Durban - Residents of KwaZulu-Natal are fortunate that there are so many pleasant places to choose from, right on our doorstep. While our Gauteng counterparts might earn more money, we perhaps have more time to enjoy our leisure, instead of wasting time on a tedious journey.
After a relatively short drive from Durban, we arrived at Bushwillow Park, in the Karkloof valley. Located beneath a hill covered in indigenous forest, with rolling views over the farmlands below, it has a soothing setting.
Visitors can choose from two comfortable cabins: a one-bedroom or a two-bedroom; camping or caravaning.
The grounds are terraced, lush grass makes for a comfortable bed for those of the tent brigade, while the ablution block is immaculate. Nor is it one of these giant ventures where caravans jostle for space, and noisy campers and caravaners disturb the peace.
The higher terraces have a view over a small dam, which doubles as a swimming spot. Rubber tubes on the edges wait for people to claim them to drift indolently. Or you can bring your own paddle-ski or kayak and splash contentedly.
During our stay, the sun blazed down on just one day, but the overcast weather was perfect for more strenuous hiking into the indigenous forests, climbing nearby Mount Gilboa, or admiring the Grey Mare’s Tail waterfall, without getting up too much of a head of steam.
However, you do not have to be super-fit to enjoy yourself. There are plenty of gentle walks. Tiny hoofprints on the muddy trails showed where a duiker had slipped; the forest itself was alive with the sounds of insects and bird calls; purple flowers made for a lilac haze in the undergrowth, while rocks covered in lichen, moss on the treetrunks and dewdrop-spangled spiderwebs all suggested this could be a pixie playground. The sharp call of samango monkeys added another dimension.
Down at the dams, conditions were ideal for spotting spoonbill, dab-chicks, and Egyptian geese.
The nights and early mornings were mysterious, with thick mist and fine rain. The lights from the main entertainment area, on the fringe of the dam and reached via a wooden bridge, peered short-sightedly through the mist. Other lights dotted about the campsite, and barely visible, all added to the feeling that this could have been Victorian London… but without the possibility of Jack the Ripper lurking in the shadows.
The mournful call of a jackal, surprisingly close to the camp, compounded the eeriness, while frogs clicked and croaked their contentment as we braaied on the undercover deck of the entertainment area.
One of the residents, running about, is Eric, a tame guinea fowl. The owner of Bushwillow Park, Irvine Shaw, is raising several chicks, which he hopes to release soon, to make Eric’s life more companionable.
Many beautiful butterflies flitting between bushes, sipping on the sweet things of life – particularly the bottle-brush flowers – add to the scene. They don’t settle long enough to be photographed, but one man, who has been coming to Bushwillow nearly every Easter and Christmas since the park opened, said through perseverance he had managed to get one shot of each variety that lives in the valley.
Irvine has also planted several indigenous trees around the campsite which, with time, should add more shade.
A very easy walk follows an old road, over which oxen once drew sleds laden with logs out of the forest.
Speaking of days gone by, Irvine said his family have been in the Karkloof since 1852. He pointed out where his great-grandfather’s house had been located, and mentioned that when he (Irvine) was once excavating in that spot, he had come across pieces of china, clearly the remains of crockery from the old man’s days.
At any time of the year, the nearby Saturday Karkloof Farmers Market lures visitors. Or you can head down to Howick for a meal if slaving over a hot stove is not for you. Want to spend some cash? The many outlets on the Midlands Meander will happily oblige.
l Contacts: Bushwillow Park 033 330 2680; 072 237 6247; e-mail [email protected] - Sunday Tribune