The Old Biscuit Mill and Table Mountain

Post by Dennis Markham on General Stuff Ingane Yami - Published February 9th, 2017

After seven years of raising funds for the Ingane Yami Children’s Village, the management team at Pearly Grey Ocean Club were invited on a life changing trip to South Africa.
The main reason for the trip was to visit the Ingane Yami Village and to see firsthand how all our fund raising efforts had made a difference to the lives of the children.
However, we couldn’t travel all the way to South Africa and not see some of the awe inspiring beauty this unique country has to offer.

The entire trip was funded by Pearly Grey developers James & Karen Beckley in acknowledgement of the work the whole team at the resort has done in raising both funds and awareness for the charity. It was also an opportunity to forge lasting relationships with the team who work at the village and also the children that live there.

During the trip we were fortunate to experience some of the intoxicating flavours and diversity of South Africa and we hope to cover the main highlights of our adventures in this short series of blogs.

Day 1 – Saturday 21st January.

biscuit-mill-1To say we hit the ground running would be an understatement. After a 36 hour journey and a good night’s sleep we were into day 1 of our trip. James & Karen had put together an itinerary that gave us all the chance to see as much as possible in the time we had.
Our first three days were based in Cape Town and day 1 started with a visit to The Old Biscuit Mill in the Woodstock area. This Saturday Market with a difference brings together many local businesses with their stalls of culinary produce, beers and wines. There are so many stalls to choose from offering a wide variety of tapas style foods. Once you can find a table to sit at you then need to decide what you want to eat from the huge selection.

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Fortunately James & Karen had been here before and led by example, breakfast started with champagne followed by around eight different tapas options that each of us had to choose and bring back to the table.
This busy and vibrant market was full of character and if you want to start your day with a smile then The Old Biscuit Mill is certainly top of the list.

After our champagne breakfast we headed across town to the Victoria and Albert Waterfront, a busy shopping centre located in the heart of Cape Town’s harbour and at the foot of Table Mountain. Our original plan was to take the ferry to Robben Island to see the prison where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned but unfortunately all tickets were sold out for the day. Instead we decided to visit Table Mountain which turned out to be a great choice as the weather and visibility conditions were perfect. After a cable car ride to the summit some 1,086 metres above sea level the panoramic views looking out across Cape Town were stunning. There’s a café and WiFi lounge at the top but we decided to follow the trails that take you around the plateau in a circular route, well worth it as the indigenous flora in this breathtaking landscape are a nature lover’s paradise.

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Day 1 was perfectly signed off with a delicious meal at Zenzero Restaurant in the Camps Bay area of Cape Town. With views of the ocean and groups of children singing across the road, this Italian restaurant has an ambience and flavour ideally suited for its location.

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More to follow from our South African adventures……….