Category Archives: the farm

This Road Leads to Adventure

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The last 300m of Askop Road, outside the Brackenburn entrance gate, had never been tarred. The District Council assured me that according to their records, I was wrong in suggesting it needed tarring, the whole road was in fact tarred for its entire length of 2 km.

Stalemate.

The section of road before the entrance gate was gravel top and in urgent need of refurbishment.

From long experience, I knew that arguing with bureaucrats is a tedious waste of time. Being a person of little patience when arguments lead nowhere, the discussion ended there. The problem would be dealt with differently.

A giant machine arrived to restore the road2Thanks to wonderful local contractors; a dear neighbour called Kappie, who makes magic happen; and my long suffering brother, Brackenburn has a spanking new approach road of well rolled aggregate; good rain water gullies; no potholes and enough space for cars to navigate the way in safety.

Then another one took over!2The first rains of winter have come early. The days are cold and wet. Thank goodness the road was fixed in time. The gullies cut along the side of the road work well, leading rain water towards the rivers on both sides of the ridge leading into Brackenburn.

Phoebe inspected the work once everyone had completed the job2The roadway to Brackenburn has always been regarded as a gateway to another world.
The approach runs along a raised plateau. The ground falls away steeply on both sides; on the east side more dramatically so than on the west side as the ravine is deeper.

The Buffels River enters the property on the east side in a deep gorge which cuts through and curves round on itself forming an incredible aerial picture of two camels following each other.

The land itself is thickly forested in beautiful old indigenous trees which climb up the walls of the gorge forming a great blanket of a myriad greens and bronze and gold.
There is only one navigable spot to enter Brackenburn and that is through its entrance gate, hence the portal effect.

Thorn bush and forest make access very hazardous and uncomfortable to anyone attempting to enter elsewhere on foot.

This remoteness creates the other worldly feeling of the reserve. The forest and river host such a varied and health selection of creatures, from the tiny Red Finned Minnows spawning amongst the rocks in the river to the long crested eagle soaring high above the forest. There is always something to hold the attention and to marvel at. The forest trails and accompanying guides are adored by guests from all over the world.

Now that the last section of Askop Road is up to scratch, I trust visitors to Brackenburn Private Nature Reserve will enjoy their journey from Knysna, Plettenberg Bay and the surrounding lodges even more.

Chickpea and Baloo gave it the thumps up as well2We even have a refurbished N2 National Road, which, besides driving the locals mad, has received months of attention from contractors putting down new tarmac and sprucing up the highway. Work in progress at present, (April/2015), soon to be completed. Yippee! So please come and visit Brackenburn and Brackenburn C.R.E.W. soon. We would love to show you all more of the “Best Kept Secret” that is Brackenburn Private Nature Reserve.

Stay over in our beautifully appointed Katuri Cottage which sleeps 6. See our Rates Page for Rates.

In so doing you are availed of more time to spend exploring this section of the Garden Route. There is so much to see in and around The Crags that spending a few hours simply won’t get you far.

Monkeyland, Birds Of Eden, and Jukani are an absolute must- Three incredible sanctuaries at our doorstep. Lawnwood Snake Sanctuary has the most comprehensive collection of snakes I have ever seen and you are accompanied by very knowledgeable guides. Forget the fear factor! These snakes are well looked after, comfortable and stunning to observe.

If you want extreme adventure, there is Africanyon, which offers guests an abseil into the Salt River Gorge where you experience the amazing tea coloured river water so typical of the short, swiftly flowing mountain streams of the Tsitsikamma. Excellent guides accompany you on a trip downriver, towering crags rise up high above you, ferns and dripping water surround you as you float through the Salt River gorge. Big climb out again!
Or you may want to experience a bungee leap off the Bloukrantz Bridge- The highest bridge jump in the world. Mind blowing and very popular.

Swim with seals off Plettenberg Bay at Robberg Peninsular, or take a boat trip on the Bay to observe whales and dolphins. Do a fishing charter trip, skydive… all these accompanied by wonderful back-up.

There are things to do in our end of the woods that will keep you very busy for a week or three.

