Stanford

Stanford was founded in 1857 on land owned by Sir Robert Stanford, a British army captain who found himself exiled from the Cape Colony following the Convict Crisis of 1849. He turned his attention to farming on the Klein River and sold land for the village that came to bear his name. What he left behind is one of the better-preserved Victorian streetscapes in the Western Cape — the whole village was declared a heritage site and a conservation trust has been protecting it since 1992. The Cape Victorian and Edwardian cottages are in real use, not just displayed, which makes Stanford feel like a living town rather than a preservation project.

The Klein River runs along the edge of the village and down to the lagoon that separates Stanford from the coast. The lagoon mouth is one of the best small-boat and kayak spots in the Overberg — a long, relatively shallow body of water with good birdlife, some of the cheapest oysters in the Western Cape, and a few operators offering canoe and boat trips. The road from Stanford to Hermanus hugs the lagoon shore and is worth taking slowly.

The village has developed a small food and drink scene without losing its proportions. Mahogany, Stanford Hills, and a few other wineries and restaurants operate nearby. There is a Saturday market, a craft brewery (The Birkenhead Brewery), and enough to occupy a weekend without feeling manufactured. The Whale Coast is 10 kilometres south — Stanford is 16 kilometres from Hermanus and 22 kilometres from Gansbaai.

What works about Stanford is the ratio of character to crowd. It is not as well-known as Hermanus, not as expensive, and not as built for visitors. The people who live here have largely chosen it over the coast towns, which tells you something.