Apple and pear harvest season to end with festivities
To celebrate the end of the apple and pear harvest, the Elgin/Grabouw Valley will have a full-day festival with activities like mountain bike routes, trail runs, and farm-style attractions.
Tru-Cape riders in the Grabouw MTB
The Tru-Cape Grabouw MTB at the Grabouw Country Club has some of the best single track routes available. The Tru-Cape Grabouw MTB has three routes in the popular Grabouw Forest. The 10 km route is aimed at beginners and youngsters (grandparents also welcome!), while experienced MTB riders can tackle the challenging 50 km endurance event. Organiser Alma Rossouw of Grabouw High School says: “The two longer routes include some long, steady climbs, but the stunning view makes up for the sweat. The single track sections will still have you raving about them weeks later. There is something new this year which is a supporter’s area and kiddies entertainment as well as credit card facilities.”
Across the N2, at the nearby Applewood School, on the Appetiser road, people will be gathering at 8am for an 11km Tru-Cape Trail run through the beauty of the surrounding fynbos and farmlands, or participate in a more gentle 5km fun run or walk. Click here to enter online for the Tru-Cape Grabouw MTB.
Fun with apples
Applewood parent and apple grower Catherine Boome says that while the primary goal of the event is to raise funds for the Applewood school, it is also about celebrating all things apple. “The Applewood Harvest Festival is a day of adventure, apple-themed activities and the best of Elgin’s gourmet artisanal and farm-grown produce. Expect fine fare from local restaurants The Poolroom, Hickory Shack and Peregrine (to name a few) and the best of craft cider and Elgin wines.
Master an apple tasting, buy apple pies and apples by the bag and let the kids run free. Lots of entertainment, from live music and tractor rides to bobbing for apples as well as beautiful goodies from local makers. The trail run is a highlight as this is the first time that runners will experience this beautiful, privately owned and unchartered land, on this side of the N2. Runners already know the older areas but this run will be something truly new.
Details
Tickets and information to enter the trail run can be found on Quicket. Pay R10 per family at the gate at Applewood School while entries are R100 per Applewood trail run entry and R50 per Applewood fun run entry. There is no fee for visitors and supporters to enter the Grabouw Country Club.
Tru-Cape Fruit Marketing, marketer and distributor of South African apples and pears, is a sponsor of both events. Visit Tru-Cape for more information.
