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My friend, Mike, and I drove in convoy. We met at 06h30 in Pretoria and I followed Mike in his Discovery. He was towing his awesome 4x4 trailer with a Roof Top tent.
We had been warned not to take the Villiers / Frankfort R26 road as it was worse than a bad 4x4 route due to the lack of road maintenance.
As we approached the OR Tambo Airport the traffic along the M16/R24 road was not moving so Mike decided to go through Boksburg and Alberton. This was a good decision as we later heard there had been an accident along the M15/R24 causing a delay.
Mike's family history in South Africa goes back to the 1800's where some of his ancentors lived in Heilbron. We stopped at the Heilbron Cemetary to see if we could find some the their graves so he could takes photos as he was documenting his family history.
This gave me the opportunity to look for memorials from the Boer War. I came across a Memorial in rememberance of the 781 woman and children who perished in the British concentration camp located in Heilbron (1899 to 1902).
I also came across a memorial in rememberance of over 250 British Soldiers who perished during the Boer War at Kromellenboog, Wovlehoek and Heilbron between 1899 and 1902.
In general, the road to Clarens was in good condition and was not very busy. Once you leave the industrial town of Vereeniging the landscape unfolds to reveal the wonderful farming landscape that town dwellers yearn for. The scenary got even better after Bethlehem as we approached the Maluti mountains. We stopped in Clarens to purchase fruit before heading south along the R711 to the Old Mill Drift. From the R711 turnoff, there is a short section of tar road that turns into an unpaved road. The route winds through the stunning sandstone mountains to the Caledon river.
The Old Mill Drift Farm nestled in the magnificant Maluti Mountains
We arrived at the Old Mill Drift (OMD) where Yvonne met us and explained the camping layout. The lovely camp sites with fixed electrical points further up the mountain had been booked by another group so we were allowed to camp around the Old Mill museum. She provided electrical extension cords so we could keep our refrigerators going. Further a group of about 40 members of the Kubu clan had booked the main hall and accommodation over the weekend to celebrate a birthday party. The hall was located next to our camping area. This meant that over 60 people along with other bush campers had to share the 5 toilets and 4 showers during the weekend. Fortunately the birthday party celebrations were not noisy and we could enjoy the tranquility of the farm that we all enjoy.
As we were the first of the LROC group of 11 vehicles to arrive we setup camp next to the Old Mill Museum with a lovely view of the valley through which the Caledon River flows. South Africa on the Northern side (left) and Lesotho on the Southern side (right).
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