What is there to do in Port Alfred?
Well, try this for starters!
You can visit Nature View Farm and Farm stall 24km from town on the East London road (R72), do sight-seeing at the Fish River or Great Fish Point Lighthouse and buying fresh baked tarts and pies at Little Farm Shop in Kleinemonde East.
It kept us busy for the best part of Thursday.
Nature View Farmstall on the R72
Nature View Farmstall (without the ‘s) is a must stop on the road between East London and Port Alfred.
It has the usual farmstall products, pineapples and bird feeders made by a local pensioner.
It’s the owners and the farm that is different.
Pieter and Doffy are nature lovers who saw this piece of land once and decided they had to buy it. So they did.
Pieter worked for the Department of Sea Fisheries in the research section, and was part of two Antarctic expeditions.
He is a qualified deap-sea diver who worked in areas such as the Alexander Bay diamond fields and around the South African coastline.
They have a deep love for their little piece of nature and Pieter can talk for hours with enthusiasm about the vegetation, the river, the people who visit them and the unexpected caves in the cliff below their house.
Doffy is the “English lady” with the quiet demeanor, keeping everything in place and baking some great tasting scones to have with butter and jam. Order it!
While she looked after the farmstall we spent a very special two hours with Pieter exploring the valley and cliff below their house.
The house front garden overhangs an 80m high cliff, providing a stunning, panoramic view of the confluence of the Kap and Great Fish rivers, both part of the Kap River Nature Reserve.
Hennie, Pieter, Doffy and Nicole with the pineapples for which the area is well-known.
We provide a list of their products at the bottom of this article
I do not have the ability to describe the experience of going down into the valley from the homestead. I will rather provide a few photos here and dedicate a photo gallery to show you what it was like.
Suffice to say that, if you are interested in Geology, Botany or Biology, you should make the time to visit Nature View Farmstall.
Geology: The cliff is composed of Dwyka Tillite (“Base of the Karroo”) rock.
Botany: Four of the seven major South African plant biome groups are represented here, resulting in an exceptionally wide diversity of indigenous flora.
Biology: Owing to the above great floral diversity, an exceptional variety of birds (171 spp) has been recorded on the farm by a local birding guide.
The farm house offers a B&B section which is attached to the house and offers a private and self contained facility, with a separate entrance for guests. It is fitted with its own, independent alarm monitoring system.
The unit comprises an upstairs bedroom, fitted with large windows all around affording the guests an elevated 360 deg. view of the area.
The farm offers canoes for hire to enthusiasts.
A new attraction is a pigeon project next to the farmstall by the THE GREAT FISH RIVER OLR (One Loft Race). This type of loft is designed for training fledgling pigeons to progressively fly longer distance races over a period of one year.
Contact Pieter and Doffy van der Byl at:
Cell/WhatsApp: +27 823942185
Email: info@natureviewfarm.co.za
Website
Click to go to the photo gallery
Great Fish Point Lighthouse
At the Fish River Lighthouse we were lucky to find the Lighthouse Officer, Martin Peterson, who took me and the Wifey on a guided tour of the lighthouse.
There is a vast knowledge about the lighthouse in Martin’s explanations, which is no surprise if you keep in mind that he has been a lighthouse officer for 40 years and is one of only 8 such lighthouse guards left.
All but 8 of the 45 lighthouses in South Africa have been automated and do not need lighthouse officers anymore.
It’s a 12 min (4,3km) drive on the 2-track farm road from the R72 and 7km from Nature View Farmstall to the lighthouse.
Unless you drive one of those flat frog slick cars, any car can make it quite easily.
Even if you are not into lighthouses, the view from the lighthouse is exceptional.
Little Farm Shop in Kleinemonde
On our way back from Nature View Farmstall and Fishriver Lighthouse, we turned off at Kleinemonde East.
Here we met the delightful Adriana who apparently has entrepreneurship in her marrow as she owns all the little shops in the shopping centre.
