Time for a rain check, and a reality check – something the tourist brochures will never tell you about Cape Town but which you really should know: the weather in winter is mostly for ducks.
Some years as early as April, others as late as June, a seemingly endless train of cold fronts dump so much cold rain on the city you start looking our for a grey-bearded man building a boat. The fronts come in cyclic wave known as the Rosby Wave, after the meteorologist who discovered the pattern.
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The average is one front a week, but over mid-winter they back up with successive fronts hitting the city every few days. When this happens, it can rain non-stop for a week or more.
Between cold fronts are warm fronts, when the city is bathed in golden light and warmth. These are among the best days of the year.
Then some winters, like this year, it seems winter is not coming at all … but wait, it’s early days yet. Another thing to know about Cape Town, is that there is a seasonal lag of about two months. When the rest of the country is starting to sing like birds and dance in fields in expectation of spring, August in Cape Town is winter dead-centre, in terms of weather. And don’t put away your warm and wet gear till the end of October, and then wait a few weeks.
But amid all the gloom is lots of good stuff: there are those inter-cold front days to savour, perfect of the beach or a hike on Table Mountain when the proteas and fynbos are at their blooming best. And if the weather is a complete squall-out, there’s the Cape Winelands. Whether it’s Constantia, Stellenbosch or Wellington, the fireplaces will be blazing, the wine flowing and let’s face it, it’s not as bad as Siberia – or England in mid-summer.
Image credit: Winter solstice in Cape Town, Marina da Gama by Jo Bestic
Stay in Wellington
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Escape, relax and unwind in the peace and tranquillity of the Bovlei Valley in the picturesque town of Wellington. Bovlei Valley Retreat is idyllically situated at the foot of the Bains Kloof Pass and Limietberg mountains in the heart of the cape winelands. Awake to the sounds of the country, walk through the vineyards and fruit orchards, and indulge in the sweet scent of lavender and roses. Excellent service with a homely atmosphere is offered. Enjoy breakfast with home-made delights, in winter served in front of a warmed by a roaring log fire in the dining room.
About the blogger
David Bristow, aka The Storyteller, has been a committed traveller since the age of 14. Few people have travelled South Africa and indeed Africa as extensively as he, and written about it – to date some 20 books and uncountable travel and nature magazine features.