The pages of history
come alive at this irresistible lodge in
northern KwaZulu-Natal.
Wildside headed to the hills.
Three Trees,
a Hill, a Lodge
and a Bloody Battle
A horse trots up to the car window and
allows us, to our delight, to stroke its soft
muzzle. Even before we’ve closed the gate
at the entrance to Three Tree Hill Lodge
the friendly tone is set. Owners Simon and
Cheryl Blackburn welcome us warmly as
we pull up outside reception. Cheryl urges,
“Don’t worry about the baggage, we’ll
sort that out. Quick, follow Simon up the
hill. You can meet the rest of the gang just
before the sun sets.”
On a grassy knoll above the lodge, guests gather around tables of white linen, silver ice buckets and snacks. Feeling terribly colonial with our
‘G&Ts’ in hand, we admire the view. Before us are
the magnificent Drakensberg mountains. Below in
the Mfazimnyama Valley is the silvery mirror of
Spioenkop Dam, and behind, that famous hill.
“Is that Spioenkop?” we ask. Simon nods and introduces us to Omri Nene, the lodge’s on-site Battlefield
Guide. Zululand born and fluent in French, Omri
is a UKZN graduate with a drama background. An
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articulate storyteller, Omri tempts us
with fascinating facts about the AngloBoer War (1899 – 1902). Caught up
in conversation, it’s already dark as we
follow the path back down to the lodge,
eager to tour Spioenkop the next day.
Evidence of the area’s rich history
is displayed on the walls of the lodge’s
lounge. Reminiscent of its colonial past,
the lodge’s galvanized iron architecture
has generous wrap-around verandahs –
the perfect place to relax. Wildside found
Three Trees’ design style a refreshing
alternative to the plethora of proverbial
‘game lodge style’ that abounds.
While dress code is strictly relaxed,
Three Trees retains all the trappings
of gracious living, including excellent
food and personalized service. The
Blackburn’s pride themselves on the
lodge being owner-managed. It shows
in the care given to detail. With its six
standard luxury twin suites and 2-bedroomed family suite, the lodge is intimate without being intrusive. As Cheryl
Blackburn indicates, “Three Trees is the
only small luxury lodge in this area with
access to the ’Berg”.
Simon and Cheryl Blackburn are both
experienced safari and mountain guides,
and are quick to point out that Three
Trees is not just about battlefield tours
but also offers excellent birding, horse
trails, hiking, bush walks and mountain
biking. “While guests are welcome to
stay for any length of time, I think the
ideal stay is three nights,” Cheryl says.
She goes on to explain, “It gives guests
a chance to not only do the battlefields,
but also fit in a ’Berg experience like the
Gorge Walk.”
Asked about the lodge’s flagship tour
of Spioenkop, Simon explains why it
is so popular with guests. “Since the
Battle’s 110 year anniversary we’ve seen
a tremendous resurgence of interest.
What I love about the Battlefield’s tour
of Spioenkop is that it is contained in a
compact area. Then there are the lessons
to learn about strategy, planning and
communication. It is a gripping human
drama.”
That evening after an excellent meal
and good company, we watch a storm
building in the far distance. We take our
seats on the verandah just as the tempest breaks over Spioenkop. Spectacular
flashes silhouette the hill. Thunderous
booms explode around us. It’s nature
doing the trailer for the full-length feature – The Battle of Spioenkop.
The Grand Stand
Battle of Spioenkop
Above: Omri Nene, an articulate
storyteller and the lodge’s on-site
battlefield history guide, is Zululand born,
fluent in French and English and is a
UKZN graduate with a background in
drama.
Three Tree Hill Lodge, with its warm
family atmosphere, understated relaxed
luxury, overflowing with authentic
historical icons, 360 degree vistas of the
northern Drakensberg and surrounding
battlefields, offers stimulating activities for
the outdoor family. Or you could simply
relax, read and swim whilst soaking in
the indigenous environment.
It’s a grandstand view of northern KwaZulu-Natal from
the top of Spioenkop (430 m in height). To the west is the
muted swathe of the Drakensberg. To the east, hidden 30
km away in the hot haze, is Ladysmith. To the southeast
is Colenso, and lying at the feet of Spioenkop is the glassy
waters of the dam, and Three Trees Hill Lodge.