We bought apple pies and sausage rolls from her and was very happy with the quality and taste.
Little Farm Shop is only 200m from the R72.
Bathurst Farmers Market
The next Sunday we visited Bathurst about 16km from Medolino.
The Bathurst Farmer’s Market is a local and visitor’s favourite, and for good reason.
Small, but genuine, with products that the practical and talented people of Bathurst make themselves.
I enjoyed the sugar and cinnamon pancakes made without any oil but rich from the butter and with a generous helping of lemon juice.
Download the Bathurst App or visit their website
Potter Richard Pullen
We then visited Pottery Artist Richard Pullen.
We visited him 15 years ago and the Wifey then bought coffee cups from him which lasted for ages.
It was good to see that this talented potter was still around, although he also suffered from the effects of Covid on his business.
The story of Covid is a message we encounter everywhere where we talk to small business owners.
From potters that had setbacks because people couldn’t visit their studios or the shops that stocked their pottery closed down, to people who lost their jobs due to Covid lockdowns and had to find something else to keep going, such as “that Coffee place” in Bathurst.
that Coffee place
that Coffee place started after Russell lost his job at a restaurant chain during Covid.
He found Bathurst where he started farming vegetables, which then led to the opening of that Coffee place.
We enjoyed the freshest, most enjoyable salads here.
The Wifey ordered the Beetroot and Butternut salad with hyper-fresh greens, bacon, pumpkin seeds and other nice ingredients, and I opted for the Cashew and Blueberry salad with chicken slices and a range of crispy and crunchy greens and seeds.
Both salads were a lunch on their own.
The Nature View Farm Stall products
Beverages
- Slush puppy pineapple juice (Fresh/Frozen)
- Freshly filtered coffee
- Assorted teas and beverages
Fresh Produce
- Fresh pineapples (all year round)
- Japanese Wagyu (Kobe) beef products
Bottled Pineapple Specialties
- Pine jam/ginger
- Pine jam/passion fruit
- Pine chutney (mild/hot)
- Curried pine
- Pine preserve/Caribbean rum
Homemade Sauces
- Tomato Chilli Sauce
- Dhania Chutney
- Garlic Chilli Lemon
- Portuguese Peri Peri
- Lemon Garlic & Herbs
Chutneys
- Apple/Garlic/Mint
- Chilli Beetroot
- Chilli Tomato
- Mixed Fruit (hot)
- Peach
- Pineapple (mild & hot)
- Tomato/Green Pepper/Garlic
Fruit Preserves in Sugar Syrup
- Peach
- Quince
Honeys
- Indigenous Fynbos
- Raw Bush
Jams
- Apricot, Blackberry, Cherry, etc.
Jellies
- Apple
- Apple/Mint
- Ginger
- Guava
- Quince
Marmalades
- 3-Fruit
- Clementine
- Grapefruit (Ruby Red)
- Orange & Ginger
- Orange & Lemon
- Orange (Seville)
Salad Dressings
- Original
- Mustard
Pickles & Preserves
- General (Atjar, Beetroot)
- Alcohol Based (Apricots in Witblits)
- Curry Base (Beans, Carrots)
- Mustard Base (Mustard Apricot)
- Onions (White & Dark Vinegar)
Baked Goods & Snacks
- Rusks (Various Types)
- Dried Fruits/Fruit Rolls
- Nuts, biltong, droë wors, snacks
Farm Produce
- Japanese Wagyu (Kobe) beef products
Home Arts & Crafts
- African reed basketware
- Wooden bird feeders and drinkers
- Crocodile skin arm bands and key rings
- Ostrich skin smartphone pouches
- Miscellaneous curios
Tea Garden Specials
- Light scones with cream, butter, and strawberry jam or cheese
- Health bran muffins
- Toasted sandwiches
- Variety of Shamrock meat pies (also available as takeaways)