Gallivanting :)

These is SO much accommodation in Clarens, but you need to book in advance. We were lucky enough to find a lovely, self catering house on the Golf & Trout Estate, which was super – but that was after about 50 phone calls turning us away (our view from the room).

The trip took us about 4 hours (we went through Oliviershoek pass, which was mostly stop/go’s the whole way) a few Barones later – we were there. The last section through Golden Gate Reserve, is stunning!

Clarens has such an old school, quaint feeling – as if it belongs in a life time from a few years ago – but is filled with so much to do, see and eat!

First stop, Clarens Brewery, here they offer tasting glasses of about 6 beers & 2 ciders (as well as a sparkling Cherry juice for the kids – from here on referred to as utshwala-juice by Roo). The beers are great, and this is by far the most festive day time place – try the Blonde and IPA :).

The next day, was my turn to choose the activity which meant, yes, I dragged the family up a Mountain. Roo had a bit more enthusiasm than Chris (but he does get into it and actually have fun!). There are plenty of trails all around Clarens, we did the mountain up behind the town, followed by a walk back to our car along the river. The trails are all very well-marked and managed by their local conservancy. Beautiful views, vegetation and fresh air!

 If I were to go back for longer, I’d definitely look into doing a few trails in the Golden Gate Reserve! We got all of our maps from Mountain Odyssey in town – a very helpful info office!

In the middle of town is a beautiful green (in the pic below) – this is the center of where everything happens. There are so many shops to browse in (a lot of the Midlands names popping up – Mushka, The Ugly Duckling, Tsonga & Groundcover to name a few) – hint visit the second hand jacket shop at the bottom of town – divine imported jackets at an absolute steal :)! There is an entire Art Route and plenty of restaurants in town too. It really is a case of park & browse :).

Restaurants to try

1. The Roter Hahn, German Restaurant (German beers on tap, German cuisine, atmosphere & spirit!)

2. Mosaic Pizzeira, for great pizza – a nice day time spot with good service

3. Clarens Brewery  :) – Under a big tree on the pavement in the sun and bustle of the Village (you can tell I loved it there!)

Its a place I’d definitely go to again! Tips, take a beenie, a weekend is a long enough stay to take most of it in, go for a hike and enjoy the culture and vibe of this little town :)!

And that’s a wrap :) – time to plan the next trip and build one of these….

Jen xx