Prince Albert

Dutch Reformed Church

Prince Albert is a little jewel in the Great Karoo. It’s such a joy to come across a dorp that hasn’t been trashed and this is one of them. Although it’s become quite trendy, it’s still has a lovely laid back feel. The difference is that you can enjoy wonderful restaurants, art galleries and a stunning museum, without the pretensions of similar ‘in’ dorps.

We recently we spent 3 nights at Olienhof, a quaint little campsite surrounded by olive groves. Wendy, the manageress and her husband are super friendly and went out of their way to make sure we had a great stay. Amazingly, we last stayed there nearly 40 years ago and it’s still as lovely as it was then. We had the camp site to ourselves which was lovely and we met a couple from Kleinmond in the Cape who also have a Tiny. Jannie and Alta Hougaard spent a few nights in one of the self catering cottages with friends. It was fantastic to meet another member of the Sherpa family.

Wagtail in Olienhof

The campsite is within walking distance of the town centre along picturesque lanes. Every day we set out to explore a different lane, soaking up the atmosphere and enjoying the architecture. The town still has working irrigation furrows leading water to each property and the sound of the running water is so soothing. There are beautiful little cottages with broekie-lace verandas, amazing gardens, ducks, chickens, sheep, fruit trees and more to view as you wander along. The spire of the NG church is visible everywhere and is a great reference point by which to orientate oneself. In the clear air the beautiful mountains surrounding the town provide a spectacular backdrop. The Gordon’s Koppie trail above the town gives sweeping vistas of the Karoo plains.

The main street has numerous eating places, galleries and a stunning museum. A lovely feature of the town is the refuse bins. Each one has been beautifully painted and features a thought provoking saying, something of the town’s history or a quirky bit of fun. They brought a smile wherever we saw them. The one below was outside the post office. Outside the library the bin says “Read more, Learn more.” One of the bins encourages residents to adopt a stray, rather than buy a pet. The bottom image is a nod to the famous cartoon character – Fred, the basset hound. Took me right back to my childhood, I loved Fred books. Amazingly, Fred appeared in newspapers for over 50 years and the cartoons are still being published today! See https://www.gocomics.com/fredbasset

The main street is a hive of activity, but if you are prepared to wander a little further afield there are some gems to be discovered. A block or two above the main road you’ll find The Olde Shop, a treasure trove of antiques, bric-a-brac and other interesting things. Cheryl, the owner, has an amazing collection of everything. We spent some time chatting about the great music of the 60’s and 70’s, vinyl records and LP’s, taking us back to our youth.

A little way down one of the side streets you’ll find MoederAarde, another glorious den of treasures. Johan and Sonja have everything you can imagine in their delightful shop, including original artworks (Sonja is a talented artist), antiques, locally produced sweets, sewed goods and more. They told us how, because of the severe drought, many of the farmers wives in the district had resorted to making sweets, jams, embroidered cloths, etc to supplement their incomes. We bought the most incredible nougat from there and later, at the Saturday market, found home made olive oil soaps.

Johan & Sonja’s humour

One place that is a must see is the Fransie Pienaar museum. It’s in the main street, in a beautiful old house and has displays of furniture, paintings, photos and artifacts relating to the history of Prince Albert. It’s really well run and takes one on a journey from prehistoric times to the present in a way that stimulates the imagination. Carol doesn’t usually like museums, but she found this one very interesting. One room is dedicated to the life and art of Outa Lappies, one of Prince Albert’s more colourful and internationally known residents.

There are numerous restaurants throughout the town. We enjoyed a delicious lunch at the Rude Chef and bought amazing seed bread and other eats at the Lazy Lizard. We visited Gay’s Guernsney Dairy, home to superb cheeses. We bought several different varieties to take home and later were so sorry that we hadn’t bought more.

There’s so much to see and do in Prince Albert , including a visit to

Prince Albert Olives, where one can arrange a tour of the olive pressing facility and buy olives and oil.

Weltevrede Fig Farm, one of the first fig farms in South Africa.

Click HERE for more to see and do in Prince Albert

Prince Albert is an ideal place to base oneself and explore the surrounding countryside. Whether by car, bike or mountain bike there are amazing places within a few hours. Just outside heading east one can take the turn off to the majestic Swartberg pass. Further along is the village of Klaarstroom, almost unchanged since the 1940’s. Between Klaarstroom and De Rust lies the incredible Meiringspoort, a spectacular winding pass that crosses the Groot river 25 times. There are excellent stopping off places along the way, including a wonderful information centre. The mountains tower above the road and the views are awe inspiring. Be sure to allow time to stop and enjoy the magnificence.

We spent a wonderful few days in Prince Albert and will definitely be going back for a longer stay in the future. If you ever get the chance, we can highly recommend that you visit this delightful country dorp.

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