Hitting the road can be taxing. All that endless organising prior to departure - planning, packing, and the inevitable last-minute chores before a long trip. Finally, you're leaving the stress of city living behind you.
You start to think about where you're going and suddenly the tension starts to seep out of your body... your shoulders loosen a little and hey, maybe you'll even amble along the road and do a little sightseeing instead of putting voet innie hoek.
If you're travelling from Gauteng to the Cape, the shortest route to the flower fields of Namaqualand and the West Coast uses the R63, which is easily reached from the N1 or other main roads once you get into the Great Karoo.
It's one of those quiet back roads that allow you to discover your country and unearth hidden gems, such as the alluring village of Loxton.
Or it can be reached via the N1 to Beaufort West. Then you head 120km north up the R381, a gravel road that traverses two mountain passes.
Either way, there's much to see apart from views over endless plains.
Jackal Buzzards and Pale Chanting Goshawks gaze imperiously from telephone poles and pretty koppies "wink" from the horizon.
If you're lucky, you'll see meerkats standing sentinel on bushes and road verges in the cooler hours, and the ubiquitous springbok shimmer in the heat haze.
Most of us wonder how these tiny dorpies came into being.
Loxton's story started in 1899 when it was decided that the community of Victoria West, 80km to the east, had grown too large as it then had a population of 1 250.
The farm Phezantefontein was bought from A E Loxton for £7 500 (about R90 000) and the settlement was established on July 12 with a population of 150.
Within a year, the first Dutch Reformed Church and a school were completed and, thankfully, the far-sighted committee also determined to plant cypresses, pepper trees and beefwood trees on either side of all roads. Many of the trees remain today.
At the same time, the parsonage and a hotel were built. Then a small mission church was erected.
So it grew. And, as is the case with many small Karoo towns, the population has waxed and waned.
By the late 1940s it numbered 741, and over the years as city life beckoned, it declined to the point that it was home only to a few weary souls.
Now the village is enjoying a revival. Although permanent residents number only 65 in the original town, many people own holiday homes there.
One of the attractions seems to be the absence of a polluted main street and busy town centre.
There are only a handful of facilities and services, among them a farmer's co-op and general dealer; and most of the roads are gravel.
At six by eight streets in size, the village is easy to explore on foot. Some fine 19th and early 20th century architecture can be seen, revealing wooden fretwork, various styles of corrugated iron roofs, pedimented parapets, and many buildings having retained wooden shutters and sash windows.
Take the time at sunset to walk up the hill overlooking the town, for wonderful views across the plains to the horizon. This gives a good perspective of the space that surrounds this type of small Karoo town and, in Loxton's case, why it's called an arboreal village.
Although this is an arid environment, water flows regularly down the original leiwater channels that are used to flood-irrigate residents' gardens. It comes from a nearby fountain and gardening enthusiasts are rewarded with bounty from their plots in spite of the harsh climate. If you're offered apricot or fig jam, it will most likely be locally grown and home-made.
The old hand pump still stands on what was once the main transport route across the region where it was used to water the horses and people and remains in working order. It dates back to when the dam was built around 1912 and the fountain's water was relayed from the dam wall to the town via wooden pipes - a portion of today's pipeline still consists of wood.
The surrounding terrain is ideal for hiking and biking and while you're out and about remember farm dams offer rewarding bird watching after times of good rain.
Some farms offer opportunities to view fossils and Loxton is one of the few towns around in which dome-shaped stone corbelled houses are found.
There is also a replica Dutch Castle that can be visited by prior arrangement. Looking as if it belongs in a Disney story, it stands three storeys high and comes complete with turrets, inverted cones, crenellated parapets, and a Dutch windmill.
There may be no bank or garage in Loxton - fuel is currently obtainable from the co-op during business hours in the week and until noon on a Saturday - but there is the odd place where one can count sheep. Karoo Cottage nestles in the shade of a giant pine tree and is fully equipped for self-catering.
The owners are an excellent source of tourist info, so if you'd prefer to stay on a guest farm or camp, they'll tell you who to contact. But be aware there are only the barest of essentials available in Loxton's two tiny general dealers, so take all you need with you.
Alternatively, you can support the local coffee shop, which is open weekdays from nine until five and on Saturday mornings.
As for where to find a tipple... although it's hard to spot a retail outlet, there is, thankfully, a bottle store in town, rather incongruously situated alongside the church.
You won't find Chivas or a good Chardonnay here, but what you will get will go down a treat up on a koppie while you watch the sun set.
Loxton has its days when only a donkey cart klip-klops down the road and one wonders whether there's life behind the closed doors - but there certainly is.
Unlike most other small towns that have attracted artists, Loxton is home to several authors.
Residents include novelist Nita Griessel, who has had more than 70 books published; the Moseleys, who write travel guides, and the Stuarts, who are wildlife authors.
Deon Meyer, referred to as the "king of South African crime thrillers'' also has a home here.
The allure of Loxton is that it's one of those small settlements that speaks of silence, sunsets and stars, set in a landscape that offers natural beauty year-round, with each season bringing something special, perhaps snow in winter, definitely lush green growth in spring and summer. Come springtime, and the pear tree-lined streets burst into snowy blossom transforming surroundings into a fairy-tale picture.
And, on a Sunday morning, all you'll hear is the creaking of a wind pump, the gentle coo-cooing of a Laughing Dove, and church bells. Then silence.
- Tourist info: 053 381 3091/083 384 8223 or www.loxton-info.co.za or www.karooimages.co.za/loxton
- Karoo Cottage tel 073 176 55738 or e-mail: [email protected]
- Recommended reading: Getaway Guide to Karoo, Namaqualand & Kalahari (Sunbird)