Matjiesfontein

The Plan

This was a trip with a difference – we had no part in planning it whatsoever! Our daughter Geraldine had suggested earlier in the year that we join them on a winter trip in June/July 2024, which would include –

A one night stopover in Matjiesfontein at the historic Lord Milner Hotel
A couple of nights on a farm in Sutherland, the star-gazing capital of South Africa
A week at The Baths resort near Citrusdal

Always up for some mild adventure, and to experience places we have not visited before – which included two of the three above – we agreed to join them and made the necessary bookings to match those that they had already made – the trip was on!

The Trip to Matjiesfontein

Tuesday

The preparation and packing started the day before as usual but it still took us the whole morning to finalise everything and be ready for the trip, in particular the first leg which took us to Matjiesfontein, where we checked into the Lord Milner Hotel around 5.30pm, right on schedule to make it there before sunset.

The route from Mossel Bay was a familiar one as we followed the road through the Robinson Pass to Oudtshoorn, Meiringspoort, Prince Albert and Laingsburg – all places we have visited in the past and pleasing to see again.

Progress was slow initially with a couple of “stop and go’s” between Brandwag and the Robinson Pass, where we stopped in mist to have sandwiches and tea.

Meiringspoort showed signs of the heavy rains of a month or two ago, which must have turned the usually quiet river and the adjoining road into one large torrent of water judging by the sand drifts and debris of bushes and trees all the way along the 20kms of twisting road.

The picnic spots were all barriered off due to the floods, so there was no chance of stopping as we usually did – we were just happy the road was open after being closed entirely for a few weeks until mid-June

The road to Prince Albert was quiet and as attractive as ever with lovely vistas opening up as we descended into the Kareedouw valley. We passed through Prince Albert and soon reached the junction with the N1 National road where we turned west and travelled to Laingsburg and beyond to our overnight stop at Matjiesfontein.

Checking in at the Lord Milner Hotel, I realised that our previous stay must have been in 1976 – not because we could remember that far back but what we did recall was that the milk we ordered for our then baby son was sour and he was born in 1976!

It all still looks much the same and we even got the same room – the Olive Schreiner cottage – as 48 years ago.

The main staircase is eye-catching and the central cast iron column in the dining room is said to be one of only two of its kind, the other being in Buckingham Palace.

Main staircase in Lord Milner Hotel, Matjiesfontein

Dinner was hotel fare in the classic old dining room and having had a light lunch we did all three courses – soup, main and dessert – then headed to the cottage for an early night.

Wednesday

With just a short distance to drive today we slept in and only got to breakfast after 9am, enjoying the time with the family and the extensive fare on offer before checking out.

Before leaving Matjiesfontein we explored the village on foot, strolling along the station platform then past the Red London bus (which is used to take visitors on short tours of the village) and viewing some of the other buildings on the street.

The signal room in the old station, Matjiesfontein – a gem of mechanical engineering from a forgotten age

The small Transport Museum looked intriguing so we popped in after paying a nominal fee. What we found was a motley collection of old cars, some of which are in need of repair and/or TLC, nevertheless interesting for a fan of old cars such as myself (not just a birder after all).

Also in the museum is an old loco with a few coaches

And the Birding?

Our visit to Matjiesfontein was short, so birding was not uppermost in my mind, yet I managed to record 15 species while walking about the village. Apart from the everyday Doves, Sparrows, Robins I did see White-backed Mousebird, Malachite Sunbird and Red-winged Starlings, while Pied Barbets provided a typical Karoo background sound with their familiar calls.