After our time in Graaff-Reinet, we made our way to Nieu Bethesda, a quick detour on our way to our overnight stay in Cradock. John's mother was born there and Lynne had never been to this tiny village that does not seem to have aged in 150 years. We drove to Nieu Bethesda along beautiful roads and gentle passes. We were relieved to find that most of the road to the historic village was paved and, when it became a dirt road, it was in good condition
It does look a little like an aged Queen Victoria, asleep
Small kopjes on the road, where we passed a herd of horses, apparently not wild;
just allowed to roam the veld by the owner
The distinctive bulk of the Toring, or Tower, dominates the view as one descends the Voor Sneeuberg into Nieu Bethesda
It is the most extraordinary geological formation
One of the wandering horses
Google translation: drove to the nut, literally "driven to death"
Under the shade of some ancient wild pear trees was this farm stall, advertising things to tempt us
"Climb over this gate and you'll die"
and, next door, some sheep
Curious owl sculptures for sale, echoing those of eccentric sculptor Helen Martins, the talented late owner of the Owl House, which is now a major tourist attraction in the village. Her story is quite a sad one, as she committed suicide after filling her house and garden with many varied, impressive and some strange concrete sculptures
Lots of pickles, atchars and jams at reasonable prices
John's mother gave him a camera like this for Christmas in 1956, when he was 11. Lynne had one too
The avenue of wild pear trees was in full bloom. They must have been planted many, many years ago
The white blossoms lay like snowdrifts on the street
It obviously has underground water, as there are also huge green weeping willows and tamarisk trees
A horse and a donkey sharing a paddock
Mountain view
It’s a very small, old fashioned village, with untarred roads
The houses are old with covered verandas and have good space between them
The streets do not have pavements and were made very wide, so that ox wagons could turn in them
This is one of the old houses on the main street, now backpackers’ accommodation
We went to the tourist office inside this one, but found it rather sparse in history, sadly
John had seen the Owl House before, when Helen Martins was still alive, and we didn't visit it. Here is a link to the history of Helen Martins and the Owl House - https://www.sahistory.org.za/people/helen-elizabeth-martins. This is where you book the tickets to view the house. It was rather too pricy for our budget
John was keen to see the local cemetery to see if there were any family members buried there. His grandparents, William and Drienie Duncan, lived here after their marriage. His great-aunt Hester died in 1908, before his mother, Janet was born in 1909; we knew there might be a grave. We were so impressed at how neat, tidy and well kept the cemetery is
and we did find her grave,
still in remarkable condition. A lovely family connection with the village still exists
On top of a rather high kopje behind the village, we spotted this cliff-hanger cow. Risky!
Lynne insisted that we visit this house, which had many bygones for sale
And it was untended; you could shop and just leave the correct money in a teapot on the counter or do an EFT! We’ve seen this in the UK, but never thought we would see it here. We met a charming couple from Durbanville who were looking at the vast selection, mostly of CDs, and exclaiming at what they found to buy. Lynne bought a tiny Chinese teacup and left the R20 in the pot
The honesty shop interior, taken through a window on the stoep; obviously the home of the owner
Goats wandering along the main street, probably quite good at cleaning up, although we did see a street sweeper
A very non-standard VW Beetle bakkie
Charl the Brewer was pleased to see us
The menu
We tried their sample tray of four excellent beers: L to R: Karoo Ale with good hoppy flavours like a UK Bitter, , Honey Ale (made from their own beehives honey) and you can definitely taste the honey, we enjoyed this a lot; the KPA is similar to an IPA with slight citrus flavours; and Roasted Ale, flavoured with coffee grounds, in the stout style, with definite coffee aromas on the nose
Still thirsty, we ordered half pints of our favourite beer, the Honey Ale. They use the honey from their own bees to flavour the beer and, without it being sweet, you can taste good honey. We would have like to have bought some to take on our journey but, sadly, they only have an On Consumption licence
We were joined by a couple from Pretoria who were taking a very long road trip with their caravan. Then it was time to head for Cradock
We spotted this snake as we left. Psammophylax rhombeatus or Rhombic Skaapsteker, is a small, attractively patterned, Southern African snake usually measuring between 45 and 85 centimetres in length, though it occasionally reaches 140 cm. It is a fast-moving diurnal snake and an active predator on small frogs, lizards and mammals. Its common name, meaning 'sheep stabber' or 'sheep stinger', is misleading as its small teeth are set so far back in the jaw and its neurotoxic venom is so mild, that it is incapable of killing any large animal. It has a gentle disposition, being reluctant to bite even when provoked
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