Prince Albert
Street view – Prince Albert.
Prince Albert is a delightful, historic town in the Great Karoo. On our Western Cape trip, we landed in George and drove through to Prince Albert. After overnighting there, we took a different road back to George for the next night. Previous columns have focused on attractions along these two roads, and today we focus on the town of Prince Albert itself.
Front veranda of The Sanctuary.
Prince Albert lies at the foot of the awe-inspiring Swartberg Pass. It is a quaint little village, filled with crisp (‘twas positively chilly that night) clean air, star-filled skies and a level of quiet that restores your soul – especially if you live in the hustle and bustle of Jozi. It has delightful architecture and preserved old buildings (Victorian, Karoo, Cape Dutch and uniquely gabled) and is populated by artists and crafters, as well as a rather unique agricultural community.
The Sanctuary – upstairs balcony.
Beyond the obvious physical activities such as hiking and biking, many come to Prince Albert for activities such as cooking lessons – it is quite the foodie venue. It is well known for its sun-ripened fresh and dried fruit, particularly figs and apricots. Karoo lamb, olives, olive oil and home-made cheeses are traditional delicacies – but more about that a little later.
Pool at The Sanctuary.
Prince Albert celebrated its 250th anniversary in 2012. In the same year, it was voted the Western Cape winner in the prestigious kykNET Kwêla & Rapport ‘Town of the Year’ competition. Today, the Prince Albert municipal area (covering an area of 8 153 km²) incorporates the towns and surrounding farm areas of Klaarstroom, Prince Albert, Prince Albert Road and Leeu Gamka. With an estimated population of 17 836, this category B municipality is the second smallest municipality in the Western Cape with agriculture and tourism as its main economic drivers. The Prince Albert Municipal area is considered the jewel of the Central Karoo.
The Sanctuary – delightfully comfortable.
Historically, the Prince Albert district is rich in Later Stone Age (LSA) sites, stone tools and rock paintings – many dating back 25 000 years. Some of these tools from the LSA were still being manufactured and used by San/Bushmen and Khoikhoi at the time of European contact. Boomplaas Cave on the Swartberg Pass is a well-documented archaeological ‘dig’ which provides evidence of Middle Stone Age (MSA) people.
Thoroughly delicious breakfast at The Sanctuary.
The San or Bushmen were earliest inhabitants of the northern slopes of the Swartberg Mountains (in the vicinity of modern-day Prince Albert). When the early Europeans (the trekboers or nomadic farmers) moved into the area during the mid-eighteenth century, the inevitable conflict between their farming activities and the hunter gatherer lifestyle of the San eventually resulted in the San’s movement away from the area into the vast open spaces of the Great Karoo – or their assimilation into the local population. Interestingly, the name “Karoo” is derived from a Khoikhoi word ‘Karusa’ meaning ‘dry arid place.’
The unassuming sign to a little treasure of a shop…
The European colonization of the area happened after 1652, and Prince Albert has its origins in a “loan farm” dating back to 1762. The farm ‘Kweekvallei / Queeckvalleij’ was leased for a year by Zacharias de Beer, and in 1842 the Synod of the Dutch Reformed church approved the purchase of a part of the farm for building a church. In 1845/6, the tiny village was named “Prince Albert” in honour of Queen Victoria’s consort. Prince Albert passed away in 1861, and in 1867 Queen Victoria sent a book containing Prince Albert’s speeches to the village. This is now on display in the Fransie Pienaar Museum.
The railway linking Cape Town with the interior reached Prince Albert Road in 1879 and this further spurred development in the village. The Swartberg Pass was opened for light traffic from March 1886, and the growth of the village continued at a rapid pace. In 1891 Prince Albert experienced its own mini gold rush after a gold nugget was discovered on the farm Klein Waterval. It was short-lived, but relics of the gold rush can still be viewed at the Fransie Pienaar Museum in the village.
Prince Albert eventually became a favourite destination and home for artists and other creative people, and for those seeking the peace and tranquillity of the Great Karoo. It is arguably one of the most beautifully situated villages in all of the Karoo.
Produce in Gay’s Dairy Shop.
We stayed at The Sanctuary overnight – a delightful spot where we were hosted by Andre. He and his wife own/run this wonderful little gem, where the service is excellent and yet unobtrusive at the same time. Dinner is available at a variety of good restaurants which are in walking distance (as are all the shops), whilst a positively scrumptious breakfast is served inhouse. The homemade granola and chilli-cheese muffins ‘starters’ were particularly delicious, and the hot breakfast was thoroughly scrumptious. Highly recommended.
