Cape Town - There is something enticing about staying on top of a mountain pass. Eight Bells Mountain Inn, on the Robinson Pass, which connects Mossel Bay with the interior, has long traded on the penchant for elevated destinations.
The magnificent view over the Ruitersbos forest still impresses visitors, and the paddocks with glossy horses are still a big drawcard. I paused on the veranda, with ornate railings, to recall the cream scones taken there over a decade ago.
A whole slew of walks – from a simple toddle to a serious climb – beckon.
What was not there during my last visit was the Swiss Village – log cabins a short distance from the main buildings.
The billiard room is in the original homestead, with thick walls and a yellowwood floor.
In 1816, the property was given by the then governor of the Cape, Lord Charles Somerset, to Johannes Petrus Marx. What he did to deserve this grant of about 2 322 morgan is not clear, but travellers and traders made their way from Mossel Bay to Oudtshoorn through the property.
One proviso was attached to the largesse. The land was to be set aside as “a place of outspan” at the foot of the Attikwas Mountain Pass (now Robinson Pass). A tiny piece of the original outspan still adjoins Eight Bells.
Today the Bosun’s Whistle pub stands where the first two rooms were built on to the house (which also acted as local post office) to accommodate visitors.
Just 1km from the inn stands Ruitersbos Primary School, which celebrated its centenary in 1998. It is still operational. The whole district was given the name “Ruyterbosch” – the Dutch word for “rider’s bush”.
In the 1930s the farm became particularly popular with seamen from ships of the Royal Navy docked in Mossel Bay, as well as the Royal Air Force based in Oudtshoorn, the Little Karoo considered an ideal training ground in preparation for a battle in the deserts of North Africa.
One can visualise the raucous parties that took place in those days, and it was the presence of the naval brigade that gave rise to the farm being called Eight Bells – the end of the full watch and time to rest.
Over the years many extensions were made. The horse stables were converted into rooms, which now comprise the Palm Court. In the 1940s more rooms and rondavels were added, and around that time Eight Bells was regarded as the premier guest farm in the Southern Cape.
Times and tastes change; so do fortunes. By 1974 Eight Bells was a sad vestige of its former glory. Then along came the Brown family. Loving restoration began, along with new amenities and updated facilities, and the holiday farm began to win star gradings. By 2003 it had secured four stars from the Tourism Grading Council of SA.
After almost 34 years in the family, Peter and Jean Brown retired, and sold to present owners, Charles and René in 2007.
l Call 044 6310000; e-mail: [email protected]; web: www.eightbells.co.za - Sunday Tribune