Tour the Lowveld!

Read on THIS LINK more about Pilgrim’s Rest with beautiful pictures and links to other posts on my blog. It was our second time in the Royal Hotel although we’ve been to Pilgrim’s Rest a zillion times. As a child I grew up on a farm just about 30 minutes’ drive from Pilgrim’s Rest and I don’t think I have to say more!
And of course…if you are in this area, you can’t go wrong by MOUNT SHEBA which is a resort situated in the northern part of the Drakensberg mountains near Pilgrim’s Rest. On the link you can see this map enlarged.

By looking at these pictures, you can see how beautifully this old Hotel has been decorated and I love this bath tub! You feel like spending hours in a bath like this! Everything in the rooms was really very neat and tidy and we couldn’t complain about anything. The service was outstanding and the cleaners very friendly and helpful. They were ready at hand to carry any luggage from the car and it was such a relief to find some fresh tea ready after a long way of travel from Blyde River!

 

These are the rest rooms of the Hotel it self. I found it very clean and tidy. And, very odd, still in August - which winter in SA, but this plant was in bloom, so beautiful!

The main road by-passes the town and it’s really a pleasure now  linger about without a vehicle with an impatient driver wanting to pass through the town!

 

 

These pictures are only views around the town, for your safety… you can see there’s a police van! and…if you are ill… there’s the clinic! lol!Long Tom is the nickname that was given to the old Creusot Cannons used by the Boers in the Anglo Boer War. Long Tom is where the final cannon was shot.Interesting reading HERE about the Long Tom and Lydenburg.

On this map you can see “Krugerspos”. That is a very small place, also, that’s where I grew up. “Krugerspos” got its name from the mail  in the days of Paul Kruger. “Krugerspos” translated in English and broken up literally, means “the post of Kruger”…  There was a specific rock and people in the area knew that they could find their mail underneath that “mail rock”. At Krugerspos there is a very small station, called “Schalksrus” station - a very small station.  This station was named after my great-grandad and you can read on THIS LINK more about him.

If you click HERE you will find about 5 posts of me where you can see beautiful pictures, read interesting facts and get some more links to “Blyde River”. This Canyon is the greenest in the world and the third largest. The Grand Canyon is the largest, then the Fish River Canyon in Namibia and then the Blyde River Canyon in South Africa.

Click on THIS LINK to read more about the dog, Jock of the Bushveld and why he was such a great dog and part of the Eastern Transvaal’s history.(Mpumalanga today)

Click on THIS LINK to read more about Baberton, also a town where the British built a concentration camp during the British/Boer-war. Baberton was also the home to the author of the book : “Jock of the Bushveld”. The Baberton daisy was also discovered in this region and you can read about it on the link. 19 June 1984, Participants in the Barberton Centenary Trekmake their way through the Kaap Valley en route to Barberton for the 100 year celebration.

Click HERE for the website of White River (Witrivier). This town is beautiful and is very close to the Kruger National Park. If you go to their site and click on “gallery”, you will see some beautiful pictures.

If you click HERE you can read more about Lydenburg and the “Heads” found at Lydenburg. If you look closely on the pic here, you will see some “funny” heads in the left upper corner. Those are the “heads” to read more about and….there is a picture too about a black leopard!