Barrydale
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Barrydale is a quaint little village located on the border of the Overberg and Klein Karoo regions of the Western Cape Province in South Africa. It can be reached from Cape Town by either the Garden Route (N2) via the scenic Tradouws Pass or the N1 including the famous wine route R62 via Montagu.Barrydale's history begins in the early 1700's when farmers moved into the area looking for fertile lands with water to farm. The town of Barrydale named after James Barry, is situated at the northern opening of the Tradouw's pass which winds its way through the mountains to Swellendam. They settled in the valley and after a while decided that they needed their own church and chose a spot where today the R62 and R324 roads meet. In those days before the church was built there were a number of nagmaal houses (Houses where Holy Communion could be celebrated) and a school and not much else in the village. The Dutch Reformed Community of Barrydale came into being in 1878 when land was purchased to build the church. As the farmers in the area were encouraged to plant vineyards and orchards it was natural that a winery and distillery would eventually be built. In 1940 the Barrydale Koöperative Wynkelder was formed and a distillery established giving rise to the wine industry in the area. The winery has some first class wines for sale to the public and the Joseph Barry Brandy made on a local farm was voted the best brandy in the world in 2003. Over the years the village grew and eventually in 1921 a Municipality was established. The warm temperate climate is perfect for the growth of various fruit trees with orchards abounding on the fertile soils of the Tradouw Valley. Apples, pears and oranges are harvested in the winter and crops of apricots, figs, cling peaches and grapes in the summer. The town still shows the legacy of the apartheid era when it was divided in two to separate whites from non-whites a large proportion of which are direct descendants of the indigenous Khoisan tribe. This is around today because there is still a large disparity in wealth. Barrydale truly is culturally diverse for such a small town with English and Afrikaans speaking inhabitants as well as a substantial European expatriate community including French, German, Spanish and Italian residents. Today there is an estimated population of 3500 permanent residents, this number increasing dramatically in the tourist season. It is deemed an up and coming destination by many of the locals with arts and crafts displayed everywhere including textiles, jewellery and African souvenirs. The annual Barrydale Spring Festival is one of the biggest events on the town calendar. It takes place on Friday to Sunday, this year on the 24 to 26 October. The ever popular Joseph Barry Tradouw Pass Half Marathon on Saturday the 25th gives the super fit the opportunity to stretch their legs for over 21 km through the pass while the rest can enjoy the stalls and watch the parade through town.
The temperate climate is a big plus tending to consist of warm dry summers with averages of 25 °C and occasional temperatures of up to 35 °C, the winters are generally mild and wet with the odd dip to around -1 °C and accompanied with light frosts.
Animals and Plants
Barrydale and the surrounding area like most of South Africa is rich in species diversity with abundant wildlife including commonly seen mammals such as baboons, genets, mongooses, Klipspringer (little red buck often seen perched on the mountain crags), rock hyraxes known locally as dassies (the closest relatives of elephants) and then there are the more elusive animals e.g. porcupines, aardvarks, jackals, otters and the famously shy leopards which are occasionally seen in the mountains. Reptiles are very common especially snakes with a few poisonous species such as Puff Adder, Boomslang (tree snake) and Cape Cobra. The area is also home to numerous bird species such as the Cape Eagle Owl, Hadeda Ibis, Grey Heron, ~5 Sunbird species (these often have brilliantly iridescent feathers), Fiscal Shrike which impales its prey on acacia thorns or barbed wire, Black Eagles can often be seen soaring high overhead on the thermals. It is a botanists Garden of Eden with many rare and fascinating plant species notably the Fynbos flora on the slopes of the Langeberg mountain range in the South and Succulent dominated Karoid flora to the North. There are many private and public game reserves in the area including the Sanbona Wildlife Reserve (home to a free roaming pride of the rare white lions), Mont Eco Reserve and Grootvadersbosch Nature Reserve.
[edit] External links
- Useful knowledge with some good photos.
- Self titled website with interesting facts.
- Wine route encompassing the Breede River Valley and the Klein Karoo.
- Upmarket private game reserve located between Montagu and Barrydale.
- Accommodation list, local artists and map of area.
- Ladismith, Calitzdorp, Vanwyksdorp, Barrydale and Klein Karoo Property.
