When it comes to South African place names, what could be sweeter than Darling, the small town on the West Coast, about 75km north of Cape Town? Though the toponym is courtesy of colonialism – founded in 1853, it was named after Sir Charles Henry Darling, an unremarkable administrator of the Cape Colony – I do wonder whether there hasn’t been some nominative determinism in the way the town has developed over its near 175 years.
In modern psychology, nominative determinism is the idea that a name can subtly nudge one towards the attributes, behaviours or careers associated with it. A famous example would be Usain Bolt, a zippy surname for one once labelled “the fastest man alive”. In the case of Darling, could it be that the name – carrying connotations of charm, intimacy and whimsy – has attracted the very folks who would amplify such attributes?
It started, unremarkably enough, as a church outpost and local market hub on the farm Langfontein. Farmers from the surrounding “grain country” of the Swartland would come here to worship and trade. But its first moment of fame came with the founding of a creamery in 1899, which led to Darling’s first hot export: butter. It quickly gained a reputation for its quality. The business expanded over the years and, though it moved closer to Cape Town in 1950, you’ll still find Darling butter and cream in supermarkets across the country.
Butter was also the starting point for what is now the Darling Museum. In 1987, the Women’s Agricultural Association launched the Butter Museum, which gradually expanded into a full local history collection. It now occupies the old town hall with artefacts in a labyrinth of rooms and displays that trace the shift from hand labour to steam power. There is also a living-museum quality to the place, with mannequins in vintage gowns and dioramas offering a window into various aspects of early settler life. Among them is a recreated kitchen honouring Hildegonda Duckitt, who, dumped by her fiancé on the eve of her departure for England, stayed on to publish two recipe books and become South Africa’s “first celebrity chef”.
At around 7km², Darling is made for strolling, a fact that some clever tourism folks have put to good use. The Darling Mystery Trail is an Amazing Race-style adventure on foot. It starts at the museum, which is how our small band of visitors find ourselves in a huddle at the ticket desk one morning, while a staffer explains the mission: find the yellow-framed QR codes at points of interest around town, scan each one to hear the story of where we are standing, then solve the riddle that leads to the next stop. And so, armed with a map and some smartphones, we spend a lovely few hours hunting for history.
The trail pulls us past buildings such as the Dutch Reformed Church, the old doctor’s house, the first school. A frame in the window of a shop – Heart of Darling, once the petrol station – draws us inside a magpie’s delight, stuffed with clothing, oddities and gifts. We have a good giggle at the leather-clad gingerbread men – biscuits in bondage gear, which I think must be a wink to Darling’s naughtiest resident: anti-apartheid satirist Pieter-Dirk Uys.
Uys, more than anyone, put Darling on the map when he moved here in the mid-1990s and turned its derelict railway station into a museum, a restaurant and, most importantly, a cabaret theatre for his drag persona, Evita Bezuidenhout.
At its peak, Evita Se Perron drew audiences from across the country, making the pilgrimage for an evening of deliciously irreverent comedy. Turning 81 this year, Uys no longer lives in Darling and the old building was “saved” during the pandemic by Darling Sweet, which moved in its factory and shop, now stacked with handcrafted toffees, caramels and fudge. Tannie Evita, though, hasn’t entirely left the building. A restaurant, museum and small stage remain, on which she still regularly performs. This year marks the venue’s 30th anniversary.
TOFFEES AND A TUXEDO CAT
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Another stop on the Mystery Trail is Darling Lodge, the village’s first guesthouse, opened in 1993 — which happens to be where we’re staying. The house dates to the 1870s, built originally for farm labourers, and it still reads that way from the street: long, low, a tin roof, a deep-columned stoep running the full width. The only flourishes are an ornate wrought-iron gate, a red front door and a Victorian cast-iron lamppost that puts me in mind of Narnia.
Inside the main house, there is a reading nook and a communal lounge with a deep red feature wall, a fireplace and wing-back chairs in botanical print. It feels like a proper sitting room rather than a hotel common area. A back door opens on to a “secret garden”, where stepping stones wind through dense planting to rooms and suites distributed quietly on the edges of the greenery.
Mine is the pool suite — spacious enough to have a proper sitting area and kitchenette, with polished concrete floors, white beamed ceilings and warm timber. There is no Narnia in the large wardrobe, but the French doors open out onto the pool with its bean-bag lounge and bougainvillea and the occasional appearance of a tuxedo cat. Breakfast is served in a dedicated room with a fire going — pots of jam, home-baked banana bread, cooked plates to order. My eggs and bacon arrive with a small flourish: the bacon wound around a kebab stick, standing upright on the plate like a minor artwork. At night when we turn in, of course, there are Darling toffees on the pillow.
OUT OF THE VILLAGE
In the afternoons, we go driving. On a tour at the Darling Brew, we learn about small town hopes and hops. Built in 2010 on the back of their founders’ affection for beer and wildlife, it now has an ever-expanding range of drinks, each one creatively named to tell a conservation story and support wildlife initiatives. Warlord, for example, is a “bold, heavy beer” that honours the black rhino. On the assembly line, we watch the mesmerising motion of bottles rolling by to be labelled, filled, capped and packaged entirely by machines. Later, the tasting at wooden tables in the restaurant is a choice of beers or non-alcoholic “bombs”. “When in Darling!” I think, and go for the beer, though wine is much more my scene.
So I’m in luck with the Darling Wine Route, which winds into the hills. We set off with no plan and find Contreberg closed — Mondays are down days for some of the farms, so best call ahead. But Groote Post is open. This working dairy and wine farm offers a surprise “game drive” on the way in, with sheep and cattle and antelope, and a bit of a debate in the car about why those weird zebras are missing some stripes. Turns out, they are quagga, officially extinct when I was at school but brought back by science some years ago – a newspaper clipping on the wall in the tasting room confirms it.
On my last morning, I stop at Evita se Perron for toffees — presents, I promise, though one box may not survive the drive — and then fill up at the petrol station. The chatty attendant tells me he spent years working at a local nursery before deciding he needed a change. “I’m still gardening though,” he grins, and points across the street at a cluster of trees. “I’m training a bonsai over there. Can you see it?” I can’t, but of course he is.
GOOD TO KNOW:
DARLING LODGE GUEST HOUSE: The lodge is a member of Cape Country Routes. Standard rooms are from R1,280.
WHERE TO EAT:
Darling Brew: Contemporary pub-style food, tapas and salads. Outdoor seating and a jungle gym for children. The large indoor area looks directly over the working brewery. Tours (R290 per person) take place on Saturdays and Sundays and must be booked 48 hours in advance.
Ciao Darling: This small, stylish trattoria – complete with chequered tablecloths and a flamboyant Italian owner – serves handmade pasta, wood-fired pizzas and generous mains. Call 063-674-5822.
Café Mosaic: This local gathering spot has warm village energy, local artworks on the walls and a huge menu covering everything from steaks and seafood to burgers and pizzas. Call 022-492-2307.
THE MYSTERY TRAIL: Two colour-coded routes, starting at the Darling Museum. R35 per person; R100 for a family (two adults, two children).
WHAT ELSE: The nearest beach is at Yzerfontein, 25km away. The West Coast National Park is about 20 minutes’ drive. August and September are wildflower season, when the fields around Darling erupt into colour and several nearby reserves open to visitors. See darlingwildflowers.co.za
- Sleith was a guest of Darling Lodge Guest House.
