This is what my wife and I discovered at the end of a relatively easy 16km gravel road drive. Not so much of the gravel and more of a compacted sand road that was not as bad as some of the off-road driving we have recently done. Some on purpose and some by mistake.
The main building stands proudly as a monument to the tenacity of Andrew Attwood who built most of it by hand. The exterior belies the exquisite interior that awaits arriving visitors.
“What do you do with your empty bottle”? was one of my questions when I arrived.
Here is the answer…they get flattened and put into the front door!
This is just one of the quirky woodworking projects that can be found throughout the main lodge and all the accommodation.
Hand made furniture, a large chess set (one of many) and a stunning stained glass window in the wall of the upper floor of the main lodge.
Just one of the many chess sets that I found scattered around the lounge/bar area. This is, in all probability, the largest indoor chess set I have ever seen.
And it was hand made on the premises…
As far as the eye can see. This is the view from the deck outside the dining room.
During our stay, the mountain in the distance was usually covered in the early morning mist, which, when it cleared left the mountain exposed.
There is only 1 TV on the property and it can be found here in the pub.
Some of the guests were watching sport, while those with small children used it to play a cartoon channel.
A view of Antbear Lodge from a different angle.
The upper veranda is accessible from the inside, although I chose to spend my time at ground level.
This building would not look out of place in the English country side
There is not a single clear pane of glass at Antbear Lodge.
Each window has a different ‘theme’, however, trees are the predominant one. And all of the woodwork was created in Andrew’s workshop.
In the lower-left of the image, it is not sloppy plastering that you are seeing, but the underlying rock work has been left exposed on purpose. These areas can be found throughout the ground floor of the lodge.
I have to say that it took me a few days to look up and notice that each of the chandeliers was different and featured candles rather than electric light globes.
I did say that there were a LOT of quirky pieces that would not be out of place in a modern art gallery.
This is one of those…
The view from the table where we enjoyed breakfast.
And this was the breakfast… Is it a breakfast of champions? That is currently under debate with a chef of mine.
He is of the opinion that a true BOC, should consist of:
Orange Juice, freshly squeezed from Blood Oranges. 2 eggs fried in Ghee. Two pork sausages, artisanal made. More crisply fried bacon than is decent. Saute potatoes. Large brown mushrooms, butter fried. Plenty of toast and good marmalade. Excellent coffee. And a damn fine headwaiter…
Personally, I suspect that he is being optimistic when it comes to a regular guesthouse, B&B or even a high-end game lodge.
Two views of the dining room and the door leading to the bar and tv area. All the furniture and fixtures were made on-site and each, being handmade, is slightly different.
The grove of trees that run along the western side of the property attracted my attention. It hides a large house that could be used for guests but was originally built to accommodate Andrew’s Dad.
While we were there it was being used by a film crew that was using the lodge to shoot and record a music video.
Given the position of the lodge, sunrises occur out of sight behind the ring of mountains that surround the lodge.
To compensate for that, the sunsets are truly spectacular. I sent this image to an artist friend of mine who now wants to turn this into a painting. High praise indeed.
You will find that the locals are very friendly! Our time spent at Antbear Lodge was special and given that it is 16km off the N3, it is a destination rather than just an overnight stop on a road trip.
Many thanks to Andrew and his staff for making our stay, and my wife’s birthday most special.
To find out what the lodge offers click on the logo and you will be taken to their website.
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