“Ooh, got to have a dip in the pool
when we get back to the lodge,” one
of us says resolutely. There is not a
breeze. Heat pulsates off dry, hard earth.
Bleached grass is tinderbox dry. Heads
down, we wind along the path following
Omri Nene, battlefield history guide at
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Three Trees. We trace the outer edge
of Spioenkop’s broad plateau, taking
care not to stumble on protruding rocks.
“Why would anyone feel the need to
fight over this forsaken mound?” someone mumbles along our crocodile line.
WILDSIDE 1of4 2010
13
– General Louis Botha and his commandos. In contrast to Buller, at 37 years
Botha was the youngest general in the
Boer forces. A charismatic leader who
skillfully planned his tactics in careful
consultation with his men, Botha was
the antithesis of Buller. He was quick,
decisive and adaptable.
It’s a fair question, but here at
Spioenkop, in January 1900, one of
the world’s bloodiest battles raged for
two days. It was Goliath versus David
–Britain’s mighty military against a
bunch of Boer farmers, and the great
British Empire lost. Its appalling defeat
sent reverberations around the world.
Positional play
The players move into position. The
goal was to liberate besieged Ladysmith
from the Boers, however the British
had just lost the battle for Colenso.
Everyone blamed ‘the coach’ – General
Sir Redvers Buller. On paper he seemed
the right man for the job. At 61 years old
he had the experience, a distinguished
track record with a Victoria Cross to
boot. However he did have a fatal flaw
– himself.
At Colenso, Buller had forbidden his
troops to dig trenches as it could blot the
scenic landscape and not to crawl along
the ground, as it would muddy their
uniforms. Not the way to advance and
win battles. No wonder he was derisively
called ‘Reverse Buller’ by his troops. To
him it all seemed an elaborate game.
When Buller did make the call to
advance to Ladysmith it was a 25-kilometer pageant. Besides 24 000 men,
15 000 oxen, 58 guns, ammunition and
supplies, also included were ‘essential
officer items’ – steel baths, gramophones,
cases of wine, polo horses and even a
piano. Needless to say, the Boers saw
them coming.
Hidden from sight behind Spioenkop
and among its accompanying row of
hills (Groenkop, Conical Hill and
Twin Peaks), stood Buller’s opposition
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Botha’s men differed from the British
not only in numbers but also attitude.
While the British troops were career
soldiers, the Boers were volunteers passionate about their freedom from British
rule. However, sometimes that passion
did not translate into discipline. Often
Boers would move between commandos
or return to their farms at whim. Botha
had his work cut out in motivating his
forces to keep up the good fight.
Botha did have one major advantage –
knowing the lay of the land. ‘Spioenkop’
adapted from Dutch, means appropriately ‘Spy Hill’ and the Boers had excellent
intelligence of the British manoeuvres.
Buller’s original strategy had been to
outflank the Boers in a two-pronged
attack on the line of hills either side
of Spioenkop. That plan went array
when his second in charge, General Sir
Charles Warren, (known for his role in
investigating the "Jack the Ripper" murders) impulsively decided to rather take
Spioenkop. This was despite not having
any knowledge of its geography. It was a
strategy operated in a fog of ignorance,
literally.
Game begins
A thick fog had followed the Brits’
night attack on Spioenkop. The minor
resistance from a Boer sentry is today
marked by his nameless grave. It was not
until morning when the sun burnt off
the misty shroud that the British troops
realized how baseless their victory shouts
had been.
While they had indeed reached the
high ground, it was no advantage.
Trenches were in the wrong position.
The Boers, only a stone’s away, were
hidden by the crest-line. The element of
surprise was all the Boers, and they took
full advantage. Using smokeless gun-
powder, Botha ordered barrels to train
on the summit of Spioenkop. It was an
easy target.
ed 400 British dead and 1 400 British wounded or
captured. The Boers had 58 dead and 140 wounded.
It was yet another victory for the Boers.
The best the British troops could do
in defence was huddle behind a miserly
row of stones. The hard rocky ground of
Spioenkop’s plateau had proved defiant
to the troops’ shovels – mere furrows of
about 40 cm deep. Besides, most of the
tools had been abandoned in the scrabble up the hill’s steep southern face.
Those shallow ditches became for most
their grave.
