North of Cape Town, the Swartland stretches out in long, low waves of wheat, golden in early summer and green in winter, broken by farmsteads, gum trees and the occasional rocky hill. Moorreesburg, about ten kilometres from the point, is one of the main towns of this wheat belt, and it has a small museum devoted to the wheat industry, a modest but fitting tribute to the crop that shaped the region.
The name Swartland, black land, is thought to come from the renosterbos, a native shrub that turns dark grey after rain, giving the hills a dark colour before they were ploughed. The region was settled by Dutch farmers in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, and it has been a breadbasket for the Cape ever since. More recently, the Swartland has become known for its wines, particularly bold Chenin Blancs and Rhône-style reds, made by a new generation of winemakers around the villages of Riebeek-Kasteel and Malmesbury.
Being honest about the swimming: the Swartland is dry farming country, and natural swimming spots are few. The Berg River flows to the east, and farm dams dot the landscape, but most are private and some are unsafe. If you want a proper swim, the West Coast beaches, at Yzerfontein or Langebaan, are within reach, though the Atlantic here is cold, fed by the Benguela Current, and many people find the sheltered Langebaan Lagoon more comfortable.
On the way back to Cape Town from the Cederberg, the N7 highway runs straight and fast through the Swartland, with long views and little shade. It can be windy, and in summer the heat can be intense. In late winter and spring, from about August to September, the fields and verges come alive with wildflowers. Moorreesburg and Malmesbury have fuel, supermarkets and farm stalls, which are a good place to buy rusks, biltong and cold drinks.