7
Limpopo
Stanford Lake Lodge
Haenertsburg
The spirits of Harley Daly Maurice Stanford and his African companion
Mossea Sehwana breathe life into the rustic, single-story cabin that
overlooks Stanford Lake in the Magoeboskloof Mountains
outside the rural town of Haenertsburg. Gavin Stanford wastes
no time telling the story of his pioneer grandfather who settled
Haenertsburg in 1911, worked as a tax collector, earned acclaim
as a big-game hunter and horseman, then built the grand fishing
lake with pick, shovel and ox cart in 1924. Gavin moved onto
the sprawling estate in 2000 to ensure the lake and surrounding
indigenous forest remained the way Harley left it. He built three
guest cabins in 2002. The wildlife, birdlife and quietude provide
visitors a peaceful respite from the quickened pace of city life.
I spent five refreshing days in the three-bedroom mountain-top
retreat while chasing stories nearby and made time to hike the
surrounding veld. I observed a wide range of birdlife, from the
large Purple Turaco to smaller seedeaters like Swee- and Common
Waxbills, Firefinches and Mannikins. I went walkabout through
indigenous forest and observed bushbuck and duiker. Most
comforting of all, I sat on the cabin deck overlooking the lake
to watch the sunset, listen to the night sounds, enjoy the starry
nightscape, and ponder the tragic end to Harley Stanford.Hedrownedlongagoin theicywatersofStanfordLake,burieda short
distancefromthecabin,sidebysidewithhisloyalAfricancompanion
MosseaSehwana,leavingbehinda pieceofhissoulto besharedwith
allwhovisit.–GeorgeRobey
079519 9211,[email protected],stanfordlake.co.za6
Eastern Cape
The Historic Pig and Whistle Inn
Bathurst
When Thomas Hartley built his blacksmith forge in 1821 on the main
road in Bathurst where the road from Grahamstown (now Makhanda)
makes a dog’s leg toward the magnificent beaches of Port Alfred’s
Sunshine Coast, he had no idea it would become a bucket-list tickformanyvisitors,keento gettheir‘NothirstlikeBathurst’t-shirt.
It wasreincarnatedasa waysideinnafterhisdeath,whenhiswidow
addeda barthatis nowtheoldest,continuouslylicensedpubin the
country.Servicemenfromthenearby 43 AirSchoolrenamedit ThePig
andWhistleduringWorldWarII andthenamestuck.LucilleandGavin
Camearethe21stowners,thanksto COUNTRYLIFE.“I wassittingin
thedoctor’swaitingroomin Joburgpagingthroughthemagazinewhen
I sawit wasforsale,”Gavintoldmeovera pint
oflocallybrewedbeer.TheformerCEOofSasfin
Bank,andhiswife,promptlyboughttheinnat the
heartofthequaintsettlervillageofBathurst,with
itsplethoraofarts-and-craftsgalleries,andgood
eateries,andmovedto thecoast.Theyhavedone
wondersrenovatingtheinnandmodernisingthe
bathrooms.I sleptin a grandfour-posterbedin
anensuitebedroomin the‘new’wing,onlysome
90 yearsold.Thehistoricroomsin theoriginal
partoftheinnarenotensuite,butsharebathrooms
downthepassage,aswasthecustomin theold
days.Thebuildingis a nationalmonument,sothey
werenotallowedto alterit to thatextent,explained
Gavin.Asthesettlervillageapproachesits200th
anniversaryin 2020,localshavinga ‘swigat the
Pig’aresureto findthemselveswelcomingplenty
morevisitors.–MarionWhitehead
046625 0673,pigandwhistle.co.zahttp://www.countrylife.co.za 051 September 2019Country Escapes