Wildspan Guest Farm, Campbell, Northern Cape

Release that Inner Cowgirl

Set free your inner cowgirl at this Kudu ranch in the middle of nowhere, complete with windmills, royal blue skies and golden grasses. Restless of spirit, I come across this place while traversing the Northern Cape one dark winter’s night.

We travel too late and feel unsettled to arrive in this unusual environment. The owner meets us on the road with a torch and points out the white stoney ground, which he says is lit up by a full moon such that you can see without torchlight. He says we need not lock doors and should not fear the sounds of hooves around the cottage as the Kudu roam freely about.

He leads us into the stone cottage, where a large open fireplace in the kitchen, cozy bedrooms and warm wooden furniture complement the ranch setting. We light the fire, make strong cups of tea and the cottage feels instantly our home even though the landscape is as different as one could imagine.

Accommodation Experience:

I sleep deeply and wake feeling unusually peaceful. It is quiet here, with a stillness that softens even my dragon-slaying edges. 

I head out in the chilly dawn, blanket wrapped, to take photographs of the windmill, cacti, Kudu horns and stone walls. The golden morning light is kindly and blesses my efforts. The sky paradoxically turns from bright blue to a pale powder light as the sun rises higher.

The urgent questions I came here with have fallen away and I even struggle to remember what they are. This otherworldly landscape has drawn me into its time warp and confuses my restlessness such that I may find myself staying, becoming ever more peaceful and restful until I relinquish my searching to find what I was looking for all along, right here and now.

Daberas Farm, Augrabies, Northern Cape

Soulsoaring

This is true luxury – a spacious desert wilderness alive with texture and colour and movement of creatures, without another human being in sound or sight. Photographer’s paradise, this is a place of Kokerboom trees, boulders of Rose Quartz strewn casually about, thick golden grasses and rust-coloured rock. 

Daberas Farm is a 10 000 hectare protected conservation area which borders on the Augrabies National Park. You may choose to stay in the campground, surrounded by Dassie-filled cliffs and remote from any other habitation. Accessible only with 4 X 4, the campsite is nevertheless well equipped with two full bathrooms, fire pits and a slatted roof dining area. There is no electricity at the campsite, which is part of the charm, though one may hire a portable trailer with gas and utensils, stretchers for sleeping outdoors, along with elegant wooden tables and chairs for alfresco dining.

The softer alternative is a traditional cottage with wrap-around verandah, set up against one of the most beautiful Kokerboom trees I have ever seen. A farm-style kitchen and lounge feels part of the setting, and the cottage has 3 bedrooms, a shower and toilet off the verandah. A large fire pit will still draw you outdoors into the spacious openness.

And this place is all about that great outdoors. Despite how much there is to do and see in this vast wilderness, we spend an inordinate amount of time sitting around this open fire, watching the colours of the dawn change in layers from black to purple to orange to pink to blue in the sky and again later gazing as the process reverses as the sun slowly sets.

Accommodation Experience:

While mindful of the local leopard which moves through the campground on its way to the watering hole, we decide to sleep out in the open so that we may look up into the stars. It is winter and we light a fire and sleep close to it, with the shared instruction that if anyone wakes up in the night, that person should reach over and toss a fresh log on the fire.

The night is crisp clear. I open my eyes soon after midnight to see the Southern Cross right above me and as I roll over I see Hair of Berenice with my naked eyes (a constellation named after another goddess, while my own hat-head hair is well concealed under a beanie). I feel happy – as happy as happy can be – happy as only a child can usually feel. And this moment of happiness seems to stretch to forever, such that I can even draw on it now as I sit here and write.

Mark Nepo proposes “The soul’s only interest is for us to be as alive as possible. The aliveness of our soul is our career.”

It is all I can do to plot my return to this spacious rocky desert of Kokerboom trees, boulders of Rose Quartz strewn casually about, thick golden grasses, rust-coloured rock and starry nights so clear your soul soars with the not-quite-forgotten happiness of a child.

