The village of McGregor is on the up, the Langeberg dorp a magnet for post-Covid
can-dos. PETER FROST arrived in Porsche’s latest Panamera and found orphaned pigs, spectacular art, a 1940s railway carriage and energised entrepreneurs.
FRAU WUTZ arrived during the floods, on a log, down the river. She’s fatter now, happy, most often to be found in her favourite spot behind Tanagra Wine Farm’s pizza oven.
It’s a fitting metaphor for many McGregorites. Like the luckiest pig in the country, the town is a haven for out-of-towners enjoying a new life, more so since Covid proved to the world that work really can work far from Hardy’s madding crowd. And increasingly, for raising a family.
Stephanie Taljaard of Red Earth Farm just outside town, a mother of two, counts 20 in her mom WhatsApp group these days. “When we arrived it was just us and two couples down the road with kids under 10. Now we could start a kindergarten.” Her kids go to the new International School in Robertson, the closest proper town for pharmacies, hardware stores and imported chocolate, the essentials for every rural dorp. Steph is happy – the farm, famous for free-range chickens and the Red Caboose (a 1940s railway car sensitively converted into a B&B), is doing well. Life’s marvellous.
FAST, POLISHED, INVOLVING
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. First order of business is Porsche’s armchair sports rocket, the four-door Panamera. Cape Town to McGregor is a good-road two hours through Rawsonville and Robertson and there are few more enjoyable ways of getting there than in Stuttgart’s galactic missile.
This is the latest model in V6 guise, sporting a few visual tweaks that have resolved the clumsiness of the rear end. It’s now a handsome beast, less boulevard walrus, more svelte Euro-fighter. And that V6 is a delight: immediate, muscular, melodic. The suspension equally so; if you forgo the Du Toitskloof tunnel and head over the pass, you get the chance to experience it in all its glory. Supremely comfortable, grippy, it’s one of the best on the market – dynamic and luxurious all at once. Ten minutes in and the sense is of an old friend, but one that can Walter Mitty at the turn of a dial.
WHAT’S UP IN TOWN?
Two hours are nothing in the Panamera and McGregor arrives before the good townsfolk have really woken up. First stop is The Blend Deli, Benita Gouws’s coffee shop and restaurant in the main drag. Her place is alongside a group of new and thriving businesses, like Restaurant 51 over the road. Insanely busy over weekends, Philip Loxton and Gerald Back’s artisanal everything is a magnet for the cool weekend crowd.
Joni-Leigh’s art gallery is there too, the Capetonian art director turned full-time artist relishing the time to paint and just be. Not far is Meg and Steve van Schaik’s At the Courtyard Bistro and Theatre. Meg is the creative director of all things edible while Steve directs theatre traffic. It’s quickly becoming something of a must-do on the Western Cape gig route with big names booking slots.
OUT OF TOWN, SAME ENERGY
If town is a foxtrot, out of town is a two-step: quick, quick slow, buzzing even as it’s tranquil. Pigs feature heavily. Over at Allendale Farm, Tess Allen is making sublime cheese out of Awassi sheep’s milk and raising Kolbroek hogs specifically for the charcuterie board.
Head out there on the Lord’s Winery road for a tasting under the trees and go see the weirdly wonderful pigs and handsome sheep. This is what sustainable farming should be all about.
On the other side of town that other pig, the floating Frau Wutz, lives with Robert and Anette Rosenbach, 2009 arrivals who quickly set about turning Tanagra into one of the region’s best-performing boutique wine estates. Robert’s Colombard is a thing of beauty, but it’s his grappa and Lemon Eau de Vie that set Tanagra apart.
Little wonder – the Vrolijkheid Nature Reserve, with all its fragrant fynbos, is right next door. The couple are serious about conservation; the farm is a WWF Conservation Champion and lauded by birders.
By the end of the day it was obvious what McGregor’s appeal is: there’s an energy that’s compelling, creative and alive. Everywhere people are engaged, trying out new ideas. Community camaraderie is palpable. Markets, street fairs. And of course it’s pretty and historic.
The negatives are few – it’s hot in midsummer and there are the usual anxieties of the wealthy living in close proximity to the poor. But on balance the benefits are manifest – McGregor offers a good life, good food and good vibes for visitors and locals alike. Like Frau Wutz.
PORSCHE PANAMERA
Porsche’s latest four-door four-seater is a delicious contradiction, a supremely comfortable executive sedan that eats sports cars for breakfast. Thank the low centre of gravity, wide stance and superb suspension set-up for that.
The test car sported Porsche’s V6 twin turbo engine, good for almost every situation: immediate, forceful and acceptably economical (10 litre/100km). There is a full range of the new model, including a barnstorming 500kW, V8 Turbo E-Hybrid for the fearless of heart. Out on the road it’s hard to imagine a better balance than the ‘standard’ Panamera 4. The new suspension tweaks have made an already good set-up one of the best around and the everyday driving feedback from brakes, steering and chassis is hugely rewarding. Inside, the usual Porsche hewn-from-granite build quality is evident, as is the inevitable move toward digitisation, which won’t please everyone. Still, the touchscreen is logical and well laid out, though there are a few baffling aids (‘please don’t leave anyone in the car’). Space, both fore and aft, is excellent, as is noise insulation. A genuine GT in the finest tradition, the best of the species. For more details see porsche.co.za.
THE ACCOMMODATION CHOICE CHALCEDONY GUEST HOUSE
It’s rare for a small town to support a guest house of this quality; Chalcedony could just as easily be in Provence or Napa Valley. It’s more of an estate than a guest house, two houses set in magnificent indigenous gardens on the outskirts of town, high up, bordering the Krans Nature Reserve. Arguably the pick of the accommodation is Krans Cottage, though the name does it no justice – it’s enormous, three bedrooms, kitchen, outdoor showers, expansive lounge and patio with uninterrupted views across the village to the far off Riviersonderend Mountains. Less sprawling but no less appealing is Karee Cottage, cosier, with easy access to the pool. Whichever, both are recommended – the attention to detail is superb, as is the sense of tranquillity. As a weekend getaway Chalcedony rates as a 10/10 choice. Facebook: @Chalcedony Guest House