The West Coast Way boasts 5 amazing Routes so you can create your very own ideal West Coast Way Weekend. The five exciting road trips showcase the top things to do and see includes the heritage-inspired Culture Route, the sensational Foodie Route, the Swartland Tractor Route, the beautiful Berg Route and the new Wild Route – the ultimate off-track route with a Sustainable Seafood Track and People Rocking Nature Track.
The combination options are endless and no weekend needs to be the same! We asked Mart-Mari Wicht from Blue Bay Lodge on the Foodie Route what makes up her ideal West Coast Way Weekend:
Here is just one example of your next possible West Coast Way Weekend!
Start off your weekend in Saldanha with Friday night half price cocktails and burger special in the cocktail lounge at Blue Bay Lodge. Every first and last Friday of the month there’s live music which is such a great vibe while overlooking the bay. The bar at Blue Bay Lodge overlooks the Bloubaai (Blue Bay) and can be described as stylish, modern, authentic and relaxed. Blue Bay Lodge’s bar and lounge blend in with nature – with the elements of rock, wood, organic and neutral colours fused with metal trimmings. The restaurant at Blue Bay Lodge offers a beach chic experience. The food style is relaxed a la carte with all the top favourites and flavours like great local meat cuts as well as locally sourced mussels served in two different styles.
On Saturday mornings there are two variations that I love, depending on the amount of cocktails the night before!
The first is, if you are feeling fit, wake up at 07:00 for the park run at 08:00 in the Langebaan County Estate. The vibe of the park run and seeing all the bokkies is so nice and even though it’s super tough to get up, once you’re done, it’s so worth it!
Treat yourself after the run with a refreshing shower and then head off to the Hopefield where you can find beautiful shops to walk around in such as the Moose Farm Stall, which is located opposite the church. Once you have done a little bit of shopping at the Farm Stall, take a seat and tuck into a delicious breakfast and some coffee.
Then if you feel like you deserve a cold beer after the run then a turn at the pub in the Hopefield hotel is a must. You actually feel like you’ve gone back in time once you enter the pub. It’s old and old fashioned but has so much character that it’s a must see and do for anyone who passes through Hopefield.
The second is the lazy alternative: if you wake up a bit later is to take a leisure stroll along the beach from Blue Bay Lodge to the local coffee shop in Saldanha Cup of Cake. It’s an easy 5km walk along the beach, best done when it is low tide but not impossible on high tide.
The walk is great because you feel so accomplished once you are there and ready for a delicious Truth coffee and breakfast. And then for pudding one of Sanet’s famous cupcakes. My best is the lemon meringue cupcake but you can’t go wrong with anything you choose there. Sanet being a finalist in the popular South African baking show “Koekedoor” makes the most amazing cakes and cupcakes and is a real highlight for Saldanha. Make sure you have take aways because by the time you walk back to the Lodge you will have an appetite again!
Then the rest of the day is at leisure. Your West Coast Way Weekend should definitely include some time to catch up on sleep and reading, so the best afternoon activity is to relax and just be. Late afternoon it’s always great to take a nice drive out to visit all the surrounding towns such as Paternoster or Velddrif and then to be sure to arrive at Russells On The Port in Port Owen before sunset so you can witness the sunset over the ocean with a lovely glass of wine or cocktail. This all followed by an exquisite meal.
Sunday it’s best to sleep in and wake up at your own leisure and maybe do a lovely kayak session in the bay or SUP or even a cycle in the reserve all weather depending. On the way back home make sure you stop at Rosemead Bakery for the best pastei de nata you will taste in your life and a perfectly made sourdough bread by Brett and Anli, the best baker and pastry chef combo you will ever find!
Then go via Darling for a Sunday lunch either at Groote Post or Darling Brew depending on your taste buds and take a slow drive back to Cape Town. 
That for me is the best day with combined activities and good food and entertainment for the ideal West Coast Way Weekend!
Written by Mart-Mari from Blue Bay Lodge.
West Coast Way Is South Africa’s Road Trip With The Most Twists
Explore the Cape West Coast by planning a self-drive trip or book a guided tour for a nature and adventure-filled Cape West Coast holiday.
Find a 101+ things to see and do on the West Coast Way:
Enjoy wine, craft beer, olives and Rooibos tea tastings, Weskus cuisine and braaivleis (barbecue), swing into Citrusdal with a zipline, go Cederberg bouldering, jump into natural (warm) pools, step onto cruises of lagoons and rivers, trek through nature reserves and a National Park, hop onto game drives, try the skill of archery and angling, get your adrenaline pumping with sand-boarding and quad-biking, go horse riding, learn about the San culture and Riel-dancing, do kite- and windsurfing, chill in your flip flops and do surfing, book a kayaking trip, go beach hopping, learn about bees, whales and listen to our birds in a twitcher’s paradise – all in South Africa’s wildflower reserve.
For more information on the West Coast’s top places to go, road tripping, hikes, tours and trails, explore westcoastway.co.za or call West Coast Way on 0861 321 777. Follow us on @WestCoastWaySA on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.West Coast Way is a unique collection of themed routes that can be enjoyed by locals and visitors when they do an adventure-filled Cape West Coast self-drive trip for a day trip or a West Coast Holiday. The new West Coast Way “basket” of free routes on offer include the West Coast Way Tractor Route, the West Coast Way Berg Route, the West Coast Way Foodie Route, the West Coast Way Cultural Route – as well as the newly launched West Coast Way Wild Route, all of which are designed to showcase the many attractions and activities that are already on offer on the Cape West Coast and inland areas – but may be unknown to many. For more information on West Coast Way, the other routes on offer, and the list of 101 Things to Do on the West Coast visit www.westcoastway.co.za or call West Coast Way on 0861 321 777. Connect with West Coast Way on Facebook and Twitter at WestCoastWaySA.