Rawdons Estate
Howick Falls
is home to no fewer than five schools, including the boarding schools Hilton College and St Anne’s.
renowned for excellent fly-fishing. The Dargle Valley experiences dry, cold winters, sometimes with snow and hot, wet summers with late afternoon thunder storms followed by heavy rains. The countryside has sprawling wattle and pine forests, and rock pools that invite closer scrutiny.
Hilton College has become the site of the Hilton Arts Festival in September which runs for two-and-a-half days, bringing the best of South African theatre to KwaZulu-Natal.
THE MIDLANDS MEANDER was initiated some 20 years ago by Dargle potter, Ian Glenny, whose work includes porcelain, stoneware and terracotta and whose address is simply - ‘first farm on the right, Dargle’. An exciting cycle trail offers cyclists the chance to ride through indigenous forests, past huge old trees, grasslands, wide blue streams and rocky waterfalls.
HOWICK is known as the place of many waterfalls because of the many tributaries of the uMngeni River that tumble down gorges and over sharp inclines on their way to the Indian Ocean. Howick is possibly best known as the place where Nelson Mandela was arrested in August 1962 and most visited because of the Howick Falls. Howick Falls is a 100 metre cascade of water, practically in the centre of town. The falls were known by the Zulus as KwaNogqaza, place of the tall one - and was first seen by European travellers on their way to trade from the coast in the early 19th century.
ESTON is only a 35 minute drive from Pietermaritzburg. Whilst Durban is a bit further, it is still only an hour’s drive along the N3, meaning that for those who have an adaptable work schedule, Eston is a wonderful country lifestyle alternative. Living in Eston is mostly on smallholdings and farms, many of which are becoming increasingly popular as commuter properties.
For the more adventurous it is possible to make arrangements to abseil alongside the falls down the gorge and into the pool but the viewing platform above the falls that is close to the car park is a safer alternative. There is also a steep but safe trail that descends to the river bed. The view from here is utterly breathtaking but the return climb is pretty steep.
GREYTOWN lies in the forest-clad, rolling hills of the Natal Midlands and is often referred to as the ‘jewel of KwaZulu-Natal’. It is a picturesque little town and was established during the 1850s leaving it awash with buildings of note, scenic drives and Boer history.
The little village of Howick was named after Earl Grey, the British Colonial Secretary who started out in life as the Viscount Howick. It remains fundamentally a farming town that supplies the number of farms in the area, and people pass through here on their way to the interior or to Midmar Dam, just 7 kilometres away. It is a great place to find antiques, arts and crafts and is part of the Midlands Meander.
Louis Botha, the country’s first Prime Minister and a famous Boer leader, was born on a farm just outside of Greytown, and some believe that the Liberation Struggle for a democratic South Africa began in Greytown, almost a century ago, with the Bambatha Rebellion. This uprising against white authority by a local Zulu chief forced white residents to shelter in the town hall which was built in 1897. Greytown originally enjoyed a fair amount of importance, playing “little elephant” to Pietermaritzburg’s “place of the elephant”.
Fly-fishing is a popular pastime and dams and streams in the area are brimming with trout. Mountain bike fundis can enjoy the hills in the area. Horse trails, produced by the local polo clubs, cross the countryside.
Interesting buildings include Greytown’s Mosque, built in 1946 to replace the original of 1898, the Shri Vishnu Mandir Temple, on whose dome the lotus flower symbolises spiritual life, and the St James Anglican Church whose archway and stained glass windows come from England.
IXOPO is the main centre of the Southern Midlands and forms part of an important sugar farming and forestry area. Although originally called “Stuartstown”, the original Zulu name ‘Ixopo’ has prevailed.
The area around Greytown is covered with rolling sugar cane, pine, wattle, gum and poplar forests. Aloes and euphorbia are clustered on the hillsides and the winding roads to the Muden Valley make this a wonderful drive. Bushman paintings can be found on these same hillsides and where the road drops into Weenen, a cairn of stones was placed here for good luck by early Zulu travellers.
The countryside in this area is truly beautiful and there are many hiking trails and a few magnificant waterfalls along the Mzimkulu and Mkhomazi rivers. It is a treat to browse craft outlets and visit the welcoming restaurants and pubs. There are two 19th century churches and a seminary, all of which are still operational. Artists can visit the King’s Grant Country Retreat with its historic red brick buildings, unique character and atmosphere which offers a memorable experience that will undoubtedly excite and inspire every artist. Kings Grant houses a well-lit art studio and encourages guests to bring their own equipment and materials for an enchanting art retreat.
HILTON is distinctly an English country village right down to its meagre adherence to traffic control and some distinct examples of Tudor-style architecture. It lies only 10 kilometres from Pietermaritzburg at the start of the Midlands Meander. Hilton originated when Joseph Henderson purchased a large portion of the farm Ongegund in 1857 and his wife called their farm ‘Hilton’. It is access to fresh air, together with the first glimpses of the Drakensberg, that lure people to Hilton.
Two other landmarks in Ixopo are worth visiting - a floodlit cross bestowing peace and goodwill on the town and the nearby Buddhist Retreat Centre. People from all walks of life have been visiting the Buddhist Retreat to experience total peace and tranquility. Whether following the pine-scented path to the dam or walking past ancient cycads to the tracks of early
The broad streets are tree-lined, and the village bears a strong resemblance to “Garden Cities”, with window boxes brimming with flowers, garden clubs and green interest groups. Hilton 61