Once again, Stanford’s warm heart and deep care of others motivates the Village event this week. On Saturday, 26th November, from 3pm to sunset, will be our first ever Stanford Stumble. Great fun is to be had, and the profit will go to the Abigail Hoogbaard fund. (Abigail is a little girl from Stanford who suffers from CHARGE syndrome, and needs financial assistance for specialist schooling).
A 5km run or 2km walk through the vineyards at Stanford Hills. Teams will be dressed up, with prizes for best dressed. The traditional water tables will be replaced by wine tables, hence the name Stanford Stumble! The race will end on the front lawn at Stanford Hills, where there will be live music by Jazz band SWAY. And of course, excellent local wine and beer! Children are welcome, and the African Horse Company will be offering pony rides. A jumping castle and free use of the swimming pool should keep the young ones entertained!
Great prizes to be won. R50 per team of 2 to enter, and 2km should be a walk in the park for most (excuse the pun!)

There will be cool drinks, water and mini-picnic baskets on sale, as well as Boerewors rolls. Leg massages available at race end, sponsored by La Femme, and all in aid of charity. Please contact Steph at the Stanford Tourism office for entry forms ask@stanfordinfo.co.za or 028 341 0340

A great week of fun and adventure has been planned by Hermanus Adventures in conjunction with PSG Konsult starting on Saturday 1 October at 07:00 with a half marathon and 6km fun run from Hermanus High School and ending on Saturday 9th October with an 800m open water swim in the Hermanus Old Harbour.

Say Bonjour, don your beret and play Boules on the lawns of the Marine Hotel. Enquiries to tikari@hermanus.co.za

Enjoy your boyhood all over again and play with the trains at the Conference Centre above the Wine Village at the Hemel en Aarde Village. The Overberg Modular Railway Club will be exhibiting their large 7 x 5 meter HO (1:87) scale 16.5 mm gauge track modular layout, with rolling stock of the old SAR (such as the Blue Train & Orange Express) plus trains of German, Swiss, Austrian, English and American origin on display. Contact Paul Wolvaart – 084 520 2033

Get your adrenelin pumping and try out the fantastic mountain bike routes through the Hemel en Aarde valley. 5, 15, 25 & 45 km rides are on offer through spectacular scenery on single and jeep tracks.  Contact Jan van Schalkwyk - 082 850 1062

Sign up for the first ever Cliff Path Night Run from Grotto Beach to the New Harbour. Pound the cliff paths, skim the single tracks, cross the Mussel River and enjoy a welcome cold drink at the end. Contact Paul du Toit 082 820 3331

Challenge yourself on a 15km Mtb  or trail run time trial. Fast, furious and fun! A short warm up on tar, then it is you, the bush and the clock. Great jeep tracks, winding single tracks, very little climbing and some great fun. It is the challenge of the future, only yourself to beat.  Cyclists will set of one by one every 30 sec and rock the daisies against the clock!

Consider a trial run? The 12 & 17 km Trail Runs will lead you where very few humans have ran before. Beautiful mountain trails, along river banks and forest tracks. The fynbos will be in full bloom with protea and heather in abundance. The 12 km climbs to 305 m, while the 17 km will have your heart pumping at 435 meters climbing. The 6 km Bosloop will take the novice on a run of a lifetime.

Swim with whales. Dive in for the 800 meters Open Water Swim in Southern Right Whales territory! Under strict supervision of Walker Bay Adventures and the NSRI we will take swimmers on a 400m outward bound buoy to return and finish in the Old Harbour. Contact Deon Ferreira - 082 460 2943

Entry forms for these events are available from The Wine Village or Euodia Cycles, or enter on line

The Whale Coast Route is a treat for the weekend traveler. The route meanders from its start in Gordon’s Bay, through Rooiels, past the Kogelberg Nature Reserve, through the sleepy town of Kleinmond and on to Hermanus, the Whale capital, and host to the annual Whale festival every September. Beautiful views await one at every  curve of the road; mountains towering above, clear aqua seas below.

