And now I’m looking for a house with my name on it.
Recently, during a spring flower exploration of the West Coast, I discovered the little dorp of Darling – and now I am searching for a house there with my name on it.
Up until then all I really knew of Darling was that it’s home to Pieter-Dirk Uys, one of South Africa’s best-known satirists, playwrights and performers and his famous alter-ego, Evita Bezuidenhout.
Since the 1970s he has used sharp humour and theatre to challenge political hypocrisy and social injustice.
He’s written dozens of plays and performed many a one-man show around the country. In 1996 Pieter-Dirk Uys arrived in Darling and bought the disused railway station.
With his flair he turned the faded platform into Evita se Perron, a cabaret theatre and café that anchors the town’s cultural life and gives Bezuidenhout a permanent stage with her pearl earrings and razor-sharp tongue.
The locals here are very proud of Uys I noticed and they make sure to tell visitors about Uys and the Evita se Perron where you might catch him, but where you find quintessentially South African treats like homemade pies, vetkoek and jaffles.
Uys has turned 80, but he’s still got performances lined up for the rest of the year, so if you plan on going to Darling be sure to time your visit with a show.
We have recently toyed with the idea of leaving Knysna for an even quieter town that’s also near to Cape Town and so Darling makes a persuasive case.
Just 25km from the West Coast National Park and about 80km from Cape Town International Airport, it offers the laid-back country atmosphere I want with easy access to the Mother City for shops and city lights.
First impression of Darling is its clean, orderly streets and suburbs. The town falls under the Swartland municipality which was ranked a best-run municipality for its service delivery, governance and financial stability.
As I was writing this, it was a clean sweep for Darling again at the 2025 National Good Governance Awards in Johannesburg on October 2.
The West Coast district municipality (WCDM) was crowned the best-run municipality, boasting 14 consecutive clean audits and flawless capital project spending.
Under its auspices, Swartland municipality and Saldanha Bay shared first place nationally, followed by Swellendam in second and Hessequa in third.
The awards are hosted by the SA Property Owners Association, Ratings Afrika and the Banking Association of SA.
It’s safe to walk around here. I lost a special scarf and found it lying on the pavement the next day, untouched where I dropped it.
In many towns it would have disappeared in minutes. I noted the absence of car guards and people harassing us for money, something that now happens in Knysna.
Darling is a place where community still matters. Neighbours know one another, projects are locally driven and visitors quickly feel included.
Watching rugby at 1910 The Old Forge Bar & Restaurant, we were invited to join a communal table and treated as friends, which pretty much sums up the welcome vibe in Darling.
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Scenic countryside and charming stays
The village is surrounded by farmland, vineyards, fynbos and spring wildflower reserves.
In August and September, the landscape bursts into colour with the flowers drawing visitors from far and wide.
But even outside the flower season, the countryside remains peaceful and scenic – ideal for walking, cycling and birdwatching.
We stayed at the charming Darling Lodge Guest House, in the historic centre of town, the perfect base from which to explore.
Owners Stephan Moser and Oliver Studer welcome guests like old friends – even indulging us by storing our freshly bought Paternoster lobster in their freezer.
The lodge blends old-world charm with modern comforts. The restored Victorian main house offers three country-style rooms, while the garden annex adds another three modern rooms opening onto a grapevine-covered patio beside the pool.
There are also spacious contemporary suites in a separate building. Each room is dedicated to a local artist, whose work is displayed and available for sale. Guests can enjoy a communal lounge with an honesty bar, books and garden views.
Generous breakfasts are served on the patio or in the breakfast room, with Oliver in the kitchen preparing perfect eggs.
Ask these guys for the inside track on what to do in Darling… they know about everything and anything that happens here.
Darling Lodge Guest House is part of Cape Country Routes which are owner-run special properties in the Western and Eastern Cape.
Food, wine and West Coast experiences
Food and wine are part of the Darling experience and there’s lots to choose from, but for something fun and a bit different visit Living Colour’s West Coast Smokehouse, just outside the town.
Everything you eat here, even macaroni cheese, is smoked in an outside fireplace-cum-oven. Think of a slow barbecue of sticky pork ribs and pulled lamb or beef, just falling off the bone.
The Smokehouse is in a relaxed farm setting where families linger and apart from the delectable smokehouse menu, it also offers guided quad bike tours, sand buggies for kids, spectacular MTB and trail running trails, kids pump tracks and pétanque – a boules kind of game.
Kevin Wood is the owner and a pioneer of the West Coast Smokehouse and he says it’s taken a few years to perfect smoking food.
Fires are lit at 4am and African wood like kameeldoring is used while meat is smoked for many hours or even overnight. Produce is sourced from local farms, veggies are grown on the property.
“In the beginning I got some things horribly wrong, but I’m proud of what we have got here now,” says Wood.
The restaurant can seat 120 people and some weekends it’s full – so book. A visit to Ormonde Wine Estate is mandatory, just a stroll from the centre of town.
Visitors are welcomed into a serene tasting room overlooking lawns and vineyards, where they can sip elegant and award-winning Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Shiraz wines, or linger over cheese platters in the gardens.
Theo Basson was born here and he and his wife Berinda Basson run an excellent operation with Theo making wine and Berinda front-of-house.
This is a wine farm that welcomes families, even dogs, and it doesn’t have a hint of that snooty attitude that some Cape wine farms have.
We were plied with food and wine tastings curated by Berinda who is passionate about what Ormonde has to offer and going that extra mile for her guests.
I am not exaggerating when I say it’s the best food I have ever eaten at any wine farm including all the giants in Stellenbosch and in the Cape.
There is a novel pairing with various pâté delicacies so think Ormonde Merlot with a spicy peppadew or biltong pâté with a Shiraz.
The stuffed croquettes are also perfectly paired with wines while the charcuterie offering is resplendent with cheese, cold meats and home baked offerings, you name it.
If wine is your thing, then visit Groote Post Vineyards and Cloof Wine Estate. Then there’s Darling Brew, South Africa’s pioneering craftbeer producer.
The tasting room is above the brewing tanks which makes for a sort of sci-fi vibe. This is good beer. It’s worth a stop here and you can stock up on cellar-price craft beer at the same time.
Check out the Darling Museum to learn about the history of the town and its butter-making past with vintage churns, moulds, packaging and dairy artefacts explaining how the industry shaped Darling.
Darling Sweet is one of the town’s real success stories. Founded in 2014 by entrepreneurs Hentie van der Merwe and Frits van Ryneveld, the business revived the old South African tradition of handmade toffees and caramels.
They started small, making sweets in a converted barn, but the brand has since grown into a nationally recognised name.
Nature lovers are spoiled for choice. The Tienie Versfeld Wildflower Reserve is a riot of colour in spring but remains a peaceful walking spot year-round.
