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Hiking trails are marked with pictures of the reclusive antbear. Picture Myrtle Ryan
“Bring your own horse,” read the advert. With visions of a holiday home for horses, I set off for Rooiheuwel Holiday Farm, in the foothills of the Nuweveld Mountains in the Karoo. The nearest towns are Beaufort West and Prince Albert.
I pictured fond equine owners enquiring of their mounts whether they fancied a break from their monotonous riding routine. This would be a destination with a difference, I thought.
It turns out Rooiheuwel is sometimes used as a training ground by participants in the annual Endurance Horse Ride which takes place at Smithfield in the Free State.
The terrain is certainly rugged enough. For those not born to the saddle, but rather with boots strapped to their feet, Rooiheuwel also offers some splendid hiking.
What is more, I had been told, the odds against stumbling across an antbear were not too shabby. So maybe some forays into the veld were in order.
On arriving at Rooiheuwel, we found owners Flip and Marge Vivier are proud proponents of ecotourism. “We want visitors to go home with more knowledge and insight into the Karoo,” said Flip, so they provide articles on history, farming, plants and nature. He handed me a leaflet on the most southerly recorded corbelled hut in SA, located on the farm Vlieefontein, which was built by the Kruger family in 1850 in the Beaufort West district. This told how the Krugers were part of a group of nine families that migrated from the Cape, via Ceres, to settle in the Karoo.
This isolated shepherd’s cottage is much sought after by those seeking tranquility. Picture Myrtle Ryan
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The hut, now a national monument, was built as overnight accommodation for when they trekked with their herds. An entire family was wiped out by Bushmen at this hut – apparently the result of confrontation between the trekkers and the Bushmen, because the farmers would not allow the latter access to water resources. There was also the question of stock theft.
Rooiheuwel has various accommodation options on offer: Boplaas, Kliphuis and Middelplaas.
Kliphuis, once a stone cottage for shepherds, set deep in the veld, is the most unusual of them all. Set high in the hills, with silence its only companion, Kliphuis is not for those seeking creature comforts.
You enter it via a low door, then access the sleeping quarters through an even lower lintel and a narrow passage. The shutters over the window can be left open, allowing you to really feel a part of nature. Simply furnished, Kliphuis is the one romantics from around the world want to check into. The views are special.
We stayed at Middelplaas, which entailed a half-hour drive to an adjoining farm, set deep in the mountains. Once the residence of a family, it is a typical, enormous, comfortable farmhouse, at the end of a farmroad. Water is heated in the “donkey”… typical of the heating facilities of yesteryear.
Early in the morning, I set off along some of the hiking trails, all clearly marked with antbears painted on a rock. I expected to find one of these shy creatures snuffling around, but my only sighting was the trail markers. Still, it was wonderful to breathe in the fresh Karoo air, and watch the sun slip from its bedcovers.
According to Flip, theirs was the first Green Flag-accredited hiking trail in the Karoo. There is also about 60km of 4×4 trails. Two of these trails go along river beds, three into the mountains. Flip said off-road proponents love riding in the dry river beds, using their winches to pull big rocks out of the way or jacking up their vehicles.
Mountain bikers are catered for, as are birders. He also pointed out that there is no problem with water in the Karoo at present. When Beaufort West’s dam ran dry it brought a lot of negative publicity, but good rains have changed that.
During our visit, the Koekemoer River was flowing strongly. Black springbok (darker than the normal one) bounded, wild flowers bloomed. It was a beautiful time of the year.
• Contact: 023 412 1669, 083 387 6699; e-mail pmvivier@telkomsa.net – Sunday Tribune
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Article source: http://www.iol.co.za/travel/south-africa/western-cape/past-perfect-1.1210820