“Dad, I am so tired of the city, the polluted air and the lack of stars…” My son, Harald said, tilting his head back in exaggerated exasperation. “Wouldn’t it be nice to just get away? Can we go hide in the mountains somewhere for a night?”

Personally, I thought it was a splendid idea, a good place to go would be Simonskloof. Have you heard about it?

“Well, SIMONSKLOOF…” I explained to my son, “… is a mountain farm tucked away under the north slopes of the high peaks of the Famous Langeberg  range, trenching all the way from Worcester to Plettenberg Bay on the Western Cape’s east coast”.

So, it was we, together with the extra clothing and food we needed for our short stay, which we wished would have been longer, made our way to the farm. Out the door, setting off North on the N1, past De Door, its wine valley and bounded towards Montague.

Along came the beer too.

Upon our arrival, our host welcomed us and began an interesting conversation with Juergen, alternating between German and English.

We spent our night away in one of the four cottages. We enjoyed a welcoming drink while our host cooked our supper on the wood-fired stove, how exciting? There is also an outside braai/barbecue facility for those warm nights.

My son, Harald brought out a little sunshine… the latest version of his solar light jars to light up our cottage. It was delightful, there was no noise or smell, just a wonderful soft light for us to cook, chat and read by.

The owner and host now has these little bursts of sunshine that gently glow all over the farm, and in the homey cottages too.

Set in its ancient landscape, Simonskloof is a tranquil, scenic and a great hide-away from the city.

Michael Ridsdale and Harald Schulz.