As we make our way back to the vehicle Gilly
Merrick, a British visitor comments, “Many of those
British soldiers must have come from Liverpool in
Lancashire. Do you know what Liverpool Football
Club called its supporters’ grandstand? The ‘Kop’.”
It’s an ironic twist of history; in commemorating
their fallen, defeat has transformed into steep terraces where team victories are celebrated.
What follows is a saga of botches,
bungles and bad decisions. Omri Nene
guides us along the paths narrating
the events of those terrible two days.
This battle broke all previous ‘rules’. No
training could prepare soldiers for the
sustained bombardment of seven shells
per minute into a mass of people packed
into 300 to 400 yards of trenches. It was
a killing field – an ‘Acre of Massacre’.
Panoramic view from Spioenkop with
the dam in the distance.
Slowly, as Omri’s narrative unravels,
the dust of Spioenkop comes alive with
personalities. This is not purely the history of what happened a hundred and
ten years ago, this is a human drama of
greed, arrogance, tragedy, and tremendous bravery.
History pivoted on this rocky acre
of ground. Included in the drama are
players such as Louis Botha, who later
became the first Prime Minister of the
Union of South Africa; a war correspondent called Winston Churchill; and
Mahatma Ghandi who was a stretcherbearer for the wounded.
We are strangely quiet as Omri concludes his narrative. The tally is estimat-
FREESTATE
R74
Phuthatijaba
Scorecard
Seeking relief from searing afternoon
heat, we sit in the shade of a tree. Its cool
shadow is cast onto an elevated winding
line of white stones behind us – a mass
grave. Beneath its stones lie soldiers
from the Second Battalion Lancashire
Fusiliers, the Second Battalion of the
Royal Lancaster Regiment and the
First Battalion of the South Lancashire
Regiment.
Harrismith
N5
N3
STERKFONTEIN
DAM NATURE
RESERVE
T
WILDSIDE FACT TRACKER – THREE TREES AT SPIOENKOP
Where: Take the R616 (exit
230) off the N3 towards
Bergville. From Free State
take the R74 (Oliviershoek
Pass) to Bergville. After
19km turn left onto the D564
(Rangeworthy Cemetery).
After 8km on this gravel road
you will reach Three Trees.
walking, mountain biking &
horse trails, and birding
Accommodation: six standard luxury twin suites and
2-bedroomed family suite.
Cost: All meals included.
Luxury Twin Suite R1190
pppns (low season) R1890
pppns (high season), Family
Suite – cost for suite, sleeps 2
Activities: Anglo Boer War
Battlefield Tours, hiking &
R103
sentinel car park
and mont aux
sources via chain
ladder
Ladysmith
little switzerland
adults
and two adults R4200
sungabala
(low
season)
R5320 (high
montusi
the cavern
all out adventures
season).
Children sharing
R74
RUGGED
with
parenthlalanathi
R650. Full Day
23 GLEN
Battlefield Tour R759 pp, Half
1
thendele resort & camping
and R450 pp,
Day Battlefield
Tour
THENDELE
caravan park
Horse
Riding
R295
pp.
Beacon Buttress 3121m
NAMBITI
Important to note: Bring
good walking shoes, hat,
sunscreen, light long sleeved
shirt and light windbreaker
for tours, walks and hikes. A
tour with the lodge’s guide is
highly recommended.
N11
R616
27
R103
EXIT 220
P
Bergville
Contact: Phone: 036 448
1171, Cell: 082 379 1864,
Fax: 036 448 1953, Email:
mnweni
reservations@threetreehill.
cultural
centre
co.za.
R74
Colenso
P
Winterton
R74
N3
R600
CATHEDRAL
PEAK
3
U
zintulo
umzololozo
nambiti plains
SPIOENKOP
NATURE RESERVE three tree hill
lodge
Sentinel Peak 3165m
Mont-Aux-Sources 3282m
Cathedral Peak 3004m
CONSERVANCY
P
EXIT 230
witsieshoek
caley lodge
DIDIMA RESORT &
ROCK ART CENTRE
Windsor Castle 3065m
17
EXIT 194
the nest
drak. boys
MONK’S COWL choir
NATURE RESERVE
R74
Frere
R103
R10
champagne valley
resort
EXIT 179
P
Escou