Final weekend of our fortnight holiday, in May … to Ballito, Midlands and lastly, Champagne Castle Hotel in Central Drakensberg.
Very pretty at this time of the year. We’ve been to this part of the Berg on several occasions in mid-summer when everything is green. This time round autumnal trees are dotted here and there, natural grasses are brown, mountains are shrouded in a blue haze, and the sky is clear and blue. Warm days … lovely for walking, and chilly nights … sitting cosy by roaring fires in the lounges and pub, and delicious comfort food, and plenty of it (buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner! …naturally with a bottle, or two, of a good red wine 😉 … and nothing can beat their freshly made pancakes and waffles for dessert, or for that matter, homemade health bread served at breakfast and lunch … delishhh!)
En route to the hotel …
We passed several bikers, some on old motor bikes, who were participating in the Duma Rally 2015 : ‘Biking the Berg (pics taken through our car’s windscreen)
I’ve done several blog posts of the hotel and surrounds (under Archives: Drakensberg – where I’ve featured the hotel, walking trails and places of interest in the area) and therefore tried to take different photographs this time.
From our room-with-a-view … magnificent setting at the foothills of the Berg
An afternoon nap was the order of the day on our arrival and a quick photo of the majestic mountains..
Tea on the terrace served with scones, jam and cream, then a stroll down to the trout stocked dams as the sun dipped behind the mountains ..
Blue Crane, our national bird ..
Hotel in background ..
Chapel with the most beautiful view …
Sleep-time in the kiddies farmyard. Ducks .. not kiddies!!
From our room, as the sun set further and with a glass of wine in hand – naturally ! … I couldn’t resist but to take silhouette mountain pics …
Flat top mountain on left is Champagne Castle – 3377m — higher looking but is not, is Cathkin Peak – 3149m (it’s in the foreground to Champagne Castle so looks higher) — Sterkhorn – 2973m. Jagged slope is Dragon’s Back …
Dramatic Dragon’s Back …
Magnificent !! The following day we walked up to the Sphinx
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