ARDEN
GUEST HOUSE

57 Sutherland Street, Worcester

WONDERS OF WORCESTER

brandwachthexmountainsWorcester is a beautiful historic town nestled in the bowl of a range of spectacular mountains, and is the economic- and service hub of the Breede Valley. It is the most centrally situated town in the Cape Winelands District, just an easy hour's drive from Cape Town, Hermanus, Stellenbosch, Ceres and Tulbagh. It is your stopover to visit a variety of quiant towns and wine routes in the area by taking day trips. Worcester is the heart and start of the longest wine route in the world: the famous Route 62 (R62), and it is the home of 10 top producing cellars.

Except for Kleinplasie Open Air Museum, the Hugo Naude/Jean Welz Art Gallery has a permanent collection of art on the first floor, but also exhibits local and well-known artists on the ground floor. The privately owned Beck House (monument) has the oldest herb garden in South Africa and host the original Bath House. Other attractions is the unique stock car racing track for big American V8 Chevvies, canoeing, biking, hiking and mountaineering trails, water sports at Brandvlei and Quaggaskloof Dam, 4X4 routes, trout fishing and golf course.

Come and share in our treasures:

Worcester Open Air Museum

Worcester Open Air Museum takes visitors back in time to the early days of the country's first settlers. This "living" open air museum portrays the life style of the early pioneer farmers. Each building is representative of a certain agricultural industry in the Western Cape during the period 1690 to 1900. The unique cultural historical value of the Open Air Museum lies in the fact that it not only preserves early architecture and articles of use in agricultural and home industries, but also keeps these activities and industries alive.

A wide variety of home industries and agricultural activities are performed like:kleinplasie

Other chores done as the need arises include coffee roasting, witblits distilling, jam making, soap making, milk tart baking, the plucking of geese - all activities connected with grape-pressing, slaughtering, sheep-shearing and the milking of the cows, as well as seasonal exhibitions.

Buldings and items to be viewed includie Cartwright's Shop, Town House, Roller-mill, General Dealer, Lime Kiln, Khoi-Khoi Huts, Tobacco Shed, Soap Kitchen, Water-mill, Horse Gear, Harrness Room, Thong Curing, Dipping Kraal, Witblits Stills and Lye Pots.

In addition to the depiction of early architecture, there is an extension which represents the development of agriculture up to the 1940's.The lifestyle of the early pioneer farmers is depicted - not only does it preserve the architecture and articles, but also keeps these activities and industries alive - breadbaking, candle making, tobacco twisting, wheat milling, plucking of geese, etc. There is also a tea room & restaurant, curio shop selling curios such as confectionery, gifts, witblits, etc. as well as a nursery.

The Karoo Desert National Botanical Garden

It is totally unique in that it is the only truly succulent garden in the southern hemisphere and on the African continent. The largest collection of indigenous succulents in South Africa is housed in this regional garden curated by the National Botanical Institute: cycads, euphorbias, stemsucculents, desert grapes, spekboom and brilliantly coloured mesembryanthemums thrive in its 144ha of natural semi-desert vegetation and the 10ha of landscaped gardens. About 4 000 species of flowering plant grow here, 350 of them rare and endangered. One of the floral highlights of the year is spring, when thousands of annuals and brightly coloured vygies come into flower. This colour spectacle lasts from mid-August to the end of September.

The cultivated section contains a flora trail for the blind, with plant labels printed in Braille. As part of the garden's Namaqualand section, and showing how man formerly integrated with his environment, Bushmen (San) have built a typical 'skerm' or shelter. A wide selection of indigenous Karoo plants is available for sale on weekdays. A must for succulent lovers, the Garden lies on the outskirts of Worcester, 120 kilometres from Cape Town. The garden is clearly sign-posted from the N1 just outside Worcester. Almost 70 species of birds have been recorded in the Garden, as well as a wide range of small mammals, such as the Cape grey duiker. Approximately 11 hectares of the estate are cultivated, whilst the remaining 144 are kept as a flora reserve which has several kilometres of nature trails. The Kokerboom restaurant at the garden is open daily.

