Doug and Kerry Hudson in the Free State, South Africa

Kerry’s mum Lou accompanied us on our trip to the Free State. Formerly known as the Orange Free State, this was where Lou grew up. We stayed with friends from her younger days, Neil and Beth.

We left good and early, heading up the N3 towards the Drakensberg range, through Winterton and Bergville. We always get a thrill in our stomachs when we drive this particular stretch, as we associate it with magnificent mountain scenery and Cathedral Peak, where we spent our honeymoon. This time however, we continued up the beautiful Oliviershoek Pass and into the highland plateau of the Free State.

We paused in the pretty town of Clarens for a rest and a tasty toasted sandwich, admiring the lovely sandstone houses before pressing on. We stopped again in Ficksburg, intending to enjoy the Cherry Festival. When we saw that it mainly consisted of fairground rides, and they were charging R20 just for entry, we declined the not-so-tempting invitation and moved on again.

We reached Ladybrand in the late afternoon. Beth was still teaching, but Neil gave us a lovely welcome. As it was such a beautiful evening, we went for a walk. The temperature was warm but not humid and therefore very comfortable. The Free State climate is very dry, so even when it is very hot you can find cool shade.

Neil took us to his lovely little church, the very church where Kerry was christened. We saw the Memorial Wall there, with memorials to Kerry’s grandparents. Neil also took us to see some of the notable sandstone houses in Ladybrand, before we returned to Neil and Beth’s and relaxed under their tree, playing with their handsome Golden Retriever, Max. We were coming to the conclusion that Ladybrand would be a lovely place to live. It’s very pretty, small enough to retain a community atmosphere yet big enough to have most modern conveniences, and the climate is superb. The provincial capital Bloemfontein, where Kerry was born, is only an hour away. JRR Tolkien was also born there, so she is in good company.

The next day was Saturday, and Neil worked very hard acting as our tour guide in the Ladybrand area. Our first visit was Lesotho, the mountain kingdom entirely surrounded by South Africa. A very poor country, it has recently received lots of foreign investment thanks to the Highlands Water Project, a project to supply water from Lesotho to Johannesburg. We entered at Maseru, the capital of Lesotho where Lou and Rowley lived thirty years ago. Neil showed us how it had changed during that time. It used to be a British Protectorate and by all accounts a very pleasant place to live. After thirty years of independence, however, it was very run down. The sandstone church where Lou and Rowley were married was still there however. We all agreed that we wouldn’t want to live in Maseru now.

Neil then took us out to the mountains. The further away we got from the city, the happier the people looked, even though they were noticeably poorer. We stopped by a village so Doug could take a photo. Neil and Doug got out of the car and were soon surrounded by a handful of cheerful children. Doug wished he had brought some sweets to give them. All of a sudden, Lou somehow managed to set off the car alarm, and children came pouring out of the traditional thatched mud huts to see what was happening. Neil returned to sort out the car, leaving Doug to tread water in a sea of smiling faces.

Neil also took us to Modderpoort, where the vicarage is being beautifully restored, and two boisterous Staffordshire bull terriers escorted us to the cave church. Modderpoort was a retreat for Anglican priests during the last century.

Lastly, Neil and Doug walked up a hill overlooking Ladybrand. It was too steep for Kerry and Lou. Neil showed Doug the secret cave where Boers had stabled horses during the Anglo-Boer war. More of a slot, it was really incredible as you’d never see it if you didn’t know it was there.

The next day was Sunday. We went to church with Neil and received a very warm welcome from Charles the vicar, a coloured man with a surprisingly rich baritone voice. After church, we drove over to Tweespruit to visit more relatives: Lou’s Uncle Bill and her cousin Mary-Ann. We caught up on all the family gossip. Bill was incredibly mobile and lucid, and Doug thought at the time that he was probably in his late sixties. He was astonished to learn later that Bill is in fact 97 years old!

We returned to Neil and Beth’s in time to dine on barbecued chicken for lunch. Then it was time to leave, but none of us wanted to. We’d all fallen in love with Ladybrand (again, for Kerry and Lou).

We did eventually leave, and reached the Golden Gate Highlands National Park in time for sunset. The sandstone lit up in gorgeous reds, oranges and yellows. We stayed at Kiara Lodge in a lovely thatched cottage with a view of the mountains.

World Trip >> Africa >> Free State

Last updated: Sunday August 27, 2006