Amanzimtoti couple explore the Platteland of South Africa
Dale started a Facebook page ‘South Africa My Best’ to document their travels and the beauty of SA.
A Warner Beach couple spoilt themselves with a road trip of about 2 500km into the interior of South Africa in 12 days after the constraints of lockdown. Dale, 64, and David Clendennen, 69, make a habit of rewarding themselves for working hard with a memorable trip each year. Five years ago they traversed Southern Namibia, the West Coast and Karoo and 10 years ago, Mozambique. “But we prefer to travel South Africa,” said Dale.
The couple left on 1 September and headed through Kestel, Bethlehem and Clarens for their first overnight stop at friends in Fouriesburg. “That took us five hours, the maximum we drive in a day. We always try and start or end a road trip with our friends Rob and Debbie Broker in Fouriesburg. David and Rob have known each other since school days.”
They then pointed their Subaru towards Philippolis, a small town in the Free State and one of the first colonial settlements in the Free State. “All the little towns are so sad. The shops haven’t opened yet and they desperately need tourists. From Fouriesburg to Ficksburg the roads are not in good condition so you can’t drive fast. The dirt roads in the Free State we drove on were in good condition.” They stopped at Luckhoff, before waving goodbye to the Free State on their way to Orania in the Northern Cape. “We’ve always wanted to see Orania.
That, and seeing the Orange River again, was the basis of this trip. Orania is fantastic! The first thing that hits you is how clean it is. We got a free tour around the town. They have a technicon and they are building a hospital and university. There are two schools and everyone in the town works to contribute to the economy. It was even safe to drink the tap water! Everyone was very welcoming.”
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They travelled through Da Aar in the Eastern region of the Karoo in pouring rain to overnight at a farmstay about 30km from Middelburg. “It was completely off the grid, 5km from the main farmhouse. All you heard was the windmill and guinea fowl.
Some of the farm buildings have an amazing history. The shed was the barracks during the Anglo Boer War and is now used for fodder storage and sheep-shearing, and there’s blockhouse that is now a lapa.” Next up was Aliwal North, where they stayed in a Herbert Baker-styled house that was built in 1908. The original owner was an engineer who built a hydro-electric system that powered the whole town. His great grandson now runs the farm and the accommodation establishment.
The Eastern Cape Highlands is close to Dale’s heart and, although they have visited the region before, this part was new to them and they headed to the little dorpie of Rhodes. For five days they drove on dirt roads to appreciate the beauty of the area, before heading to the magnificent Tenahead Mountain Lodge, nestled along the border of Lesotho and about 35km from Rhodes. Built halfway along the Naude’s Nek Pass by a couple from Holland, they used stonemasons from Lesotho to fashion the impressive lodge from locally-sourced stone.
The Naude’s Nek Pass is named after the two Naude brothers who lived on either side of the mountain. Tired of traversing around to visit each other, they let their horses lead and the road was built over those tracks. Situated 2 500 metres above sea level and surrounded by the majesty of the Drakensberg, Witteberg and Maluti mountains, Tenahead is the highest altitude five-star lodge in SA.
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“The distance from Rhodes village to Tenahead Mountain Lodge is 34km and took us one and a quarter hours along Naude’s Nek Pass. We spent two nights there and it was extremely restful. It has the most amazing views with the Bell River running through the property.” Then it was onto Vrederus Wild Trout Guest Farm which is just off the Naude’s Nek Pass midway between Rhodes and Maclear to overnight. The next day they set off to overnight at the Cederberg Guest Farm near Cederville, before winding their way home to land back in Warner Beach on Saturday, 12 September.
Dale, who started a Facebook page ‘South Africa My Best’ in 2013 to document their travels and the beauty of SA, took about 2 800 photos of their recent trip. With more than 9 000 followers, she has had requests from Canada, Australia, New Zealand and fellow South African’s to check itineraries and suggest places of interest for overseas visitors. “There are so many things happening in the Platteland – we South Africans need to forget about travelling overseas and keep our money here. There is genuine fellowship in all the small towns. That’s why I love travelling our country and why I started my Facebook page.” Their next plan is a mini road trip to visit the Matatiele area and stay at Resthaven Guest House, where the owner’s local knowledge of the region will be invaluable to learn more. Watch this space or follow Dale’s Facebook page ‘South Africa My Best’.
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