The Fat Butcher in Ventersburg has become something of a Free State legend—one of those road-trip landmarks where travellers don’t just stop out of hunger, but out of habit, loyalty and a little bit of nostalgia. Established in 2010, this cheerful, no-nonsense butchery has built its reputation on biltong and dried wors, made the old-fashioned way with generous seasoning, quality cuts, and a pride that’s as bold as the sign on the wall.
For anyone driving the N1, it’s a welcome pause from the monotony of the road: a place where locals chat over the counter, the aroma of spices drifts into the parking lot, and visitors leave with more packets than they intended—because once you’ve tasted their signature snacks, “just a little for the road” becomes a full-scale stock-up. This isn’t just a butchery; it’s a proper South African pit-stop tradition.
Therefore, we stopped off at this iconic butchery even before heading to our overnight accommodation.
It closes early on a Saturday and is closed on a Sunday, so be sure to time your arrival accordingly.
This is the second visit to this guest house.
This time, we were able to spread ourselves out between a bedroom and the main house accommodation.
This is a view down the passage towards the lounge area and kitchen.
My wife chose to sleep in this bedroom as I have become a restless sleeper, and I did not want to wake her in the middle of the night.
The room had an en suite shower, toilet and hand basin.
I chose to sleep here as there was a TV if I woke in the middle of the night.
There was a second bedroom off to the left of the picture as well as a showeroom and a toilet.
The well-stocked kitchen was to the right of the frame, and we did take time to finish off what was left of our road trip food, seeing that this was to be our final stop.
The word “labyrinth” originated from the Greek myth of the Minotaur, a creature confined to a maze-like structure designed by Daedalus for King Minos on the island of Crete.
This famous labyrinth and the story surrounding it, became the basis for the word’s meaning, which evolved from a specific location to describe any intricate or confusing maze.
These stones are all sourced on the property.
So much for a history lesson.
Is Echeveria a cactus?
These succulent plants are compact, fascinating and easy to grow. Their beautifully coloured, evergreen leaves and attractive flowers make them highly collectable.
They are often referred to as “rock roses”, as the similarity is easy to see.
Echeveria plants are mostly cultivated for decorative purposes, although traditionally, some species are used for the treatment of diarrhoea, inflammation, pain, canker sores, stomach troubles, and fever
And seeing that they grow prolifically, you will never run out of supply.
Did you know? The key difference between a maze and a labyrinth lies in the number and structure of their paths.
The former has a single, continuous path that leads to the centre and back out, while the latter has multiple branching paths that might, or might not, lead to a centre, and it may also have several dead ends.
In essence, a maze is a puzzle to be solved, while a labyrinth is a path to be followed.
So now you know.
This labyrinth was the major reason for our visit as it was full moon and to walk it under that light was very special.
Cacti have spines and not thorns.
Spines grow from a structure called an areole and serve multiple functions, including protecting the plant from predators, providing shade to the stem, trapping air for moisture, and collecting water from dew and fog.
Thorns, on the other hand, differ from spines and are usually found on shrubs and trees. They are modified stems or branches
Be they spines or thorns, they can both do you an injury.
To find out more about this quirky guest house, have a look at their Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/derdeklip/
Highly recommended as a stopover or even a destination. It is only 2.5 hours from Johannesburg, just off the N1, and the tolls are reasonable.
This was our final view of the guest house as we set of on the last part of our road trip back to Johannesburg…
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