Fynbos Café and Guest Farm on the R46
Fynbos Café and Guest Farm in the scenic valley that is known as Land van Waveren.
Fynbos Café Farm Stall & Guest Farm
On the R46 near Tulbagh
EMAIL: [email protected]
PHONE: 072 223 4674
FARM STALL
GUEST FARM
On Solid Ground
“This is a lifestyle farm. I don’t plough or raise sheep or anything like that. It’s my daily therapy.”
“I’m living my dream,” says Peter Nel with a sigh of contentment. His dream was to settle in the countryside after many years as a school principal, and for the last 16 years, it has come true in the shape of Fynbos Café and Guest Farm in the scenic valley that is known as Land van Waveren. More specifically the Café is situated on the R46 about 10km from Tulbagh and 2km from Wolseley.
Peter who runs the Café and Farmstall is proud of the food they serve. “We bake really good pizzas, the hake, and chips are fantastic, our light lunches and all-day breakfasts are very popular, but what brings people back are our homemade pies served with chips and salad. People call us The Home of the Pie!” Fynbos Café, also known as Peter’s, is fully licensed, which is a big thing for patrons who enjoy a drink with their food. “We are an on- and off-sales” adds Peter.
The farm stall is packed with local produce: pottery, artisanal olive oil, earrings, biltong, and rusks. “Visitors tell me it’s the best farm stall they’ve ever seen.” There are two playgrounds for kids while their parents indulge themselves in the farmstall and also an outdoor movie theatre.
The guesthouse and conference facility are run by Peter’s business partner Maurice Lancaster. It consists of 3 well-appointed cottages and 10 campsites and is located on 67 hectares of fynbos and renosterveld. “It is pristine,” says Peter “we have caracal, grysbok, rooibok, porcupines, and many other species roaming freely.”
Peter and Maurice have established and funded an animal sanctuary where they rehabilitate animals that have been injured or abused. “We rescued two zebras who were destined for a hunting farm,” says Peter “they had babies and now we have seven zebras” Other animals include donkeys, owls, bunnies, eagles, and goats. For a small fee, visitors are allowed into the sanctuary to feed and interact with the animals “It’s a family paradise!”
Even though he’s retired Peter remains a teacher at heart. He and Maurice organize up-skilling and training courses for the locals. “We offered a course on how to be a gardener, as well as a housekeeping course. More and more guesthouses are opening and there is a need for skills in the hospitality industry.”
Peter and Maurice have no plans or desire to expand their operation. “We are very conscious of the environment, many of the low-lying fynbos is endangered. Any expansion will require us to rip up more fynbos.”
This positive attitude to environmental issues meant they were immediately interested in collaborating with ZeroCC in developing a charging station at Fynbos Café.
“EVs are going to change transport the way cellphones changed communication,” says Peter “we are delighted to be part of a project that will contribute towards a lighter carbon footprint.”
Peter believes that the charging station will be a boost to their operations. He is keen to upgrade to an EV as soon as it is possible. “I saw a few at the BMW dealership in Cape Town where I service my car and I thought ‘Mmm, I’d like one of those’, that’s still in the future.”
The region is usually associated with the earthquake that devastated the historic town of Tulbagh in 1969. But that is in the past, right now Fynbos Café and Guesthouse is on solid ground and in the safe custody of two very down-to-earth men.