“Gay van Hasselt started what is now known as Gay’s Guernsey Dairy in 1990 when she started milking three cows in a stone kraal. She soon discovered that there was a demand for fresh milk in the community and started selling to a few customers who would arrive with their empty containers and get their daily supply of milk while on their morning walks.” The rest, as they say, is history and after winning numerous international awards in London, Dublin and France, her cheeses are now known not only across the country, but around the world.
Gay’s Guernsey Dairy Shop.
It has an unassuming little shop which is well worth a visit… All their products are natural, unpasteurized and free of hormones or antibiotics. Their cows are free ranging and certified free of Tuberculosis and Brucellosis, and their cheese is handmade from raw, full cream milk and kosher vegetable/microbial rennet. Be that all as it may, all I know is that the tiny little shop is filled with large amounts of deliciousness!
Prince Albert’s own craft shop.
The “Prince of Africa” is a little shop that offers handcrafted mohair products, jewellery and crafts. They also have a lovely little second-hand book section – perfect for discovering an easy read for the weekend. They stock Cape Mohair super soft blankets and socks.
Perfectly lovely mohair products.
All their beautiful hand-knitted jerseys, beanies, berets, scarves, shawls and mitts are made in the area by local craft people, so purchasing a little something is supporting the local community. The jewellery and silverware are designed and made by Di van der Riet Steyn, the owner of the shop. Other local crafts sold are beadwork, t-shirts and fridge magnets decorated with indigenous flowers. Ceramics are all made by Di’s friends.
Little nicknacks, wools, jewellery.
The story of the Huguenots who came to the Cape begins with a long history of religious warfare and persecution in France. The Edict of Nantes was a law promulgated at Nantes in Brittany on 13 April 1598, by Henry IV of France – which granted a large measure of religious liberty to his Protestant subject, the Huguenots. On 18 October 1685, Louis XIV formally revoked the Edict of Nantes and deprived the French Protestants of all religious and civil rights and liberties – and so began the persecution. Between 1685 and 1699 approximately 300 Huguenot refugees settled at the Cape of Good Hope – which was a fantastic development for the South African Wine Industry.
The street sign for Fernskloof wines.
One of these Huguenots was Pierre (la) Grange, who arrived in Cape Town in 1688, on the ship Berg China. He was from the village Cabrières d’Aigues in the south of France, from the Provence wine region. His great grandson, Joseph le Grange, was the first le Grange to settle on Angeliersbosch Farm outside Prince Albert, in 1820. His grandson, also named Joseph, was born in 1841. He was the first le Grange to commercially plant vines and focused primarily on making brandy. The original Angeliersbosch Farm has since been sold, but Diederik le Grange started the Fernskloof brand in 2010. We popped into the cosy winery situated in the main street of Prince Albert. The wine maker Diederik le Grange is passionate and very interesting and provided us with a unique wine tasting. We purchased one of the bottles for sundowners, which went down exceedingly well…
Wines on offer from Fernskloof.
Prince Albert is one of those little towns that remind one just how amazing our country is. There were two venues which we were unable to visit (it was a long weekend; they were booked and we were short of time). The first was Weltevrede Fig Farm (we did however manage to purchase some of their wonderful jam at the dairy shop). The second was Prince Albert Olives. But, as they say, there’s always next time! Book in advance because, despite being such a tiny town, many of the interesting spots are booked far in advance… If you’re heading to the Western Cape this December, take the time to make the detour – I promise you won’t be sorry!
Jacqui Ikin & The Cross Country Team
INFO BLOCK
The Sanctuary
63 Church Street, Prince Albert
+27 82 305 0806
+27 23 541 1399
Gay’s Guernsey Dairy
4 Church Street, Bo dorp, Prince Albert
+27 (23) 541 1274
http://www.gaysguernseydairy.com/
https://www.facebook.com/gaysguernseydairy
Fernskloof Wines
20 Church Street, Prince Albert
+27 83 709 6462
https://www.facebook.com/FernskloofWines
Prince of Africa
73 Church St, Prince Albert
+27 23 541 1016
+27 82 937 2978
Prince Albert Tourism
