Paternoster is approx. 150 km from Cape Town . The journey took us about 2 hours from Franschhoek. Although originally a fishing village, it is virtually all tourism today. Most of the houses are new, and are, I suspect, weekend homes for wealthy familes in Cape Town. The architecture of the white houses, many with thatched rooves, is very pleasing.
On arrival around midday, we set of for the Cape Columbine nature reserve. The reserve covers an area of 263 hectare along the rocky stretch of coastline. The bay, which is part of the reserve, has many picnic spots and braai facilities. Our route took us via Cape Columbine light house which is the last manually controlled lighthouse in South Africa. The lighthouse was built in 1936 on Castle Rock. The light casts a beam which is visible from about 50 km and is usually the first South African lighthouse seen by ships coming from Europe. However the lighthouse was closed and we could find no way to gain admittence, even the guards on the gate could not raise the lighthouse on the phone. So we abandoned that, and continued along the dirt road to the end of the track. We found little of a nature reserve, but a good many people campng in the site at the end of the road
When we asked, in the Ah! Guest House where we were staying, what we could do for the following day, the answer was a walk along the beach. And that is really all there is. We walked 3 or 4 km along the wide sandy beach, which was very windy. Admired the seabirds and the scenery and then walked back.
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Cape Columbine nature reserve |
Paternoster beach |
Paternoster beach |
Noisy Oyster Restaurant |
Noisy Oyster Restaurant |
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| See Kat Restaurant, sushi and champagne | ||||
The Noisy Oyster Restaurant
We enjoyed our dinner in this busy restaurant.
The setting is a open courtyard with a water feature and open wood fires to take the chill off the early autumn evening. Candles burnt on the tables, and it was all very romantic.
We asked them to slow down our service to Spanish rather than South African speed, and they were happy to oblige.
Our starters of squid and of cooked oysters were very tasty. And the main courses of hake and pork belly were delicious. We finished the meal with a perfect crime brûlée and a cheese platter.
The service was excellent and very friendly. In short a restaurant I would be happy to recommend to anyone.
And it was good value for money
The See Kat Restaurant
It was Chris' birthday and we wanted to celebrate it with a light lunch, so sushi seemed a good choice. We enjoyed a very pleasant lunch of sushi washed down by a bottle of sparkling wine, and rounded off with a cheesecake and a chocolate cake.
This was sushi as it should be, artistically presented, and very tasty. We let the waitress choose the sushi for us, and were more than happy with her choice!
The restaurant had only been open since November.
They do not have much space to play with, so you are a little squashed in. But that was a minor niggle. We really liked the restaurant and thoroughly recommend it.
With a couple of coffees to finish, the bill came to 400 rand, which I thought very reasonable. There were even the dulcet Northern Ireland tones of one of the local residents wafting out frm a nearby table
Ah! Guest House
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It is perhaps a little odd to say, but you go to Ah! For the wonderful evening meals (Arnold cooks only three or four nights a week) and the delightful breakfasts.
You eat communally at one big table, and debate this or that with your fellow guests, whilst you are served outstanding food. Eating en group is never my choice, but I managed here. We have eaten in many famous restaurants around the world, and very few come up to this standard
The bijou rooms, the terrace with view over the long beach are merely bonuses.
Do not go to Paternoster expecting lots of things to do, a walk, all be it a fine walk, along the beach is mainly what Paternoster has to offer. There are a few restaurants, Tripadvisor lists twelve, and our meal a the Noisy Oyster, the evening that Arnold was not cooking, was very enjoyable
Yes Ah! is very comfortable, yes the views of the beach are delightful, but the memory I will carry with me is of the two breakfasts and one dinner that we had the privilege to enjoy at Ah!