Where to eat, stay and play in Clarens

Valley Cats A lazy breakfast under the trees at Valley Cats is an experience n ot to be missed. While you’re waiting for your hearty cooked breakfast to arrive, there are beautiful mountain views to admire and great people-watching to be found in the vicinity of the town square. 083 507 0195

The Highlander Besides a cosy fireplace and a bustling bar section showing the latest rugby match, the Highlander is legendary for its pizzas (try  The Highlander pizza) and its moreish duck and cherry pie. 058 256 1912

The Clarens Brewery Head to the brewery for a taste of their finest hand crafted beers.  There’s also a delicious cherry flavoured cider on offer, for those with a sweet tooth. 082 901 4700, www.clarensbrewery.co.za

Outrageous Adventures After all that eating, you’ll be looking for a way to burn some calories and what better than a day of rafting on the cool Ash River? Rain or shine, I never leave Clarens without paying tribute to the Ash River, even if it is by way of an unladylike exit from a river raft! Outrageous Adventures have a great team available to take visitors on a half or full day of rafting. Don’t let the cold be a deterrant, they have windbreakers and wetsuits available, and a chocolate and colddrink pit stop after some of the more hair-raising rapids with equally hair-raising nicknames like ‘the washing machine’. Contact Kallie 083 485 9654, kallie@outrageousadventures.co.za

Clarens Xtreme Clarens is associated with good food and an abundance of art galleries, but it’s also an adrenalin junkie’s dream. Clarens Xtreme arranges activities as mild as archery and as extreme as quad biking, abseiling, zip lining and mountain biking. 082 563 6242,
www.clarensxtreme.co.za

Accommodation There is no shortage of accommodation options in Clarens. See our Classifieds on page 127 for some ideas.  The team at Mountain Odyssey is always ready with pages of accommodation options to suit your requirements (free of commission). I’ve spent a wonderful birthday long weekend enjoying the cosy ceramic fireplace and views of Mount Horeb from the beautiful Drumrock Chalet 7 on the outskirts of town, but every time I visit Clarens I try to stay in a new place. 058 256 1173, www.infoclarens.com

Contacts There are many Clarens websites, so it’s best to surf them all and see what strikes your fancy:

www.clarens.co.za, www.clarenstourism.co.za,
www.infoclarens.com, www.clarensfreestate.co.za

*Article first published in the October 2012 issue of SA Country Life magazine.