Tesselaarsdal - The Valley Of Faith, Hope & Love
go! Platteland|Spring 2020
Tesselaarsdal is an Overberg village that doesn’t as much as feature on some GPS apps, and you won't find it in the latest road atlas. If you do sniff it out – in the mountains between Caledon and Hermanus – you’ll be bowled over by the scenic beauty and the strong sense of community.
Peter Van Noord
Tesselaarsdal - The Valley Of Faith, Hope & Love

Gravel. In modern times, this is something we don’t experience often enough. You are compelled to slow down, feel the ridges in the road.You want to wind down the window, turn off the radio, take deeper breaths, inhale the fragrances around you, look more keenly… feel lighter.

Here, on the gravel road after you’ve turned off the R320 – the Hemel-en Aarde road between Caledon and Hermanus – and disappeared into the hills and dales of the Overberg, this ethereality is far more intense, the feeling of peace exceptionally tangible.

It is the heart of winter, in the time of Covid-19, and the lush wheat fields are interspersed occasionally with yellow splashes of canola. The sky is pale blue with strips of white cloud, the dams are full, flat and sparkling. Although you should keep your eyes peeled for the occasional pothole, there is too much else to see. Small herds of sheep go by… a few laid-back cattle, a pair of long-necked blue cranes calmly observing the world. And green, green, green, as far as the eye can see.

This story is from the Spring 2020 edition of go! Platteland.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the Spring 2020 edition of go! Platteland.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM GO! PLATTELANDView All
The art of small talk
go! Platteland

The art of small talk

In the city, a glib smile suffices when it comes to interaction with any stranger that crosses her path. Yet a visit to Struisbaai taught Elizabeth Wasserman that small talk is no small matter

time-read
5 mins  |
Winter 2023
From food scraps to compost in a jiffy: We test the iCompost
go! Platteland

From food scraps to compost in a jiffy: We test the iCompost

If turning kitchen waste into compost could be done at the touch of a button, more people would take it up, and much less waste would end up in landfills. That’s what Himkaar Singh, the man behind the innovative iCompost, believes. Platteland was keen to put this innovative appliance to the test

time-read
7 mins  |
Winter 2023
Find wisdom in the forest: It all starts with soil
go! Platteland

Find wisdom in the forest: It all starts with soil

A tree is an investment in any garden, even though patience is required to pluck the (figurative) fruit. When you plant several trees together to create your own forest, the reward is much greater. They offer shade, they support life… and they improve your soil. We spent time reflecting in our white karee“forest”– and learnt a lot

time-read
10+ mins  |
Winter 2023
Ohrigstad's tiny big farmer
go! Platteland

Ohrigstad's tiny big farmer

Agriculture courses through the veins of the Els family, who have been farming in the Ohrigstad valley in Limpopo since the 1930s. And they are getting younger and younger: Grandfather Jan Els was 36 when he set out, father Dewald 27… and littleWaldo got behind the wheel of massive machines at the age of 6!

time-read
5 mins  |
Winter 2023
The head hen who lays the golden eggs
go! Platteland

The head hen who lays the golden eggs

The Country Chic is a delightful specialty store in the Swartland where small farmer and entrepreneur Suzanne Smit sells the organic free-range chicken eggs and poultry meat she produces – straight from her farm to the shelves of her own store

time-read
8 mins  |
Winter 2023
On mountains and moments
go! Platteland

On mountains and moments

On a trip in the southern Drakensberg, a torrential downpour and a field of prickly thistles got acclaimed photographer Obie Oberholzer thinking about the power of perspective

time-read
7 mins  |
Winter 2023
Ballad of the butter farmer
go! Platteland

Ballad of the butter farmer

High up in the Italian Alps, Maria van Zyl learnt to make the tastiest butter in South Africa. Then she started a clever “subscription farming business” delivering dairy products to households in the Cape on a weekly basis, which is how she could afford to buy the first five cows for her micro-dairy. Meet the (bio)dynamic small-scale farmer with big plans

time-read
10+ mins  |
Winter 2023
Spring on a stick
go! Platteland

Spring on a stick

Expand your braai repertoire by serving a side dish of flavourful spring-vegetable kebabs cooked to perfection over the coals.

time-read
1 min  |
Spring 2022
A puzzle of nostalgia
go! Platteland

A puzzle of nostalgia

Ride a fat bike through the town where you grew up - an abiding landmark in your life - and behold the picture that reveals itself.

time-read
5 mins  |
Spring 2022
Let's braai!
go! Platteland

Let's braai!

Celebrate Heritage Day on 24 September with this braai menu, which Platteland put together from Martelize Brink's recently published second cookbook, Oor die Kole.

time-read
10+ mins  |
Spring 2022