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Three’s a charm
Weekend Getaway
Published:Jun 22, 2008
Chris Harvie relishes a slice of the berg, bush and
battlefield.
‘It is good to see you in the dark,” was our cryptic evening
welcome from Omri Nene, a Zulu named after a Biblical
king. The original Omri became king by the choice of the
people of Gibbethon after the smiting (by Omri, I think) of
Zimri. It’s not a common Zulu name, but then Omri is not a
common Zulu .
He is a tour guide, not of the battlefields of Judah in the
ninth century BC, but of the Anglo-Boer War near Ladysmith
in 1899. And he is a globetrotting actor. He had been
accompanied here in the dark by the silhouettes and the
barking of three baying dogs of war.
The Drakensberg can conjure up nightmarish visions of
Family Fun, Bingo in the Bar and Deck Quoits, but we
weren’t in the Drakensberg. We were at the nearby Three
Trees at Spioenkop, where we planned to ride horses, spot
birds, walk dogs and eat a lot. We hadn’t planned to go
shopping or to a Drakensberg Boys’ Choir gig, but we did
those as well.
In the best conventions of the new dispensation, Omri is a
dispassionate observer when recounting the tale of the
battle of Spioenkop. In our group, his version appealed just
as much to the handlebar- moustached British general as it
did to a couple of buzzing Pretorian youths of the De Le Rey
new generation.
A Zulu off the stoep: Tour-guide
Omri Nene recounts the battle of
Spioenkop
Battlefield bliss: Three Trees’s
comfy balcony overlooks the
Spioenkop Game Reserve
“I am in charge here,” he bellowed, becoming (temporarily)
Lieutenant Colonel Thorneycroft. “There’s no surrender.
Take your men back to hell, sir, where they came from!” It
was a consummate performance.
Three Trees was once a member of the David Rattray stable
but was recently taken over by safari stalwarts Simon and
Cheryl Blackburn. It is now so much more than a
battlefields lodge. They offer exemplary mountain
hospitality without the enforced camaraderie of a big family
oord.
You’ll meet like-minded guests on undulating walks followed
by eclectically entertaining meal-time conversations. It’s life
in the berg, bush and battlefield, to a backdrop of tasty
soups and meaty roasts, not to mention a strudel that would
have had Mozart asking for another coffee and a second
slice, before heading for the highlands to hum a tune and
Road warrior: Goodman Khumalo
in Thokozisa
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When the mist lifts from the mountain-tops, the lodge’s
views — from stoeps and baths alike — stretch over the
Spioenkop Game Reserve, heaving with giraffe, eland,
hartebeest and rhino. When last did you see a rhino from your bath? The horse rides have
the same views but from closer up and without the bubbles.
All the lodge’s established traditions survive under the new owners. The rooms are
comfortable, in period design, with quirky antique ads for Bovril and Keen’s mustard (both
of which apparently kept the British troops alive in the diseased African veld just over 100
years ago).
Three days after Omri’s welcome, we bade our hosts, their hounds and our Zulu king
farewell. We were no longer in the dark but enlightened. We were more than alive. Truth be
told, we were as keen as mustard on Three Trees — foothill hospitality at its finest.
Local attractions
Craft shops and coffee stops are sprouting up everywhere you look on the labyrinth of
roads in the foothills of the Drakensberg, a kind of Midlands Meander in the clouds. Try this
for a day out in Champagne Valley:
Get wax and woven stuff at KwaZulu Weavers Rug and Candle Factory on the R600
outside Winterton. Telephone: 036-488-1657.
See Goodman Khumalo, the strumming minstrel, and a range of trendy art, décor,
culture, craft and clothes shops in Thokozisa on the R600. Telephone: 036-488-1207.
Look at pots, dishes and plates at Ardmore, ceramics favoured by P resident Thabo
Mbeki, Britain’ s Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Caroline of Monaco and actress Angelina Jolie.
Open seven days a week. Telephone: 033-234-4869.
Lunch at Valley Bakery, where everything’s home-made including bread and fillings,
biscuits and cakes galore. Monday to Friday and Saturday mornings. Telephone:
036-468-1257.
Watch a lively and uplifting performance by the Drakensberg Boys’ Choir featuring Bach,
Fauré and Freddie Mercury. Yes, really. And an African selection to stir the worst cynic. Most
Wednesdays. Phone: 036-468-1012.
If you go ...
Where it is: In the lee of the Oliviershoek Pass, below Spioenkop, between Bergville and
Ladysmith.
Why go there: Walks, talks, climbs, rides, swims, game-filled valleys. All the major walks
of the Northern Drakensberg are less than an hour’s drive away .
What it has: Six en-suite rooms, one family, three dogs, one actor and a team of friendly
Zulus.
What it’s like: Family-run, affordable, intimate, accessible.
And the food: Locally sourced and grown, meat, veg, milk and eggs. No imported
kiwi-fruit. No carbon imprint. Legendary lentil curry.
Rates: In winter, R795 per person including all meals and guided walks. High season,
R1350 per person . Ask for kids’ rates. Tours, rides and drinks charged separately.
Getting there: 8km on the D564, off the R616 between Bergville and the N3 highway.
What there is to see on the way: The ever-approaching backdrop of the magnificent
Drakensberg range. Shopping, shopping, shopping.
Contact: Simon and Cheryl Blackburn on 036-448-1171 or 082-379-1864. E-mail
[email protected] or visit www.threetreehill.co.za.
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