Spionkop/Northern Berg
Three Tree Hill Lodge is on a hill above plains of acacia thornveld, thickets and ravines in a prime position overlooking Spionkop Mountain and the Spionkop dam and game reserve.
The mountain is the famous site of an overwhelming victory for the Boers over the English in the South African War (1900), a huge setback for the British in which many lives were lost.
The central feature of the lodge is an old farmhouse with huge open plan lounge and reading area, and a dining room bordered by a wraparound veranda, perfect for lively meals on a hot Berg night.
The lounge area boasts an impressive library and collection of war memorabilia.
Sip an ice cold beer on the porch and drink in the views of the famous mountain and beyond, take a walk along the border of the reserve (owners Simon and Cheryl Blackburn will soon have rights to take guests into the reserve grounds) and see rhino, eland, giraffe, red hartebeest, zebra and more, or go horse riding or hiking with Simon and his staff, who are very clued up on the history and wildlife of the area.
Three Tree Hill is a classy, yet relaxed affair, completely devoid of any stuffiness. Meals are delicious yet unpretentious affairs where warm conversation flows across the table.
Rooms have all the requirements of a top notch lodge, and a nice touch is that they are all recreations of the wood and tin huts that were pre-assembled and brought out to SA for use by British officers during the war.
A great springboard for all the attractions of the Northern Berg.
Spionkop Lodge — Spionkop/Northern Berg
A late afternoon game drive in the Spionkop Game Reserve was the perfect way to kick off my stay at Spionkop Lodge where I was hosted by battlefields expert Raymond Heron and his wife Lynette.
After a rewarding drive, the evening was perfectly rounded off by a chilled beer at sunset somewhere in the heart of the reserve overlooking the dam.
Later that evening, as Raymond fed me interesting snippets of information about the Battle of Spionkop, I was tucking into delicious porterhouse steak and drinking a great Cape red, while thinking about the main course the following day.
The next morning it was up to Mount Alice, where the English General Sir Redvers Buller VC was surveying the battle as his troops were slaughtered, and frantically trying to communicate with his commanding officer General Warren who was at Three Tree Hill. Mount Alice is a hugely significant historical site that boasts an incredible view of the Tugela River Valley below.
Then it was off to the “Acre of Massacre” at the top of Spionkop, for a lesson on the sequence and key moments of the battle. Here Raymond’s great skill as an orator and storyteller came to the fore as he brought the battle to life and pointed out the graves of key figures and common soldiers, placement and movement of troops on both sides, and the plots and sub plots that made this such a significant, yet pointless day.
Spionkop Lodge is a wonderful setting, your hosts are warm and welcoming a
nd you can’t do better on the Battle of Spionkop than go for a tour with Raymond Heron.
Note there are various ways Spionkop is spelt in literature, in signage and on the internet. For the sake of consistency, it’s referred to here as Spionkop throughout.
Fugitives’ Drift — Northern KZN
The late David Rattray’s Fugitives’ Drift Lodge is famous the world over for its historical tours of the battlefields, most notably Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift.
And today its quality shines brighter than ever. A three-to-four hour drive from Durban, it’s a trip into the heart of Zululand, and into the heart of the Zulu story.
When I visited the lodge, chief historian Rob Caskie was overseas doing presentations and telling the great stories of the Anglo-Zulu War, but his colleagues Joseph Ndima and George Irwin were doing a brilliant job at Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift respectively.
Somehow, in the space of a few hours, they managed to give the background to the battles, set the scene, detail the preparations, key decisions and characters, and then give a blow by blow account of exactly how and where the action took place. The layout of the land and placement of troops is particularly crucial to understanding how events unfold, something it’s impossible to grasp entirely from reading a book.
The staff, service, accommodation and facilities at Fugitives’ Drift are as good as any I’ve seen. And one of the moments any history nerd like myself would appreciate, is the deep and meaningful debate about intricate details of the battles – theories on the movement of horses, tents, individuals, ammunition boxes, that can go on for hours – while enjoying good company, and some damn fine food.
All three of these venues are included in The Portfolio Collection:
www.portfoliocollection.com