It has been a while since my wife and I have embarked on a road trip together.
This was our accommodation in Kaapsehoop at the beginning of our trip.
This coach was part of the train that was used by the British Royal
family during their South African tour in 1947.
This carriage was used by the Queen Mother.
Elizabeth was still a Princess during this visit,
she became Queen in 1953 when her father died.
This has been sold to a restorer who has yet to collect it.
So, should you wish to spent some time here,
I suggest that you book for sooner rather than later.
This is the original electrical control panel in the carriage.
Although it has been retained, it is not operational and
it has been replaced with modern circuitry.
A view down the corridor.
There are three bedrooms, one of which is en-suite.
A second has a wash basin and there is a separate bathroom and toilet
towards the back of the carriage.
The bed was very comfortable and took up almost all of the floor space available.
I wonder if this was the same layout when the Queen Mother used it.
Both the mist and the horses rolled through town on the afternoon that we arrived.
There are many stories about how the horses came to be here.
The most popular being that they were left behind after the Boer war…
This is the rather eccentric Salvador Bistro.
It is the hang out for most of the locals as well as visitors to the village.
They do a REALLY good pizza…
made in a PROPER wood burning oven that I discovered in the kitchen.
The food was delicious and the staff friendly and helpful.
A recently imposted indoor smoking ban by the owner
did NOT go down well with the locals and has led to many complaints on Trip Advisor.
Seeing that neither my wife or I smoke, we were not affected
and we were able to enjoy our meal in a smoke free environment.
There are some rather eclectic murals on the walls,
but they add to the character of the bistro rather than distract from it
No-one will go thirsty!
This is what a small village pub looks like.
In case you are wondering whether or not to feed the horses,
this sign makes it eminently clear of the consequences.
On our first night there has a storm of note.
The rainbow and the spectacular lighting at the end we well worth the deluge
At least one of the locals that we met seemed to be very happy.
I did try to buy this window mannequin from the owner of the shop,
but it was not for sale…which was a real pity.
The residents of Kaapsehoop have their priorities in the right order.
Just part of a herd of wild horses that I discovered on an early morning walk through the village
The twins…well almost.
In the background is the main road to Nelspruit.
As there are no fences to keep the horses off the road,
motorists are urged to drive past with caution.
In fact, don’t drive past…stop off and have a cuppa and enjoy a chat with the locals.
Even a horse can do with a good massage.
The translation of the sign, which is in Afrikaans, reads:
“Horses massage salon”
Just one of the rather quaint homes in the village.
There were several for sale, with prices exceeding R1m
This is JP. He gave up life in the Big City,
in his case Pretoria, to come and live and work here.
The company that he represents offers tours of the town
and surrounding areas on these electric scooters.
Battle Creek Falls.
At a spectacular 30m high and only a 10-15 minute walk from the village it is worth a visit
This village cemetery is near the falls. and it too can be accessed by visitors.
I am always interested to see the history of a town based on those who have passed on.
I did discover that there a several very young children buried here.
Look for Kaapsehoop on Facebook.
For accommodation, I utilized:
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