Papkuilsfontein, Nieuwoudtville

 

Gently Lit

I sit at a small, square, wooden dining table, writing these words in an old journal. My source of light is gentle, even though it comes from 3 sources – a candle, a paraffin lamp and the wood-burning fire. I am at Papkuilsfontein, Rondekraal stone and thatched cottage. There is no electricity, though by day the cottage is amply lit by 3 doors, 2 windows and glass panels at the front end of the cottage. At night the natural flames create a warm glow. 

The Rondenkraal cottage is set within an old, stone-walled horse kraal, in a field of yellow grass or flowers, in the middle of nowhere, on the aptly-named Moedverloorpad (“losing will road”).

There are several thoughtful seating areas facing different directions, to make the most of the rising and setting sun and deep shade. A photographer’s paradise, there is texture and colour everywhere – thatch, stone walls, windmills, fynbos, rolling hills and big skies with cotton clouds. Thanks to the stone kraal wall and vast open fields, the privacy of the cottage impresses me. Usually rather a prude, I am so alone here that even I walk freely between bathroom and bedroom with the windows and doors wide open.

The cottage has a classical long-barn shape which is typical of this area. What gives it a modern twist is the glass wall at the top end of the cottage. Inside there is a pleasing aesthetic, with thick stone walls and recessed windows, old wooden furniture and an open-plan layout. At the top end of the cottage, the inviting lounge has rich red wingback rocking chairs facing the fireplace. In the middle of the cottage, the kitchen is well-equipped with a full sized fridge, gas stove and oven, and a stove-top espresso pot. A friendly dining table divides the living area from the sleeping area. The bedroom is pretty - a double bed with a white mosquito net, white linen and a soft tartan blanket. Finally, there is a bathroom at the other end of the cottage, with a deep ball-and-claw bath, as well as an outdoor shower.

Accommodation Experience:

I light every one of the paraffin lamps, as well as making a fire – it is the main entertainment here at night. I am tired from the long trip - in a good way. Sunburnt, physically sore from too much exploration of the wonderful surrounds, I am left feeling a bit old and weathered. There is a safe vulnerability that this Namaqua landscape brings. Strange contradictions unhinge me – the dry vastness contrasted with the myriad of pretty flowers; the lack of keys in the doors and the sense of complete safety; the organic, rustic nature of this cottage along with the containing, thick stone walls; the simple but ample equipment to meet every need without the back-lit technology and excess which keep us distanced from ourselves.

It is a choice whether to engage this gentle undressing of all pretences and distractions. There is plenty to do in the area if one needs diversions. But I sense that my only task tonight is to sit here alone and give in to this experience of vulnerable openness and see to which new destination it takes me.

Hawksmoor House, Stellenbosch

Entering into Slow Time

One of my favourite scenes by novelist Kurt Vonnegut[i] is where he describes the late night bonding between an insomniac war veteran and his faithful dog, where he writes “I let him know that I like him and he lets me know that he likes me.” This simple sentiment is what I wish to express about everything at Hawksmoor House, including their two easily likeable hounds. From the first email, to the reception at the hotel, to the tour of the grand Cape Dutch style homestead, one is made to feel warmly welcomed.

I run out of superlatives during the showing of the 300-year old homestead, with its original Aga stove and Oregon pine corner kitchen cupboard. The resplendent dining room is layered with priceless antiques, with enormous double doors and windows. The lounge has a cavernous fireplace and beautifully upholstered grand chairs. There is an elegant furnished verandah at the back of the building, overlooking a long Koi pond with thick purple lavender bushes back-lit by the setting sun.

I love a country estate with plenty of tumbling outbuildings, which abound here at Hawksmoor House. The accommodation has been expertly integrated into the outbuildings and the original manor house, such that no new additions have been built onto the property. It is hard to choose amongst the fabulously decorated suites, but finally I settle on a stay in the old Slave Quarters, in the grey room. The grey walls are so rich they almost look blue in the sunlight which streams into the room throughout the day. Even the elaborate French country-style dressing table, wardrobe, headboard and mirrors are painted in the same grey tones. The colour is enhanced by the white borders of the tall sash windows and double doors, and the cool, creamy limestone flagged floors. The room has views over the autumn-hued vineyards, across the valley to the mountains beyond. Indeed, I like this place very well.

