hendrik Cloete who was also owner of the famous Groot Constantia Estate near Cape Town. He was a successful horse breeder who used Weltevreden for this purpose as well as farming fruit, grapes for wine, vegetables and cattle.
In 1846 the farm was purchased by Herbert Vigne, a sophisticated and well educated young gentleman from London, who was related by marriage to Lady Anne Barnard and Sir George Grey, Governor of the Cape in those years. Vigne subdivided his farm in 1854 into 120 plots surrounding a large farm home he kept for himself. He called the new town Greyton, after Sir George Grey.
The layout of the village was designed and set out by J G Rietz, a senior surveyor at the time. The layout remains essentially the same with only a few changes and additions through the years. The erven were serviced with water running in "leiwater" furrows, which crisscrossed the village. Cottages, in the rural Cape Vernacular style, were built close to the street leaving large pieces of the erven for horticultural pursuits. The produce consisted of a variety of vegetables and fruits such as onions, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, beetroot, carrots, pomegranate, apricots, pears and the like.
In the 1860s Herbert married a young girl of British stock named Elizabeth Belshaw - 27 years his junior! They settled on their town farm De Bos, in the village.Elizabeth bore him a legitimate family of three sons and a daughter to add to the illegitimate offspring of his younger days, whom he was to acknowledge in the village. Although the reason for the establishment of the village remains obscure, the fact is that Herbert Vigne left us with a village of unsurpassed beauty and enchantment. It is a wonder that the essence of the village and its Cape Vernacular architectural environment are largely intact and that the out-of-context and unresponsive development that has destroyed so many small towns of the Cape has up to now passed Greyton by.
More recently the town became famous for the Bells advertisement which was filmed on location in Greyton at the Post House.
Greyton offers many different accommodation options from self catering cottages, bed & breakfast hotels or guest houses, Airbnb and Booking.com.
Thank you everyone for helping us with sorting out your own accommodation - we appreciate it!!
Take a look -
www.greytontourism.com/accommodation/
Its no wonder why the village of Greyton is described as the jewel of the Overberg. Discovered a decade ago by city bound dwellers in search of serenity, Greyton has become a popular weekend retreat and tourist destination. Surrounded by beautiful English gardens, Greyton's original buildings and thatched cottages have been faithfully restored to retain their rustic character of the past. Mighty oak trees canopies line the quaint streets and tranquil lanes, dotted with horses.
Visitors will delight in the many picturesque walks around the village, and into the surroundings nature reserve with its bubbling streams, prolific birdlife and aromatic fynbos. For the more ambitious walker, the 17km Greyton to McGregor hiking trail, with its spectacular gorges and waterfalls, offers a serious challenge.The person to speak to would be Lance Goodale. He has explored the 5 main peaks in Greyton and recently has attempted the biking trials at a rapid pace.
Greyton offers walking/hiking/mountain biking trails in the mountains, a swim in the Riviersonderend River, or hire a vintage bicycle at the Potters Inn and discover the village in the way it was meant to be. A game of tennis or bowls with a spot of Pimms offer any Lady or Gentleman a further diversion in this tranquil country atmosphere.
Every Saturday morning a craft market is held on the village square where produce, crafts, refreshments and a warm welcome await the visitor. Greyton has a wealth of talented artists and crafters who display their diverse work each week without fail. The market is run by volunteers from the Greyton Conservation Society, each stall holder donating 10% of his or her takings to this worthy cause weekly.
The Genadendal Brass Band and other musicians play at various venues. Horse carts are available to take people on tours of the village. Guided birdlife walks are arranged and the restaurants all offer music and fires and good food.
The World Cup Rugby final will be broadcast the morning of 02 November. Make sure your accommodation has DSTV or pop into the Post House which is situated on the main road and join us for a Bells.