Hofmeyr - The tenth step ... SISA Episode II - CycleBlaze

April 24, 2021

Hofmeyr

Last night we had supper at the smart little boutique hotel a few hundred meters from our digs and while doing so made a snap decision to spend an extra night in Hofmeyr but at the hotel rather than the dreadful and overpriced digs we were in.  This was made easier when the manageress said we would be welcome to check in at nine in the morning.  So that is what we did.

The hotel was only reopened three months ago and is probably still finding its feet but, along with the new restaurant on the opposite corner, is trying to set Hofmeyr up as a country town worth visiting.  In comparison with its closest neighbours Steynsburg and Middelburg it is certainly a far better run town.  It is tiny - from the four way stop at the square in its center the margins of the town are visible in all four directions - but it is neat and clean and has an upbeat air about it.

The Victoria Hotel.
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Mike AylingInteresting to note the number of "Victoria" and "Royal" hotels that abound in the former British Colonies of the nineteenth century. We have just spent a week in Port Fairy a seaside village about 300 km west of Melbourne and we had a meal at the Victoria hotel there. It was a bit expensive and my glass of Cab Sav was AUD 11.50 compared to $8 at the Star of the West, a more traditional pub. We also ate at a third pub, The Caledonian but I did not keep the bill so don't know what my wine cost there. When I was an Accountancy Articled Clerk in Pietermaritzburg "The Vic" was our favourite watering hole.
Mike
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2 years ago
Jean-Marc StrydomTo Mike AylingThe wine list was a bit limited here at The Vic in Hofmeyr but the food was surprisingly good. The hotel was bought and renovated during the pandemic, only opening in January this year. We are currently in The Duke of Bedford on the southern side of the mountains, a similarly spruced up old hotel in a country town. It's great to see hotels leading the way in reviving the economies of the rural areas. With international travel basically unavailable for South Africans during the pandemic they are touring their own country again which is helping make these revivals possible.
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2 years ago
The hotel bar.
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Dining room.
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Somewhat kitchy decor.
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The daytime restaurant on the opposite corner. We had a good breakfast here.
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The Dutch Reformed Church is strangely salmon pink colour. From a distance while riding down the road from Steynsburg yesterday the steeple looked like a giant phallus.
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Magistrate's Court.
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Town Hall.
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Tomorrow we head for Tarkastad (if plans don't change again).

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John SaxbyLoving those distances and the cobalt skies, Jean-Marc--getting all homesick for African skies. And the empty roads with tidy picnic spots. Just entering spring here in Eastern Ontario, border with Québec closed 'cos of COVID, so not a lot of cycling happening. Safe journeys to you both, John
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2 years ago
Jean-Marc StrydomTo John SaxbyHi John. Picnic spots can be hit and miss with more misses I am afraid. However, the ones here in the Eastern Cape haven't been too bad. South Africa is accepting foreign tourists so get your vaccination, put your bicycle on the 'plane and come on over.
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2 years ago