The Parker Family

Montagu, Western Cape, South Africa

My wife Cynthia and I, originally from Yorkshire, England, are fortunate to live in this beautiful village set amongst mountains and surrounded by fruit orchards and vineyards. The village was chosen as South African village of the year 2002 and is well worth a visit.
The area is renowned for Rock Climbing, Mountain Bike and Hiking trails and of course 4X4 routes. Set in the mountains are Hot natural mineral springs which are a major attraction. The  air is crisp and un-polluted thanks to the lack of any industrialisation.
Other aspects of the village are it's many National Monument houses, two of which are museums of which Joubert House specializes in local Herbal medicines. In spring the Nature Garden is a must for lovers of wild flowers and bird life. For the connoisseur there are excellent wine farms and estates. We have several good restaurants, coffee shops and farm stalls that sell local produce and craft work.

We have lived here since 1992 years during which time we have built up the self-catering accommodation  business that Cynthia started four years earlier.  We have enjoyed the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life and from many different parts of the world. The climate of Montagu suits people with chest complaints as it is mainly dry and not subject to much humidity. The surrounding mountains protect us from the wet Cape winters and leads to the local claim of "365 days of sunshine" It is somewhat of an exaggeration but it is a rare day that shuts out the sun completely. Locals enjoy the sunny, cool dry winter days, (ideal for walking in the public Nature reserve), our two hot months of January and February can be trying at times but the nights are invariably cool from mountain breezes that make sleeping easier
However not all is perfection, during our time here we have experienced several major cloudbursts, with floods that have cut the village off for a few days. But in each case it has brought out the spirit of generosity and co-operation that seems to arise  in all communities at time like these.

Over the years we have seen many people choose to re-locate to Montagu, we can now count amongst our friends, several families from the United Kingdom, France, Germany and other countries.

Our daughter Catherine and her daughter Georgia live in the northern suburbs of Cape Town so we are able to visit them regularly.

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