Historical Guest Farms of the Eastern Cape Karoo Part 1

By Julienne du Toit

Photographs by Chris Marais

Ditch those digital screens, load the mountain bikes and pack some sturdy walking boots that don’t mind a bit of, um, ‘farmyard’ on their soles. You’re coming to the Eastern Cape Karoo, arguably the unsung hero of all South African travel destinations.

Chances are you’re going to hike in the impressive Sneeuberg range of mountains, feel the energy of the shearing shed in action, go on palaeo-tours that will take you back 250-million years, fish for trout and bass in distant dams, see San Bushman cave paintings in hidden heights, sniff the bossies that make a Karoo lamb chop so tasty, find yourselves a perfect honeymoon spot and hell, even book a Karoo farm wedding venue for a fraction of city prices.

On one farm you might catch a cricket match in full swing, on another you could pick up some precious country kitchen secrets. On one farm you could hear how the English soldiers spent their days inside an Anglo-Boer War blockhouse and on another you’d learn how to fire up that ‘donkey’ for a piping hot off-grid shower tonight.

There will be sundowners in magic landscapes, long stoepsitting sessions or rainy afternoons behind a good book in a cosy place. And if you’re lucky, you could find yourselves in the heat of a ram auction (don’t lift a finger!) or sampling the delights of an annual wool festival.

You will meet the friendliest platteland mense in South Africa, who will tell you the most entertaining stories of how their ancestors came to settle these valleys.

And they will often speak to you in a very special language called Graaffrikaans, in sentences that begin in English, swerve into Afrikaans and could end with something interesting from the Xhosa lexicon. In these parts, communication is all that matters.

The Karoo Farmstay is the youngest South African domestic tourism offering. It could well become your favourite holiday option of all.

Glen Avon Guest Farm, Somerset East

Glen Avon, an historical Eastern Cape farm tucked into the Boschberg mountain range that looms over Somerset East, could be a Victorian-era snapshot of rural England.

The ancient olive and sneezewood fence posts that line the paddocks of this well-watered Angora goat and Döhne Merino sheep farm are gnarled and twisted by centuries of Karoo weather. The oak- and pecan tree-lined avenues leading to the Brown family farmhouses and guest cottages, a spectacular waterfall on the upper reaches of the farm, a number of trout- and bass-filled dams, a shearing shed that once did duty as a British officers’ mess, and the recently restored three-storey-high old mill built in 1862 are all features of Glen Avon.

The birding is quite incredible. Farmer Greg Brown (seventh generation on this land) has recorded 270 bird species.

Glen Avon was granted to soldier and farmer Robert Hart in 1825, in recognition of his help to the 1820 British Settlers. Since then, his descendants (the Harts and later the Browns) have been able custodians of this remarkable property.

Facilities: There are four cottages on Glen Avon. Hart Cottage, thought to have been built in 1817, is sturdy, thatched, sleeps five, has a fully equipped kitchen, bathroom and outside braai. Pecan Cottage, with three rooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, lounge and lovely stoep, sleeps six. There are two smaller cottages – Garden View and Garden Close – that both sleep two and offer light self-catering. There are three marked hiking trails, several dams where you can fish for trout or bass, rambles on farm lanes, and an optional tour of the venerable mill.

Where: Between Cookhouse and 12km from Somerset East, on the R63, is a clearly marked road to Glen Avon. It is a 6km-long gravel road in fair condition.

Contact: 074 474 3623 (send a WhatsApp to Fiona); fionabrown@r63.co.za; glenavonfarm.co.za.

Blanco Guest Farm, Tarkastad

Set in the foothills and the clean air of the Winterberg mountains, Blanco is one of those wholesome family resorts that has been going for generations, and seems to run on fun, nostalgia and children’s laughter.

Twice a day, there are complimentary horse rides on steady, patient steeds that are happy to amble along with thrilled tots on board, always led by staff. Every day, children can enjoy a tractor-trailer ride puttering along country lanes.

There are cows, horses, pigs and sheep scattered about this working farm. Surrounding the comfortably appointed rondavels and assorted cottages, there are tennis courts, a 9-hole golf course, squash court, bowling greens, putt-putt, swimming pool and hiking paths. Paths and 4×4 trails wind through the adjoining game-rich veld.

In short, it is a place perfect for young families, with a separate kiddies’ dining room, childminders, and old-fashioned comfort food.

The accommodation strikes just the right note – it’s like staying on a family farm with eccentric, higgledy-piggledy buildings that are unusual yet comfy.

Many of the parents you’ll meet in the library, lounge or on the stoep came here as children themselves.

Facilities: There are 25 cottages of varying sizes, almost all with a queen-sized bed, a varying number of children’s beds, a private bathroom, plus heaters and fans. Rates include full access to all facilities. The Manor House has four spacious suites with communal lounge and kitchen area.

Where: About 14km east of Tarkastad, along a fairly good dirt road leading off the R344 to the Winterberg.

Contact: 045 846 9163 or WhatsApp Micala on 072 205 2725;  info@blanco.co.za; blancoguestfarm.co.za.

Hillston Guest Farm, Schoombee (Middelburg)

Here, in the centre of the Karoo Midlands, is a working sheep and Angora goat farm remarkable for its Anglo-Boer War history, wide open skies and iconic views.

The shearing shed, an elegant wood and iron building, was once the barracks from Grootfontein, brought here in bits and pieces, the wooden chutes and pens glowing with age and layers of lanolin.

Hillston offers two distinctly different guest farmhouses.

One is the remote and glorious Northmead Country House, off the grid and set on the grassy plains. If you’ve watched Stuur Groete aan Mannetjies Roux, with Laurika Rauch, Ian Roberts and Anna-Mart van der Merwe, you’ll immediately recognise it.

Director Christopher Torr needed a farmhouse where the view from the kitchen swept across the plains, and Northmead was perfect.

Walking in the veld, you sense the freshness of the Karoo, its open, disarming nature, its little mysteries left for you to find. Then there is the metallic song of spinning windpumps, the call of a turtle dove, and the plaintive rising whistle of a clapper lark.

Just a few steps away from the house is a large dam, brimming with clear water and perfect for cooling down in.

The second accommodation is a solidly built old ironstone cottage in the lap of a smoothly rising koppie. Beside it is an Anglo-Boer War-era blockhouse, adapted to be a braai lapa.

Take a walk to see views over three distinctive hills: Teebus, Koffiebus and Tafelberg.

Sit on the stoep and read, listen to the lambs bawling to their mothers and watch the clouds sweep over you. Hillston records more than 100 bird species that include black eagles, flamingos and blue cranes that visit the farm dams in the summer season.

Facilities: Northmead sleeps eight, has beautiful wooden floors and beamed ceilings, a lovely farmhouse-style kitchen with coal or wood-burning stove, a gas stove and fridge.

The smaller ironstone cottage can sleep six, is fully equipped for self-catering and offers a great stoep for dreamy sundowners.

Where: Hillston Farm is 47km from Middelburg on the R56 road towards Steynsburg, on a 5 km dirt road in the direction of Oorlogspoort and Macasserfontein.

Contacts: 082 322 4403 (Riana or Adrienne Southey); info@hillstonfarm.co.za; hillstonfarm.co.za.

• For an insider’s view on life in the South African Heartland, get the Karoo Quartet set of books (Karoo Roads I-IV with black and white photographs) for only R960, including taxes and courier costs in South Africa. For more details, contact Julie at julie@karoospace.co.za