During the winter months, there is the added bonus of being able to observe the visiting whales, very close to the shore. At many points along the route, and in particular along the cliff path of Hermanus, it is possible to watch as they lazily perform  for us, waving their massive tails, sailing, spyhopping or lobtailing - or while they summon up energy to launch their 40 ton bodies out of the water for an impressive display of breaching.

Driving away from Hermanus, hugging the lagoon edge, the road takes one to the delightful Victorian village of Stanford. No whales in the quiet Klein River that flows through undisturbed, but otters and owls, welcoming country kitchens and an award winning wine route. Stop here for a day or two and fill your picnic basket with the local cheese, superb wine and freshly baked pane di mare and take a river cruise on the Platanna to enjoy the fantastic bird life and stunning views of the mountains. Book into one of the delightful cottages dotted through the quaint village, and soak in the village atmosphere while taking a stroll along the Wandelpad.

Continue the next day along the coastal route to the quiet settlement of De Kelders, where the rocky cliffs offer a perfect viewpoint of the whales down below. Listen to their eerie calls echoing in the cliff-side caves as they talk to each other. Every year, these wonderful mammals come into our protected bays to breed and calve and nurse their young in the relatively warmer waters of the Walker Bay whale sanctuary. After a brisk walk along the cliffs, or to the caves below on the Duiwelsgat trail, pop into Coffee on the Rocks for their mouthwatering chocolate cake.

Press on to Gansbaai for an adrenaline boost. Board a boat and head out to sea to get close to Great White Shark while safely ensconced in a cage that has been  lowered into the chilly ocean. Cruise around the famed Dyer Island, situated 8.5 Km off the coast from Kleinbaai harbour to watch the penguin colony.

All of this in a short weekend. Pack the binoculars, fill up the car and head over to the Whale Coast.

Last weekend was for the Whales. Thousands of visitors descended upon our neighbouring seaside town, Hermanus, and at all accessible vantage spots along this glorious stretch of Cape Whale Coast for the annual Whale festival.

This weekend, 1 - 3 October, Stanford plays host to the avid twitchers and assorted avian enthusiasts at the annual Stanford Bird Fair, proudly sponsored by Strettons Gin.

You don’t have to know your penguins from your pelicans to join in the fun. Adults can sign up for a Drama workshop, or flower painting Art workshop. The sponsored “Strettons Gin tasting” will be followed by a Sunset market and dance on the Village Green. For the energetic, there will be a fun run, touch rugby and an endurance horse race. The children have lots to keep them busy -  scarecrow building, baking classes, five-a-side soccer, magician shows, jumping castles, treasure hunts and drum majorettes.

Heritage walks will take you on an interesting tour of our historical village, through beautiful open gardens. A short river cruise will give you a wonderful view of the glorious Klenrivier mountains and enable you to spot some interesting aquatic birds. The Village Green will be rocking (when the birds have gone to sleep) with live music and cabaret shows and the Birkenhead Brewery will host a family lunch on Sunday.

Come on over and see what life is like in the countryside.

The Heritage Day long weekend at the end of September sees thousands of eager whale watchers  embark on a pilgrimage to Hermanus - the land based whale watching capital of the world.

Here, they eagerly jostle along the cliff paths with binoculars and long lenses, pointing and oooohing as these great beasts leap and splash their gigantic bodies out of the clear blue sea to breach and fluke and lobtail and skyhop. These massive mammals intrigue and fascinate us with their haunting calls and immense power.

But here’s the thing………..whales are very intelligent, but they can’t read calendars so they just loll about in the bay EVERY weekend in September, and October, and even in November before their babies get big enough to swim all the way down to the Antarctic where supplies of krill are more prolific.

So pay us a visit any time between now and the end of the whale season, and you will be rewarded by their evocative calls and jaw dropping displays as they leap out of the water in playful glee. You may not get the music and concerts, the fun and the games but you’ll still get the whales, without the crowds!