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The bell tents at Brownsea Island come with a fully charged lamp.

But you do need to know to push and at the same time twist the knob that switches them on. I pushed, I twisted. But didn’t think to push and twist.

This freshwater lake East of Sedgefield, trapped between the high , forested, dune on the south, and the N2 on the North, is part of the network of lakes and lagoons along the South Cape Coast. It is also known as Groenvlei, due to the green aspect of the water, which is possibly due to the reflection of the forestation on the Southern shore.
This shallow lake is home to some extraordinary Bass which attracted some really fierce fishing competitions in the late 1990’s. The best prizes being boats and outboard motors, so you can imagine the intensity of the competitions.
The 5 star accommodation provided by the Lake Pleasant Resort, on the South shore, is one of the most tranquil resorts to be found on the Garden Route. A delightful meal, or even coffee and cake, on the deck overlooking the lake, is a unique experience. But for the more down to earth, frugal, earthy types, the caravan park, on the West shore, offers excellent value for money.
It’s an easy, beautiful, drive from Lake Pleasant to Knysna, Wildreness, or even to Plettenburg Bay or George, and the Saturday market at Sedgefield that offers delights like chocolate croissants, organic fruit and vegetables, and a wide variety of hand crafted art, is a must see for any visitor.

Photograph taken by…………..posted by…………and sponsored by Bonsai Media who offer graphic design services and specialise in large quantity printing in Pretoria.

The Outeniqua Farmers’ Market is located opposite the Garden Route Mall on the N2. The five-hectare site is the home to more than 125 food and craft stalls offering produce and goods created by local farmers and skilled craft people. From berries to bread, fish to flowers, and everything in between, local residents and international visitors find carefully selected goods to suit the most discerning tastes, at consistently reasonable prices.






Khan’s Takeaways
Taco del Sol
Breakfast in the Park






Plaasgenot
Hetta’s Home Foods

The Elephant Walk

The walk starts at the Diepwalle Forest Station. You can get maps and permits from the office. It is about 20km long and should take about 6-7 hours to walk. But it offers three sections which are colour coded. The shorter routes are 9km(3-4hrs), 7km (2-3hrs) and 6,5km (2-3hrs). The trail takes you through magnificent forests with beautiful streams to rest by.

Contributed by Shaun van Eck – Travel coach and mentor

Affordable self-catering units at Margies Place in Knysna. Both units have their own entrances, stunning views, secure parking, sparkling swimming pools and braai facilities and they can be combined to sleep up to ten guests.

Packwood is a beautiful country estate with unparalleled views ideally located just 20 kilometres from Plettenberg Bay and 25 from Knysna in the middle of the Garden Route and a historical part of the Knysna forest.

Their boutique wines were developed by Peter and Vicky Gent in 2006 working with specialist viticulturists from Cape Town. The vines are planted at the highest point of the farm 330 metres above sea level in a south easterley direction to optimise on air circulation. They chose cooler climate varieties – Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

During harvest time we carefully select the best quality grapes, everything is hand picked and delivered to our winemaker in Stellenbosch, Teddy Hall multi award winning and a member of the prestigious Cape Wine Makers Guild. One of the first wine makers to produce wine from this new growing area for South Africa.

The perfect spot for breakfast in a garden setting.

The Pavilion Tearoom in Stansted Park is a beautifully restored Victorian glass house in the heart of The Walled Garden.

They offer a simple breakfast menu as well as a selection of pastries and cakes.

With a light lunch from midday.

After which one can wander through the gardens which are immaculately kept.

And the Arboretum which probably dates back to the late Victorian era

Where there are benches inviting one to sit back, relax and do nothing.

[edit] 20/04/20
The Chaloem Rattanakosin National Park is one of the smallest national parks in Thailand. It is also one of the quietest and in my mind most pleasant parks to visit.

There are food stalls at the admin centre which are sometimes open and sometimes not.