By André Kruse
I first heard of Rosendal some years back – “a small town you have to see and stay over”. It was further described as quaint, an artist’s retreat and very chilled.
Another acquaintance regaled his story – he was part of a singing troupe at university – many years back. They were caught speeding there. After their court appearance they were ordered to come back and do a show for the people.
He advised it is worth the visit and rather unique. My next introduction to Rosendal was at a Travel show in Johannesburg some years back; it was marketed as part of the Riemland Route.
The plan was always to go. It was on the weekend away list, but not really. This all changed a few weeks back when we decided: “This weekend we are going on a mid-winter road trip to Rosendal!”
We perused a website or 2, booked a place to stay, phoned and found out about the best route to get there from Johannesburg.
Where is Rosendal?
Rosendal lies on the cusp of that “time and distance Johannesburg people are willing to travel for a weekend away” – just over 3 hours but no more than 4 hours! The magnificent Witteberge is a picturesque backdrop for this village.
It was founded in 1908 when local farmers petitioned for a church to be built. The town was declared a municipality in 1914 and built on a farm donated by a widow, Ms Botha who chose the name Rosendal – the valley of roses.
There is still evidence of sacred places and mountain fortresses used by the BaSotho in the early 1800s, close to the village.
Getting there we opted for the route via the N1, to Ventersburg, Senekal and then onwards to Rosendal. We arrived in town with the sun casting long shadows over the fawn winter fields and while the town was experiencing load shedding.
Our booking agent met us, showed us our accommodation and advised that we could go down to the local bar Yollas so long to get a drink and maybe something to eat… while we waited for the power to return.
It was walking distance (most of anything you want to do is more or less easy walking distance here).
There was a crackling fire and we got talking to the owner – Yolla. She told us of how she came to town, lives on a farm on the outskirts of town and how she recently renovated her establishment.
There is also a theatre at the back and the plan is to be putting on shows – in the not too distant future. This night they had karaoke – for the first time. Much later that night I got up and gave my best rendition of The Rolling Stones with Honky Tonk Women.
To date I have not (yet) been invited back. We ended up having dinner and speaking to a retired couple in their 70s. They had recently moved to Rosendal after visiting for a week; they had lived in Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town and few other places, but have now opted for the tranquillity of this little hamlet – in the eastern Free State.
Accommodation
Our chosen accommodation was the old clinic, recently renovated – a comfortable, well-appointed 2 sleeper studio. It had a kitchenette – with (energy efficient) induction stove, microwave, fridge, emergency light (for those pesky power failures), a bathroom – with amenities supplied.
There was also a closed combustion fireplace! Besides the ample blankets, the bed also had an electric blanket.
With the recent cold spell they had – the mercury dropped to minus 11 degrees. And there was free wi-fi and undercover parking.
Rosendal offers a variety of accommodation places – from backpacker accommodation, to romantic stays for 2, family or group type accommodation; some new and some renovated.
There are pet friendly options and others offer a wide variety of books to read. There is the old bank, now renovated into accommodation, on a street corner where banks were situated.
Similarly the old school’s headmasters house has been restored for accommodation, so too the old cowsheds and blacksmiths building. Newer tiny home options are also available and very popular.
Some offer small, unique plunge pools or wood fired hot tubs – imagine taking in the immensity of the milky way on a dark, quiet night, from one of these. A few are also wheelchair friendly.
There is also an old, other worldly, extremely large renovated vintage caravan. This could well have been used as part of a travelling circus in its past life, but now situated in “the valley of roses”.
The majority are self-catering but any of the restaurants in town will also deliver to your accommodation.
Alternatively eat out at any of the five restaurants.
No matter where you are in town, what you realise is the immense silence of the vastness of this town at night and as you awake in the mornings. Gone is the constant hum that is everyday life in the city.
Things to do
In an article we read, a question was posed: “What is there to do in Rosendal?”
The answer was: “Nothing”.
Many of these smaller “get away towns” have succumbed to retail tyranny, with large sign boards and numerous outlets of various descriptions.
In contrast this almost hidden gem is how some of the other towns may have started out. If that is what you are after you most probably will not fit in here. It has a unique peace. It has a unique beauty. It has a unique serenity.
But there is plenty to do. Upon arrival we inquired if there are hikes in the region; there are but why leave town? The town’s roads give you 15km of walking opportunity. We did about 8km after the Rosendal Village Market; that takes place once a month.
And walking through town is a great way to see the town; its long blocks, the differing building styles, some of them thick sandstone walled buildings, other newer styled houses and the farmlands on the edge of town – where the Witteberge start.
There is a general dealer – where you can get almost anything and an art gallery. On the Saturday night we went to The Service Station. The co-owner – Francois – informed us it used to be a real service station.
The old inspection pit has been up-cycled to a well-stocked wine cellar. He attended the Swiss hotel school in my hometown – Randburg and told us of his travels, before settling here.
There is an American flag on the one wall with only 48 stars, so this dates back to a time before the last 2 states joined the union and an embroided Japanese flag – but you can go and find out more about it when you visit the town. We came for one glass of wine only, just after sunset.
We had another and then - stayed for supper.
The Rosendal Outdoor Hub organises a range of outdoor activities, you can rent mountain bikes and there are social mtb weekends that are organised. There are numerous hiking trails in the region and one is right next to town or you could do the sunset outing to Holkrans. There is horse riding and a ghost tour…
There are also a few geocaches in town and while at the imposing sandstone church the lady came by and told us to wait there – she is just getting the key and will show us around.
This was not our aim, but we now waited and all too soon she was back – opening up for us… It is an impressive building – inside and out. Some of the huge sandstone bricks have either one, two or more holes drilled into them – showing where and which farm they came from.
Many of the residents came for a weekend and ended up moving and staying here. The Covid-19 lockdown period worked well for Rosendal – people upped their lives in the city and moved here, others had weekend homes but made the move, leaving city life behind.
The town offers brilliant wi-fi facilities and as such staying in touch is easy.
All too soon the weekend was over. And again we each made a mental note – to rather stay one more day and only return home on the Monday, when we next embark on a weekend road trip.
We could not find “nothing” to do as per the question mentioned above, but we sure had a chilled time. Maybe on our next visit we will try the “Nothing” option!
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