What I love about Hawksmoor House:

• The lovely approach into the estate, towards the original Cape Dutch homestead, flanked by two equally gracious oak trees
• The celebration of the historical buildings, which have been sensitively restored to be light and spacious without losing any architectural integrity
• Staying on a working farm, without preciousness or sterile blandness, but full of texture and warm country hospitality
• Gentle pooches which elegantly decorate the Persian carpets in the impressive dining room
• Individually decorated suites with lavish style and bold use of modern colour
• Conveniently located just off the N1, with easy access to Stellenbosch, Paarl, Franschhoek and Cape Town, yet with a country feel which encourages a gentle slowing down of one’s usual frenetic pace of life

Accommodation Experience

If I stay here much longer I shall be a very clean prune – I find myself entering slow time and I have one of the lengthiest, loveliest baths ever. A deep Victoria and Albert bath is set up against a tall sash window, with views across the valley to the mountains beyond. I watch the setting sun turn the mountains and skies pink, enjoying the contrast of the cool breeze from the open window with the hot water. Some guinea fowl are outside the window making their musical tuck-tucking.

Single-tasking is the new buzz word on the spiritual and psychological block – the simple act of doing one thing at a time, with mindful attention and appreciation. An antidote to the stress and hectic pace of modern life, the idea is to be fully present to each activity, using this awareness to slow us down and become more awake to life. And what better place to try out this practice than at Hawksmoor House, in the beautiful Cape winelands.

We have so little time on this earth – do we really want to spend it living a kind of half-life – never slowing enough to feel the texture of fresh food, the grass under our feet or the sun on our skin? We lose hours, days, weeks to mindless rushing or dull drudgery. Instead we are invited to participate actively in the small everyday miracles of life – the full experience of simply tasting a cup of tea, not gulping it down while texting and planning when to fit in the shopping. I am having the privilege of entering into this slow time at this country retreat, where time is stretching before me in delicious, sacred moments. And I highly recommend it to you, wherever you find yourself now, in this moment of time.

---

[i] In his novel Slaughterhouse 5

Petersfield Country Cottages, Cederberg

This one is mine

As you can well imagine, my partner gets quite vexed by my adventurous accommodation spirit. So I was more than a little nervous to announce (as late as I dared) that our next stay was a farm cottage without electricity. With a seething technophile by my side, I tried to concentrate on navigating the bumpy, dusty entrance to Petersfield farm, while sending up a silent prayer that the place was not too rustic.

With the setting sun making golden the surrounding Cederberg cliffs, the cameras were out before even unpacking the car and all was forgiven. We stayed in De Veepos, one of the characterful country cottages on the Petersfield Farm near Citrusdal. The farm is about two hours North of Cape Town, conveniently off the N7, but it feels miles away from the highway. Silence descends, as does a slight chill as one realises things are about to become very real, as this place is the truth in terms of an escape from the everyday avoidant urban frenzy.

What I love about Petersfield Country Cottages:

• The cottages are nestled in the foothills of the spectacular Cederberg mountains
• The cottages are spaced far apart, not even in sight or sound of one another or the main farmhouse
• The gardens of the cottages celebrate the local Cederberg rocks and fynbos
• Fireplaces, gas lamps, wooden beams and double wooden and glass doors
• White linen and mosquito nets, with soft beds makes this a surprisingly non-rustic character stay
• Deep blue-grey private swimming pools
• The outdoor bath, surrounded by fynbos and views of the mountains

Accommodation experience

Despite the chill in the air, I was doggedly determined to enjoy the novelty of an outdoor bath. I waited until the sun was well up in the sky, and ran a hot bubble bath. I undressed as quickly as possible and immersed myself in the warmth of the water, enjoying the contrast with the cool air. Nothing quite beats the feeling of lying in water under big skies, surrounded by views of mountains and fynbos and I felt a gentle coming home to myself while my soul lifted in greeting to the beauty of such a day and the kindness of being in such a place.

I was reminded of the Hafiz poem “This one is mine”, which goes like this:

Someone put

You on a slave block

And the unreal bought

You.

Now I keep coming to your owner

Saying,

“This one is mine.”

You often overhear us talking

And this can make your heart leap

With excitement.

Don’t worry,

I wont let sadness

Possess you.

I will gladly borrow all the gold

I need

To get you

Back.