A bee zooms past us, eagerly on its way to pollinate the rows of bushes in the field of green and purple that stretches out before us. The aroma of lavender permeates the air. A small pond glimmers in the late afternoon sun and tall trees lead our eyes upwards towards the mountains. Somewhere out of sight a horse neighs, but other than that the only sounds we hear are the birds cooing and the bees buzzing.

Gareth-Lavender-Farm-Entrance Lavender-Bushes Gareth-Lavender-Farm

Gareth and I are staying on a little guest farm just outside of Franschhoek in the Western Cape. The coming week will see us discovering the sights and tastes of this beautiful old Huguenot town, including the motor museum with its impressive collection of classic cars. We’ll brush up on our history and gaze at impressive monuments. We’ll wander into antique shops and curio stalls, stopping for cake and coffee as the mood strikes us. And at night we’ll indulge in the region’s haute cuisine, throwing the diet and our budget to the wind.

Lavender-Farm-Room-Exterior

 Lavender-Farm-Room-Interior
 Gareth-Lavender-Room-Key

But for now we are enjoying the peace and quiet of a life lived in lavender.

Lavender-Farm

Do you enjoy staying on guest farms? Where have you been and can you recommend an unusual guest farm in the comments below?

For more posts in the Western Cape Whirlwind 2015 series, click here.