Trying 3 Hidden Cape Town Experiences: Elgin Railway Market Adventure

Cape Town is home, but sometimes it's good to escape the craziness of the city and visit somewhere new. So I'm up early and after a quick coffee, let's head out and explore a new location. We're heading east over Solaris Pass, which is the first time for me. Now, the goal of today is simple. Do three new things I've never done before. So we're going to visit Elgin Railway Market that I've heard lots of good things about. We're going to explore the local town of Grabow. And thirdly, we're going to stop at Peregrine food stall and see what all the fuss is about. Now, at the market, I want to see what locals love. I want to smell the roasts and sample some local foods. Then we're going to head into Grab our town that I've never visited before. And then before I head back, we perhaps grab one treat from Peregrine, maybe an apple pie or maybe a milk tart for the road. I love that there are so many different places within an hour of Cape Town and many of them are worth a weekend visit. So let's see if that holds true for today. No rush, just no checklist, just paying attention. So let's go.

So as much as I love Cape Town, sometimes it's just good to escape. So at the last minute I decided to go somewhere I've never been before. Over Solaris Pass, which is where we are now, behind me onto Elgin Railway Market and then Groubura Town to see what that's like. So my goal today is to do three things that I've never done before. And obviously one of those things is going to somewhere I haven't been. Now, it's not the most beautiful day today, but you can see the amazing views behind me. These are the views that you get from St Louis Pass, which you can see over there. This is about an hour's drive from Cape Town and the first stop is going to be the Elgin Railway Market. So let's head over there. And here we are, our first of the three things I'm going to do new today. And we are at the Elgin Railway Bazaar. I hope it's all open today because it's very quiet, but I am just here at 9 o', clock, so we'll see. Let's head on inside.

This used to be an apple warehouse from the 1940s, built by Italian prisoners of war. In 2018, Roger Orpen turned it into the Elgin Railway Market. You see steel and wood everywhere with giant propeller Fans turning above us. Coffee, food of all types and live music pull you in. Some weekends a vintage steam train arrives from Cape Town, although not this weekend. Although I did see this engine pulling away. Let's take a closer look around and grab a coffee and some breakfast.

So let's start at one end and walk around, see what's here. Burgers, Seafood, not quite what we fancy for breakfast. Nice Thai food, poke bar. There's a Mediterranean Greek shawarma. I wish you could smell how nice it smells in here as well. All your biltong needs. Look at this fudge kitchen. Might have to try some of this bit later. Morning.

Hello.

Morning. Good, thank you. This all looks good. Sushi. Hi. Chicken. For breakfast items, which is probably where I'm gonna come. Wow, look at that. Do you fancy that for breakfast? South Africa does these type of markets so well. Obviously you've seen the orangutan market in Cape Town. I always butcher that pronunciation. There's also a market, a weekend in Stellenbosch and then there's this market as well and it's just such a lovely location or great use of what a great use of the space. So I am going to grab some breakfast and let's see what that's like. Morning. Can I get a flat white please? Can I get the AVO on toast please? Okay, breakfast has arrived and this cost 95 rand for avocado on toast. And I'll put the equivalent currencies on the screen. Now I've also got a coffee which costs 40 grand which is actually quite expensive for a cup of coffee but it's gonna, it's great coffee. That was the best avocado on toast I've ever had. I had a really nice feta dressing on it. So I'm just going to finish my coffee and then let's go for a wander around here and see what else we can find. They've got one motor here, goes all the way up here and then powers a load of these different fans. You can see the crankshaft here going through all the different fans. How neat is that?

I love the design and architecture of this place. Steel and timber, warm lights, a bit of a steampunk and an art deco feel. And of course look up. Those belt driven propeller fans move the whole hall. The fall market runs Saturdays and Sundays from 9am to 4pm Wednesdays and Fridays have a smaller evening market and weekdays the coffee shop trades in the day. The best time to visit is right after opening before it gets too busy. And today for example, I'm here at 9am Late afternoons can also be calmer too. And some weekends, as I've mentioned, a vintage steam train pulls in next door, bringing visitors from Cape Town to El. Is it all made locally?

Yeah, they are all made. So we have our kitchen in Somerset places.

Okay, look.

Strawberry. They look nice. Morning. A bit early.

Waffles, Gin. If you head upstairs, you end up at the mezz level. Now, it wraps around the whole hall, so you can look down on the hustle and bustle. And basically people watch. Up here you'll find little shops selling all sorts of crafts, small bakes, local wines and also a bar. And it just feels a lot calmer up here. Now, if you head outside, the deck faces the tracks and the mountains. And of course, out here you get fresh air, softer light and just more room. And if the vintage train is running, then this is the spot to see it arrive.

South Africa does these markets so well. They take disused warehouses or in this case, an old railway track, and then they turn it into something really useful. So something that was abandoned and probably never visited becomes a major tourist attraction. And I would highly recommend coming to Elgin Market. As you can see, it's been voted the number one market. I'm not sure where, but anyway, in the Cape Town area for the last few years, so definitely come and visit here. As I said, it's about an hour's drive over St. Larry's Pass to get here, but it's a pleasant drive as well. And like many things in South Africa, the journey is as important as a destination. Okay, so onto Groubra. Groubra. I'm sorry if I'm butchering that pronunciation. Someone can correct me on how to pronounce it.

Now let's head over to Grabow. And I think I've got the pronunciation.

Correct for that now.

I'm sure not quite, but someone will no doubt correct me. The town sits in the Elgin Valley, which grows most of South Africa's apples. It was laid out in 1856 by Wilhelm Langschmidt, who named it after his hometown of Grabau in Germany. The fizzy apple drink apple tizer also started here in the 1960s. Today it looked really busy, not that enticing, if I'm honest. And parking was tight, so I decided not to stop. Now, maybe I've missed some of the key things to visit, so if I did, I'll come back again. But for today's escape, I wanted space. So onward to Peregrine for something sweet and a quiet moment.

Next new stop is Peregrine farm stall. I'm not really sure what the equivalent of these would be in other countries like the uk, but there's these farm stalls all over the place that have emerged as markets. And this appears to have food and wine and fruit and also garden centre. And I want to buy some indoor plants, so I'm going to go and have a look in there, but let's go and take a wander and see.

What we can find.

I'm very hungry after having breakfast, but there's.

Sushi, smoothies.

Some lovely plants here, crepes over there, Restaurant and coffee shop. And then this is kind of what a farm stall typically looks like. I guess like a farmer's market or deli. I guess a fancy deli. But look at all the lovely food. So that's about less than two pounds for a muffin. Quiche here for six, seven pounds. Various pies, fresh breads, apple and blueberry pie looks lovely. Apple crumble, nice things here, Cheeses, butters, sweets and then frozen pies. These are price list for those who are interested. If I didn't have a long drive home, I'd get some of this frozen food so I can put it in the freezer, but it'll probably be defrosted by the time I get home. And of course lots of very reasonably priced wines here as well.

Well, today was exactly what I needed. A quick escape from Cape Town, a new view over St. Lowry's Pass and a few hours to just reset. Elgin Railway Market delivered great coffee and breakfast and a real buzz in a stunning setting. And Peregrine food stall was a sweet finish with lots of very tempting foods. And I even bought a couple of plants here as well. So two out of the three stops were a.m. grabow didn't land for me today, so I just drove through and kept going. And you know what? That's fine. You try new things, some of them land, some of them don't and you learn what you like and what works for you. So heading home now, enjoying the drive and somehow Cape Town feels even better after a short break. Now, if you enjoyed today's video, do leave a comment and let me know where I should explore next. And of course hit the like and subscribe button and I will see you next week. Week.