Fairyglen Nature Reserve and Big Five Safari

It is Africa's most southerly based Big Five Safari. In addition to the Big Five the reserve also hosts other species including wildebeest, crocodile, giraffe, bontebok, hartebeest, zebra, springbok, klipspringer, oryx, nyala, steenbok, jackals, lynx, rhebok, baboon and others.The two African elephants Klasseria and Letaba ± 20years of age were two of five elephants which escaped the Kruger National Park in 2005, and was relocated to Fairy Glen Game Reserve and successfully rehabilitated where after they were released to free roam the reserve. The reserve was home to elephants +/- 200 years ago.The African Big Five and a large variety of reintroduced game can be viewed in their natural habitats.

The Reserve is set at the foot of the Brandwacht Mountains surrounded by Cape Fynbos vegetation, waterfalls, a Gary Player designed 18-hole golf course, National Botanical Garden and a Sun International Casino.For the overnight guest Fairy Glen Game Reserve offers an indoor hot Roman bath, outdoor pool, restaurant, nature walks, birding, falconry safaris(seasonal), abseiling, fly fishing and many other attractions. Fairy Glen provides an unforgettable African Big Five Safari in a malaria-free environment which makes it the closest game reserve to Cape Town.

Worcester Golf Club

This championship 18-hole course is situated in the foothills of the Brandwacht Mountains with a panoramic view of Worcester and the Breede River Valley. The course, opened in 1988, was designed by Peter Matkovich, at the time in partnership with Gary Player. Gary has described it as one of the finest in the world. The rugged natural beauty of the Karoo has been enhanced by indigenous trees, dams and watercourses.

KWV Brandy Cellar

The South African Brandy Industry is almost as old and just as charming and illustrious as the country's wine industry. Brandy is undoubtedly South Africa's favourite spirit, with over 50 South African trademarks found in the market place. Distilled from only the finest grapes and left to be matured in French Oak barrels for at least three years, South African brandies have a reputation for outstanding quality.

Being over 330 years old, the South African brandy industry is rich in tradition and history, all of which can be discovered by visiting the South African Brandy Route in the Western Cape. The Brandy Route was launched in 1997 by the South African Brandy Foundation to open the South African brandy world to the local and international tourist. The route incorporates ten brandy cellars and stretches from Stellenbosch, through Paarl and Franschhoek to the Breede River Valley town of Worcester.


Galleries

The Hugo Naude Museaum and Jean Welz Gallery is situated in Russell street and well worth a visit. It features a permanent exhibition of Hugo Naude's art and the studio were he worked. Jean Welz, an architect, whose tuberculosis led him to settle in the dry climate of the Karoo began to paint seriously in 1938. He befriended Hugo Naude and was the First Principal of the newly established Hugo Naude Art Centre, Worcester. Worcester is home to a number of extremely talented and renowned artists, who partakes frequently in solo and group exhibitions in the Jean Welz Gallery.

The newly opened Stroh gallery in Tulbagh street features excellent work by local artists and it is run by the well-known artists, Tanya and Louis Stroh van der Walt.

 

Institutes for the Deaf and Blind

Worcester is also famous for its Institutes and schools for the Deaf and Blind. The School for the Blind was established in 1881 to attend to the needs of blind learners that were not catered for at the time by more mainstream academic institutions. The name was formally changed to the Pioneer School for the visually impaired in 1981 to reflect the school's growing educational capacity. The Pioneer School for the visually impaired caters for blind, partially sighted and deaf-blind learners, as well as learners with multiple disabilities.

Glass Blowing Studio at The Barn

David Reade began working with glass under master glassblower Michael Harris at Isle of Wight Studio Glass. During a seven year period he worked in Southern Ireland and at the Isle of Wight learning glassblowing and designing skills. In 1984 after a holiday in South Africa he decided to make it his home, his first studio was in Cape Town sharing with glassblower Gary Thompson. He built new studio in Worcester in 1986 sharing with glass artist Kea Verwey. Then in 1987 he went to Scandinavia and worked in small studios, visited and learnt from Sweden's best master blowers. He returned to South Africa in 1988. In 1992 he and his wife Lorna bought and renovated a 1790 Barn; this has become their home and studios. Lorna is an artist whose paintings are also inspired from Africa. Since 1991 he has developed a style of glass which is inspired by the deserts and mountains of Africa. He works with architects and art galleries around the world. He has had many exhibitions and his work is in many private and public collections. His work is in the collections of: Consol Glass, Gilby's Collection, Cultural History Museum Cape Town, Durban Art Museum, Pretoria Art Museum, Pietersburg Art Museum, Stourbridge Glass Museum.

