All calm on the farm

Published Nov 21, 2011

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It is early morning, and the sun is smiling benevolently on verdant fields and the purple Langeberg mountains, which march along the horizon.

Skeiding Guest Farm, near Heidelberg in the Western Cape, takes seriously its offer that guests participate in farm activities, and in season they can even join in the shearing of the sheep.

Fortunately it is not that time of year, and I do not have to wrestle with a bleating, woolly sheep. Instead owner Neels Uys is showing me the supplementary feeding of the farm animals in the fields. We are in a bakkie; during school holidays everyone piles onto the back of a truck to participate in this activity.

Neels farms with cattle, sheep and ostriches – which he buys as chicks and grows to size for the market – as well as wheat, barley, canola and coriander.

The fields flaunt the lush green of spring – the result of natural rainfall as no irrigation system is used. Later, Neels says, the fields will be bright yellow as the canola comes into bloom.

In one field, a male crane is going through the motions of its mating dance, but soon loses interest. Maybe it’s still feeling lethargic at this hour.

While four breeding pairs have made Skeiding their home, according to Neels, in November and December there can be 50 cranes on the land.

The ostriches come racing to meet the truck. As Neels says, they enjoy the special feed he mixes for them, and jostle each other for prime feeding space.

We even spot a pure white ostrich, preening in the knowledge that it is rather a beauty. As they are not the brightest of birds, the fences around the ostrich camps have large, white discs attached to them to warn them that running full-tilt into the fenceline is not recommended.

Neels takes special pride in his Nguni cattle and points out that they have symmetrical markings – the one side of the cow’s body mirrors the other.

He has set 20 hectares aside as a conservancy for critically endangered Renosterveld, 194ha for endangered Swellendam silcrete fynbos and 9ha for endangered Cape lowland alluvial vegetation.

Farm activities aside, Skeiding (on the Blue Crane Route) is perfect for spending indolent hours. The views from the main house are lovely. During our visit, the wisteria was in bloom on the pergola over the veranda. The sight of cattle coming home added a dimension of peace and wild flowers under the bluegum trees provided a splash of vibrant colour. Guests can walk the labyrinth, which is a copy of one in France.

At night, fairy lights and tea candles add to the ambience of the dining area, and Neels’s wife Anne-Lizé rustles up some mean fare. One night, ostrich fillets were being slowly turned over a blazing fire.

We stayed in one of the self-catering cottages, but our dinner – delicious melt-off-the-bone lamb and an unusual sweet potato bake with salads – was served there, so we could chill.

Breakfast in the morning included a variety of home-made breads and 12 different jams.

The cottages are stylish, comfortable and look out over the farm fields. Under the full moon, the scene was enchanting.

Anne-Lizé has put together an album, complete with photographs, maps and brochures, of activities in the area.

She lists a mind-boggling 100 things to do. These are as diverse as watching birds from the veranda; taking lunch at a picnic table under the trees; hunting for chameleons in the garden; visiting the curio shops in nearby Swellendam; watching the whales at Witsand from June to November or running up and down the sand dunes there; canoeing on the Breede River; taking lunch at the Blue Crane farm stall; riding the last hand-operated pont in the country at Malgas; touring the Eureka mills to watch stone-grinding of flour; going on a horse-riding trail; marvelling at the tallest redwood tree in South Africa in Grootvadersbosch Nature Reserve; enjoying a fish platter; visiting the aloe vera outlets at Albertinia; tasting the youngberry liqueurs in Swellendam (the largest youngberry-growing area in the country); admiring beautifully-marked bontebok in the Bontebok National Park; taking a dip in the hot springs at Warm Waterberg; or a drive over several scenic mountain passes.

Her album also incorporates a bit of history, such as that of the Moodies of Melsetter. It is possible to visit nearby Honeywood Farm, where John Moodie, a descendant of General Graham Moodie, will by arrangement take visitors on a tour of the honey room, show them how beehives are made and talk about bees.

Finally, Neels, a keen motor-cyclist, is eager to tell visitors where jeep track (off-road) enthusiasts can have hours of fun.

Boredom is a word you can never use at Skeiding, though relaxation is high on the itinerary.

Contacts:

l Skeiding 028 722 1891 or 082 451 4965; www.skeiding.co.za

l Honeywood Farm 028 722 823; www.honeywoodfarm.co.za - Sunday Tribune

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