Activities | Places of interest | Clarens | Golden Gate | Mushroom Rock | Basotho Cultural Village | Surrender Hill | Fouriesburg | Rustler's Valley | Ficksburg

Old Mill Drift Mountain Resort is centrally located and in close proximity to a variety of exciting activities and past-times. Places of interest include 

• Clarens
  • One can stroll through Clarens, our picturesque village   and pay a visit to any of the numerous arts and crafts shops or just lounge at one of the local restaurants or pubs. Golfing at Clarens Golf Club, horse riding and Fly Fishing can be done
  • President Paul Kruger died in exile in Clarens in Switzerland on 14 July 1904. The village of Clarens in the eastern Free State, founded in 1912, was named in his memory
  • The village lies beneath high sandstone hills and close to the battlefield where five   men of Paul Kruger's Transvaal Commando were killed in the Basuto War of 1886. The Kruger Memorial Hall in the village commemorates the president
  • Clarens lies close to the entrance of the Golden Gate Highlands National Park. There is a picnic and recreational area in Leibrandt Kloof on the outskirts of the village
  • Scenic views:  Ash River Outfalls, Surrender Hill, Saltpeter Kranse
•  Golden Gate Highlands National Park
  • Golden Gate preserves the spectacular scenery of the foothills of the Maluti Mountains 
  • A national park was proclaimed in 1963 to conserve 4 792 hectares of this remarkable landscape. In the park is the Golden Gate, a vast cliff face, vividly coloured, which catches the rays of the setting sun
  • There are also quite a few animal species, including grey rhebok, blesbok,  eland, oribi, Burchell's zebra, jackal and baboon  as well as many birds, including the huge vultures known as lammergeyers, with wing-spans of nearly 3 metres. There are also black eagles, jackal buzzards, blue cranes, secretary birds, rock pigeons and water fowl
• Mushroom Rock
  • The natural sculpture of Mushroom Rock forms a magnificent backdrop to the Golden Gate National Park
• Basotho Cultural Village
  • The Customs, traditions and culture of the South Sotho people can be observed at the Basotho Cultural Village on the road between Qwaqwa and Golden Gate National Park
  • The village incorporates a museum, amphitheatre and tea 
• Fouriesburg
  • This is another town on the scenic R26, only 10 km from the   Calendonspoort border post into Lesotho
  • During the Anglo-Boer War, the town was proclaimed capital of the Free State when the Boer government moved from  Bloemfontein and the British occupied Bethlehem
• Rustler's Valley
  • At the end of the valley is a hidden canyon where stolen cattle were concealed until they could be smuggled away for sale, hence the name
  • You can wander into the valley, walk up onto sandstone escarpments, climb imposing Nyakalesoba (the 'witchdoctor's eye'). The Easter music festival here is a highlight of the year

  

• 4x4 obstacle trails

• Bird watching, farm animals

• Old mill gallery

• Trading store

• Waterfalls

• Caledon River - bordering Lesotho

• Streams

• Nature trails

• Natural wall

• Border bridge

• Picnic spots and lookout points

• Swimming in natural pools and waterfalls

• Scenic drives

• 4X4 Events Contact: Rosita, Paloma & Ernie Tel: +27 (058) 256-1953 

Click on miniature for full-size picture

Lapa: Chalets: Old Mill Drift

Along a road near Old Mill Drift

• Surrender Hill
  • South African Anglo Boer War battle field (30 July 1900)
  • Lord Roberts drove Boers into the Brand Water Basin between Clarens, Fouriesburg and Lesotho. After the Boers had regrouped, traffic jam in the narrow exits from the basin prevented most of them from leaving. 4300 Boers surrendered and their guns were burnt. Today still, on this spot no grass grows
• Ficksburg
  • Beautifully situated on the west bank of the Caledon River, the border between Lesotho and the Free State, Ficksburg was founded in 1867
  • The town is in sandstone country and there are some fine buildings built from the stone, including the town hall, the NG Kerk and the post office
  • Ficksburg is the centre of the Free State's cherry industry and the Cherry Trail is a tourist route around the district.  There are several orchards to visit, art and craft shops and hiking trails
  • The museum has displays on local history, including that of the  Basotho people

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 Basotho Cultural Village | Surrender Hill | Fouriesburg | Rustler's Valley | Ficksburg