Nieu Bethesda accommodation, Karoo Heartland, Nieu Bethesda activities and information
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Accommodation and Activities in Nieu Bethesda |
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NIEU BETHESDA Nieu Bethesda is a mountain village 55 kilometres to the north of Graaff-Reinet, in a valley with the Kompassberg, South Africa’s highest free standing mountain as a backdrop. It was established by the Dutch Reformed Church in 1875 and given a biblical name by the Rev Charles Murray of Graaff-Reinet. In the twentieth century it began to wither as people left the rural areas. It was so quiet with so little traffic that the council leased certain streets for growing potatoes. During this time one inhabitant, Helen Maartins, began creating fantastic concrete sculptures in her house and yard, often of owls. She changed the interior of her little house by embedding crushed glass into the walls to bring in more light. The community sometimes looked askance at her eccentric activities. She committed suicide in 1974 because of her failing eyesight but her creations saved her village.
The playwright Athol Fugard wrote a play about her life called "The Road To Mecca", which was later filmed. People then flocked there to see her house, known as the “Owl House” and discovered that there is a lot more to Nieu Bethesda, such as the stunning setting, the streets lined with pear trees, the beautiful church and the dry river bed where fossils can be found. |
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NIEU BETHESDA ACCOMMODATION & ACTIVITIES |
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Ganora Guest Farm and Excursions |
Guest Farm |
Nieu Bethesda |
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When the owners moved here they started discovering the farm's past from ancient fossils to Bushman paintings. There is a private museum featuring all the fossils and Bushman implements found by them. The highlight of the collection is Kompasia delaharpi, the only complete fossil of this fish in the world. Visit the museum then take an accompanied walk to the fossil bed and Bushman sites. Day visitors and groups are welcome but the best is to stay in Khoisan Cottage. Originally a sheep kraal, it is sited against two rocky hillsides and overlooks the farm. |
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Tel : 049 8411 302 |
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Schanskraal |
Country Manor & Lodge |
Nieu Bethesda |
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Schanskraal Country Manor is a huge secluded Cape Dutch style building, luxuriously furnished in impeccable taste, surrounded by landscaped gardens in the Bo-Karoo Burgersrust Country Lodge is a secluded, pioneer farmstead built in 1793 next to a large lake, with a mountanous backdrop. Attractively restored to maintain its origins, much has been preserved to enhance the romance of a bygone era, such as original floorboards, ceiling beams and door lintels. There is no electricity and lighting is by candles, paraffin lamps or the cosy warmth of a log fire. No 6 Guest House is an historic, luxuriously furnished guest house in central Graaff-Reinet, close to all the sights. It has 3 bedrooms and is booked as a unit as self-catering, b&b or full board. |
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Tel : 049 842 2326 |
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Outsiders |
Bed and Breakfast |
Nieu Bethesda |
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Two double bedrooms, both with their own bathrooms, also boast a separate entrance each and their own verandas from which to observe the daily passage of village life. Comfort is a priority in these two double rooms, both en suite, with private entrances. This is a haven on the high street. Outsiders B+B is centrally situated but offers the calm and privacy of a secret hideaway. |
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