The small town voted the best in South Africa

Barrydale in the Western Cape has been voted South Africa’s best town to live in by the Daily Maverick’s ‘Small Town of the Year Awards’.

Barrydale is a village nestled in the Tradouw Valley at the foot of the Langeberg Mountains in the Western Cape.

The town is situated at the northern end of the Tradouw’s pass, which winds its way through the mountains to Swellendam.

It is located 60 km east of Montagu and 50 km north of Swellendam and forms part of the Langeberg Local Municipality.

Barrydale’s history dates back to the early 18th century, when farmers moved into the area in search of fertile arable land with water.

The town, named after Joseph Barry, was formally established in 1878 when the Van Coller brothers subdivided the farm Tradouws Hoek for settlement.

Barry was a prominent trading and landowning family in the Overberg during the nineteenth century.

The Dutch Reformed Church in Barrydale was founded in the early 1900s and became a core institution in the town.

Over the years, the village grew, and in 1921, a municipality was established to serve the town’s residents.

Barrydale remained focused on agriculture, and the farmers in the area were encouraged to plant vineyards and orchards.

To support these farms, a winery and distillery were built. In 1940, the Barrydale Koöperatiewe Wynkelder was formed, giving rise to the wine industry in the area.

In 1959, under the Group Areas Act, a coloured township was established to the south of the town.

Although Barrydale has remained a small village for decades, the trend of people moving from Gauteng to small Western Cape towns is slowly changing that.

The town has seen strong growth in recent years. It has roughly 4,200 permanent residents, while the broader Barrydale footprint has upwards of 9,000 people.

Barrydale is popular for many reasons

There are many reasons why Barrydale was the overall winner in Daily Maverick’s ‘Small Town of the Year Awards’.

Daily Maverick described it as an oasis in the desert, with jacaranda-lined streets, bougainvillaea-draped walls, and lavender fields and succulents.

Its beautiful location, with a ‘rolling expanse of sky and mountain views’, was another reason it was voted as the best town in South Africa to live in.

This is only the start. It ranked well across cleanliness, municipality, community, safety, nature, family, and connectivity.

Barrydale has a temperate climate, with warm, dry summers averaging 25°C and mild, wet winters when temperatures occasionally dip to around freezing.

The warm-temperate climate is ideal for growing various fruit trees, with numerous orchards on the fertile soils of the Tradouw Valley.

Apples, pears and oranges are harvested in the winter, and crops of apricots, figs, cling peaches and grapes are harvested in the summer.

Barrydale is culturally diverse for a small village, with English- and Afrikaans-speaking residents, along with a substantial European expatriate community.

Over the decades, it has transformed from a quiet farming community into a hub for artists, eccentrics, expats, and creatives.

It features creative places like the Magpie Art Collective, the MUD Gallery, and the Barrydale Hand Weavers.

The annual Barrydale Spring Festival in October is an important event on the town’s calendar, as are some sporting events, such as marathons and cycling events.

The town also has many unique restaurants, including Diesel & Crème, Karoo Daisy, The Blue Cow, and Mud Modern.

Despite its growth and fame, Barrydale retained its slow-paced, small-town country charm while offering a creative stopover for travellers exploring the Karoo.

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Photos of Barrydale

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