 

Cape Gliding Club

Worcester is an outdoor enthusiast's paradise. The Cape Gliding Club is world renowned for its flights on the special thermals generated by the mountain ranges. The Cape Gliding Club is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the promotion and enjoyment of soaring in the Western Cape province of South Africa. We are based at Worcester airfield, in the centre of the Breede River Valley "Winelands", about 120km from the City of Cape Town. The club has over one hundred members and a club fleet of two tugs, a Scheibe Rotax-Falke motor glider, two single-seater and four two-seater pure gliders. In addition there are over 40 private privately owned gliders and motor gliders of various types at the airfield, which is shared with the Worcester power flying club. The model aircraft club has an established mini-airfield with cross-runways, close by.

Olive Estates

Willow Creek Olive Estate

This farm is tucked away at the foot of the Langeberg mountains in the stunning Nuy Valley in the Western Cape. The land was first cultivated by Johannes Stephanus Rabie in 1793 with the first oil being pressed by his great, great grandson, Andries Rabie, in 2002.

In November 2002, with the goal of facilitating large scale expansion, well known Cape Town entrepreneur, Johan Pretorius and his wife Mariétte who own Alomzicht Olive Estate, became partners in the Willow Creek brand – so creating a partnership with global potential and aspirations. To date we have 220 hectares planted with 163 000 olive trees and have become one of the largest estate olive oil producers in the Southern Hemisphere. The Nuy valley experiences a Mediterranean type climate of a long, hot summer and a short, cold winter. Irrigation water comes from the one of the largest privately owned dams in the country, the Keerom Dam, as well as the Hex River and Breede River Water Scheme. The unique Nuy terrior is perfect for olives with calcium rich soil and an average yearly rainfall of only 180mm producing an exceptionally complex, robust, yet well balanced oil. Unlike a lot of other olive growers, who relegate their trees to the areas where not much else grows, we plant our trees in our very best soil. Our results attest to this being the right way of farming olives trees.

Olivae Olive Estate and Restaurant

Situated in the well known Breede Valley, outside Worcester, you will find a little bit of Italy… Olivae. The estate has been in the Burnett family since 1987, which with intensive research, was the first big olive plantation in this region from 1990. Outstanding quality olive products are cultivated, processed, packaged and distributed here, in our typical Mediterranean climate . Table olives are all handpicked. Cultivars selected include Kalamata, Mission, Manzanilla, Nabali, Barouni, Frontoio and Sevellano, all planted during 1990 - 1995, a total of 30 000 trees, with a further 7000 in the offering.

Surrounded by the olive plantation, with an unblemished view of the picturesque Hex-river Mountains (which are snowcapped in winter), lies the beautiful restaurant Olivenbosch. Our guests can enjoy a variety of dishes, served by our competent staff, on the cool stoep (patio or porch) during our hot summers or by the fireplace during our cold winters.Join us for a light meal mornings and afternoons, or peruse our à la carte menu in the evenings.

Breede River Rafting

breede river raftingAfrican Water Wanderers offers the most unforgettable river rafting experience. Since 1998 African Water Wanderers has built an outstanding reputation for safe exclusive river rafting trips. Paddling in a two-man inflatable croc is the ultimate way to explore the river.

The Breede River is just outside Worcester and only 1 hour's drive from Cape Town. A relaxed, tranquil and peaceful river with a couple of small rapids, rich bird life and scenic splendour are what await you. One or 1½ day river trips. Ideal for all visitors, Family, Social, Corporate and School groups. African Water Wanderers guarantees the best personalized trips at the most affordable prices.

Klipbokkop 4X4 Academy

klipbokkop Klipbokkop is located in the heart of the Breede River Valley, just outside Worcester. With only being an hour's drive from Cape Town, it is easily accessible to guests from all over the world The Goodyear 4x4 Academy operates from Klipbokkop Mountain Resort and specialises in 4x4 training on a wide variety of terrains. International and local clients are exposed to Goodyear’s Wrangler Range where it is tested on the most extreme terrains, differing from large sand dunes to rocks, mud and a natural skidpan. Klipbokkop is known internationally as the world leader in utilising these conditions in a natural environment.