SILWERSTRAND CARAVAN PARK ROBERTSON

Table of Contents

Silwerstrand Caravan Park is a scenic caravan park near Robertson, Western Cape on the Breede River’s banks.

Ideal for nature enthusiasts and water activity lovers, the park offers fishing, canoeing, and a picturesque setting with views of the Langeberg Mountains.

This pet-friendly park features 72 well-grassed, mostly shaded stands, each equipped with shared taps for drinkable water and electricity. The site includes ample facilities: ablutions, a laundry area, and braais.

If you want shade, do not accept stand 32. Unfortunately, we arrived when manager Joey was off for two days.

The substitute receptionist told us she could not change the allocated stands and that we would have to wait for the manager. This would mean that we would have to camp for two days without a tent or dismantle the tent and move camp after two nights.

When you camp in a Scout, you need to have a tent up on the first night, or at the most the second night, or store some of your stuff under the caravan. So, we took the full-sun stand.

I must say that we experienced just friendliness and cooperation from Joey, so we have no complaints about management or staff.

SILWERSTRAND CARAVAN PARK ROBERTSON swimming pool — The swimming pool at Silwerstrand.
It was a bit green when we arrived but once the weekenders started coming it was well looked after.

The stands from 31(A) to about 34 or 35 are all in front of the chalets, so you must prepare for much activity and early morning noises. Contractors and weekenders stay in the chalets. The three in-house cats stay under the canopy at Chalet 2 and they sometimes have a midnight difference of opinion, which may wake you.

We would rather camp further away from the entrance behind the swimming pool. While we were there, upgrades and maintenance were in progress in this area but it seems to me to be much better for long-term camping.

Located near renowned vineyards and historical sites, the area offers wine tasting, olive farm visits, and town walks featuring Victorian architecture. For family activities, there are hiking trails, birdwatching, a swimming pool, and playgrounds within the park, ensuring an engaging outdoor experience.

The rule that washing lines are not permitted at campsites only applies to lines tied between trees and not to the usual collapsible washing lines most people use.

Silwerstrand Caravan Park offers a wide range of facilities to ensure a comfortable and enjoyable experience for visitors.

These include:

Electricity Points serve 4 campsites per box, so you may need at least a 20m electric cord depending on where you camp.
You will also need a 20m or longer hosepipe if you want to connect to a tap as the taps are few an far between.
Ablution Facilities with clean showers and restrooms.
Laundry Services equipped with washing machines and dryers. Tokens are available from the office at R40,00 per token.
Portable braais.
Children’s Playground for family-friendly fun.
Cold water swimming pool for relaxation and recreation.
Direct River Access for boating, skiing, and fishing.

When we were there people were concerned about the water level of the Breë River after floods at Montagu, but if you look at the map, you will realise that Montagu lies downriver from Silwerstrand. The river at Silwerstrand is fed by rains in the mountains around Ceres, so that is where one should focus if you are concerned about flooding.

Silwerstrand Caravan Park belongs to the same family that owns Montagu Caravan Park. Our post about Montagu is mostly also applicable to Silwerstrand.

Visiting McGregor

We took a day to visit McGregor and it was worth the trip.

It is the town where Robin McGregor lived while publishing his Who Owns Whom in the 1980’s. I had an interest in that for nearly 40 years because he managed to keep company information from the JSE updated before the appearance of the Internet and online publishing ss we know it.

I was interested in the fact that he was the first person I knew of who started and ran a business from such a small town, far away from his source of information and material.

Visiting the town reminded me of the fact that there are not many excuses to start a business in our modern connected world.

McGregor boasts great Cape architecture which can be seen in many of the houses.

We enjoyed a breather at at the courtyard bistro in the main street where I had the last slice of a pear tart before they were to start baking with the 2024 apricot harvest. at the courtyard uses fruits in season to make their fresh bakery products and preserves.

Then we used the rest of the morning to travel a circular route via Caledon, Villiersdorp, and Theewaterskloof.

The last slice of pear tart at the courtyard bistro in McGregor — The last slice of pear tart **at the courtyard bistro**

at the courtyard bistro McGregor — The courtyard of **at the courtyard**

Silwerstrand Caravan Park daytrip circle route — The circle route we travelled. An enjoyable day trip.
Between McGregor and Stormsvlei, we encountered great views of the valleys and vineyards.

Swellendam

We visited Swellendam again.

This time we had repairs done to the Takelot chairs that keep failing. Takealot refused to exchange it the second time we returned it.

The reason given were that we tinkered with the chairs. It may have been because we forgot to remove all the elastic rope we used to try strengthen the seats.

In any case, we repaired it to our standards at Creative Covering in Swellendam industrial area. It cost us around R700 for the two chairs which was much less, and stronger, than new chairs.

They only had industrial canvas eyelets with which we are happy as it is much stronger. We are already used to the appearance which was a bit overwhelming in the beginning.

This what the chairs look like now:

Camping chairs repaired to our standards thanks to Creative COvering in Swellendam.

Camping chairs repaired to our standards

We used the Swellendam visit to pop in at the Cheese Shop that we wrote about in our report about Montagu Caravan Park.

This time we had the opportunity to visit the Wildebraam Berry Estate.

That was a most enjoyable visit with all their products and a friendly and hospitable hostess at their tasting room.

It is well worth a visit with their wide range of berry products.

*What you can expect to see around in the valleys around Robertson during October.*

***Wildebraam Aniseed and Fennel Liqueur***

There are a number of dirt roads and circle routes near Robertson that one can travel if you want to see the vineyards and farms.

On the road between Robertson and Ashton, you will find a circle route between the Klaasvoogds West and Klaasvoogds East turn-offs. Here you will find the most relaxing Owl’s Rest Olive and Lavender Farm nestled in an olive grove surrounded by lavender plants. We spent a relaxing few hours there.