Wellington is a farming town at the foot of the Groenberg mountains, and it sits at the start of one of the most beautiful passes in the Cape. It is known for wine, brandy and dried fruit, and long avenues of oak trees lead into its centre, with fields of vines and orchards beyond. Originally called Wagenmakersvallei, the Wagon-makers' Valley, it was renamed in the nineteenth century for the Duke of Wellington, and it grew into a centre of education and trade, with an old girls' seminary and a handsome Dutch Reformed church that give it a dignified air.
The wine estates around the town are quieter than those of Stellenbosch, and many have a family feel, with tastings on the porch and views over the vineyards to the mountains. Dried fruit stalls sell raisins, apricots and figs, and local biltong is excellent. Paarl, about eleven kilometres away, is a much bigger town, and with Wellington it forms part of the winelands of the Boland.
For motorcyclists, the town is the gateway to Bainskloof Pass, the winding road that climbs through the mountains toward Ceres and the Breede River valley. From Wellington, you ride out between vineyards and fruit trees, with the mountain walls rising ahead, and the road narrows and begins to climb into a gorge. Early morning is lovely, with mist in the vineyards and the peaks turning pink, and the traffic is light. Summer heat can be strong, and in winter the mountains get snow, so check the weather.
The town itself has all that you need, with several petrol stations, banks, restaurants and workshops, and a population of more than fifty thousand people when the surrounding areas are counted. The cafés on the main street offer good coffee and breakfasts, and the farm stalls sell fresh bread and jam. Malmesbury, about thirty kilometres to the north-west, is the next sizeable town in that direction, in wheat country. Plan to leave early, with a full tank, before you tackle the mountain road.