Guide Extraordinaire…
Raymond Heron.
Being on his tour opened a whole new view of our history for me.
Many thanks Raymond…and I do hope that more local visitors come to enjoy your tours.
At the lookout point on Mount Alice.
Spioenkop Dam.
General Sir R Buller would have looked across this vista in 1900,
but the dam was only completed in 1972.
Spionkop, Spion Kop and Spioenkop are all used as spelling for this hill.
The first is Dutch and means “Lookout hill”
The second is British and can still be found at the Liverpool football ground
The third is Afrikaans and means “Spy Hill” and that was used by the Boers.
Perhaps we should be flying the old Boer flag here?
Ironic?
Information is available to those who wish to tackle this battlefield without a guide.
However, if you, like me, know NOTHING about this part of our history,
then a guide is a necessity.
One of the two trench graves.
The trenches were dug by the Boers using Italian blasters from Johannesburg.
They were able to use them to stand in and fight from.
After the battle was over, the dead were buried in them.
The view that the Boer forces had…
There was a very dense mist on the morning of 24/01/1900,
it delayed the start of the battle and confused the British forces
On 31/04/2014 there was a huge hail storm that shredded all these Acacia trees
There is no significance to this particular tree.
It just caught my attention.
The Battle of Spionkop was know as the last of the “Gentleman’s wars”.
The reason being that there was no fighting after dark!
It was also a battle were Boer and Brit casualties were treated together.
One of the many graves that can be found at the summit.
There are 700 soldiers buried in two trench graves.
I was told that there are Jewish soldiers buried here,
but I have not been able to verify that
The view from the back of the hill
Spioenkop Dam.
Luckily for the British forces, this was not an obstacle they had to cross in 1900.
It was completed in 1972.
Spionkop Lodge, as seen from the top of Spionkop.
“Itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout”…
A not so teeny spider sitting in a web on some water pipes.
A camera cannot really do justice to this vista.
However I did try…
A Hamerkop silhouetted in the fading light.
Our accommodation at the Lodge.
Warm and welcoming.
Recommended!
To join one of Raymond’s tours advance booking is required.
Contact Lynette on:
036 4481 404 or 082 5730224/5
Email: spionkop@futurenet.co.za
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