It was the perfect picnic: a groaning hamper of mouthwatering food, lashings of lovely wine, lively conversation and a view of lush vineyards and mountains shimmering in the sparkling sunshine.

We were sitting at a long table in the dappled shade of majestic oak trees, drinking wine that had been produced from the vines surrounding us.
Life does not get much better than this.
The Delaire Winery, owned by millionaire jeweller Laurence Graff, was a stop on the road taking us from the beautiful city of Cape Town to the pretty-as-a-picture town of Franschhoek, at the gateway to South Africa's winelands.

As we chilled out, sipping glasses of suitably cold unoaked chardonnay, we had a chance to reflect on a remarkable start to a holiday in one of the most beautiful places on earth.

The tour provided by operator ‘Headwater’ had promised us ‘Contrasts of the Cape’ and it had not disappointed.
South Africa is a country of astonishing natural beauty and awful man-made squalor. It is a place of hope and one of despair. It is a country where the First World is in collision with the Third World and where a new nation is trying to create a future for itself after the evils of apartheid.

If you are visiting such a fascinating country you need to be able to put everything you see in context. We were lucky - our tour guide, Louis Willemse, was determined that we would do more than just sightseeing. He wanted us to understand the natural forces that have shaped his beautiful country and also to learn about the historical, political and social forces that helped form modern South Africa.

I am wary of conducted tours. I like to see places in my own time and in my own way but this was a different kind of tour. Without a guide our party of 16 would never have gained such a fascinating insight into the country. We had all left behind a grim British winter and after an 11-hour night flight we landed at the height of the South African summer.
The short journey into Cape Town provided the first of those promised contrasts. As we sped along a highway that would have seemed modern in the UK we spotted a verdant golf course on one side of the road. On the other - literally just a few yards away - was a sprawling shanty town, whose inhabitants had travelled to the big city in the hope of finding a better life for their families.

Our hotel was in the trendy re-developed Victoria and Alfred docks, a great spot for tourists and, like all spots in Cape Town, dominated by Table Mountain - one of the great wonders of the natural world. The giant flat-topped mountain is visible across the city and changes its character at different times of the day. One night we watched as a 'table cloth' of cloud spilled over the slopes of the mountain; a spectacular waterfall of vapour which evaporated once it reached the warmer lower levels. An unforgettable sight.

We travelled to the top of Table Mountain by the cable car which rotates to provide a superb view. The tour itinerary promised gentle walking. Our party struck off, away from the crowds in the tourist area, to trek across the mountain, enjoying a little solitude and some breathtaking views.

In one direction there was Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned during the evil days of the old regime; in the other the Cape of Good Hope; at the very tip of the continent.
We were to travel to the Cape, a beautiful place with rocky cliffs, soaring birds of prey and sparkling white beaches. Head south from here and the next land mass would be Antarctica. Somewhere out to sea the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet. A truly amazing place.

As we drove along one of the roads that cling to the coast we passed an ostrich, strutting purposefully towards the Cape, and a family of baboons playing in the sunshine.
Next stop was a colony of African penguins, who decided they would make one of the local beaches their home more than 20 years ago and now gorge themselves on the teeming shoals of fish in the ocean.

Cape Town is a place where your spending money goes a long way. Eating in a superb restaurant brings a bill less than half what you would expect to receive in a similar UK establishment. No wonder the country is a favourite for expatriate Britons looking for a luxurious lifestyle.

The tour went on for another week across the vast Cape to Port Elizabeth, taking in wildlife and more walking but for me the trip was coming to an end as I had to return to London early - with a very heavy heart.