The north-eastern Cape highlands are a haven for birders, bikers, hikers, fishermen – and even skiers
Angus Begg
At the foothills of the southern Dra- kensberg, deep in the north-eastern Cape, is a quaint village of 25 people. Hemmed in by high, imposing mountains on one side and large rolling hills on the other, it has a common where residents are free to graze their livestock, and an old- fashioned general dealer with sweets in a bucket on the counter and bags of maize on the floor.
A stream gurgles through the middle of the village, feeding its quiet load into the rushing water of the Bell River below – the same vigorously running water that hosts the trout that draw the 4x4s and their masters from Gauteng.
No unsightly development here, Rhodes is both a national monument and an unruffled settlement, with a post office that opens on Wednesday mornings, a church and an over-sized police station manned by, among others, two Maltese poodles. It’s 60km from the nearest town, Barkly East.
Among the few B&Bs and houses to rent, one of the more popular with up-country visitors is Walkerbouts. Owned by fly- fisherman Dave Walker – in his own words, ”a cantankerous old Scot” – in the holiday season this establishment is more like a family bunkhouse, with children, feuding dogs and the DStv in the lounge dominating proceedings.
It’s the kind of place where Walker’s old mates come to visit, fish and help out with the cooking. Archer and Janis Brownlee run a well-known lodge in the Clarens region, and regularly come down with daughter and dogs. For the two nights I spent at Walkerbouts the Brownlees were in the kitchen, Archer revelling in the garden herbs and vegetables and Janis dressing the fish.
By day the climate is temperate, and by night, a little crisper with truly starry skies. Birders head up Naude’s Nek in search of the orange-breasted rockjumper – which is found only above 2E000m – while others take to the fast waters for trout. And then there are those who simply enjoy an evening stroll along the village’s two or three streets.
Getting to the nearby town of Lady Grey from Rhodes entails taking the same dirt road back to Barkly East. From there, the journey is 70km. At the turn-off to Lady Grey there is a brightly painted bus stop, the first of a handful to be encountered on the streets and, I have to admit, quite unexpected in a dorp.
In town, Annie Maddock runs a tiny coffee-shop, Annie’s Caf, that attracts travellers looking for the flavour that says so much about the character and the guts of a place. Residents of cities like New York and Berlin leave goodwill messages scribbled on the walls. West African and Cuban tunes fill the air while the food is prepared in the kitchen – which invariably takes a while.
As the name suggests, Maddock had only planned on opening a coffee shop, but some tourists arrived in the hope of a meal and since then the establishment has been more of a weekend restaurant than anything else.
Her real passion, however, remains art, something that is evident when visiting her other concern: a distinctly arty, slightly bohemian gift shop, Sussie se Smouswinkel. Oils, watercolours, bits and pieces and hats from the Twenties take up every available inch. Maddock is an artist herself, hailing from Hermanus, a town she left when her 15-year-old daughter expressed the desire to enroll at Lady Grey’s renowned Witteberg arts and music school.
About 45 minutes from town, on the farm Tempevale, live the Isted family. With the first Isted having farmed the area in the 1930s, Dick Isted’s clan has a strong historical connection to the town. In more recent times, however, they started the Lammergeier Private Nature Reserve, where guests can stay in renovated, self-catering accommodation while taking full advantage of the big mountain and river country around them: hiking, riding, biking and fishing.
The highest point on the Isteds’ property is the 2E400m Mount Olympus. Tiny flowers and a disused shepherd’s corrugated shelter share views over the Sterkfontein Dam to Zastron and over the peaks of the Witteberg to those of Lesotho in the distance. Look right towards Rhodes, close your eyes and think hard of winter, and you can see skiers on the slopes at Tiffindel, and others cradling mugs of glhwein next to the fire.
The mere fact that the highlands of the north-eastern Cape are off any conventional tourist route makes the job of the local tourism association that much harder. Ironically, it’s also the reason that the likes of Lady Grey, Rhodes and Barkly East are so unspoilt – and rather special.
For any queries regarding accommodation or activities in the region, call North Eastern Cape Tourism: (045) 971-0722