Come home happy and exhausted to a cosy, quiet, comfortable bed at Katuri Cottage on Brackenburn Private Nature Reserve, after your day out. Please check out the following website for more information as the list of things to do really is endless. There are places to shop; eat; sample local wines; swim; sail; dance; kayak; buy an ice cream; get married….EcoAtlas

Let Brackenburn be the start of your life long road to adventure. You will be very glad to have found this magic spot. It could become the secret you will tell your grand children one day!The inspection team on their way back home again2

Sheep and owls

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The commitment to upkeep, to keeping the flock of Dohne-Merino sheep going, clearing fields and maintaining fences and water reticulation took the biggest chunk of savings and physical well being. Keeping the roofs clear of debris as well as gutters remains Priority One as we rely on rain water collection for all our needs.
Predation of the flock by Caracal and then leopard was the catalyst to change. H_orig_caracalsTom Dicey, who had sold me much of the flock and who had offered so much appreciated advice to one who, though fond of sheep, knew very little as to their dosing and shearing and general maintenance; Bought them all back from me when I threw in the towel. Admitting defeat was a sore lesson I had to learn. Not having sheep to keep them short, the fields became fallow.
Slowly the re-forestation started. Bush buck came ever closer and then made the garden their permanent home as did bush pig, badgers, skunks and so many other creatures who had kept a very low profile waiting in the woods while the sheep had taken centre stage.
The birds have always been a delight to anyone sitting quietly under the spreading Camphor tree in the front garden. Robert’s Birds was at hand to identify and educate. Soon we were adept at identifying from bird call which of a myriad birds, was perched unseen and serenading.
Summer nights sparkled with pulsing fire flies. An evening walk with the dogs was lit by glow worms and hordes of skimming fire flies. Night jars would huddle on fence posts or warm patches of drive way and startle upwards as the dog entourage passed. It took a while to understand this symbiotic relationship of night jar and dogs until I realised that the dogs in passing were flushing insects into the path of happily waiting bird.
Our evening walks were also observed by Wood Owls, who would carry on involved conversations with each other as we passed beneath them. Grass Owls swooped and hissed up on the open fields hunting Vlei Rats. The stillness of pre-dawn would offer the soft sad hooting of a Barn Owl that nested near the entrance gate.

A blessing or …………

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There never was any serious discussion as to whether buying Brackenburn was the sensible thing to do. We were enchanted and the seduction that took place that day never really ended. Being entranced by the place has proved to be both a blessing and a curse. Experience magnificent scenery at BrackenburnThe responsibility of our stewardship of a remarkable piece of land has been ongoing and has proved to be both joyous and tragic over years of residence in this much loved spot at the end of Askop Road in The Crags.

First impressions

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Brackenburn was at the very end of a gravel track that ended at a firmly closed farm gate.
I hopped out of the yellow Isuzu bakkie and swung the gate open, drove through and closed the gate. A Boubou Shrike called in the bush next to the gate and a pair of fish eagles circled high overhead. The pungent smell of forest hung close as we drove down the long entrance way. There were tall trees and in the air the scent of newly mown lawn grass.
Pulling up behind the rambling zinc roofed homestead, Mom and I climbed out of the bakkie and took in an amazing scene. To the south, the forested foreground fell away dramatically to deep gorges and hills, beyond these the expanse of open bay filled out. On the right, stretching into the bay lay the peninsula of Robberg. Surrounding the back yard, where we had parked, stood various outbuildings and a dog announced our arrival. Loeries (Knysna turaco) bustled about in the surrounding trees.

We were ushered into the homestead, greeted with the smell of floor polish and wood smoke. The rooms were huge with dark wooden ceilings. It was cool and quiet; Quirky and welcoming; Old and enchanting. The lady of the house was flustered but charming.
Standing in the shaded front lawn to the north of the homestead one looked out over more dense forest and deep gorges towards the unbroken range of Tsitsikamma Mountains, with Mount Formosa taking centre stage. The expanse of lawn stretched down to another rickety farm gate and on to sheep fields and more endless beautiful views across the forest. The Buffels River wound its way through the gorges. One could hear the river from the lawn, as one could hear the waves breaking on the rocks on the shoreline.

A new home

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“I’ve found a place you need to look at.” Was what Mom greeted me with on my return home that fateful day.
She said it calmly, but one look at her tense bright eyes gave the game away. She was bursting with excitement. We had tea and she talked.
Mom was an inveterate explorer. Left on her own while I working, Mom explored the countryside. She was never happy in the boring house we had moved to after leaving The Reef. She’d fixed up the garden and planted trees and Proteas. Repainted and refurnished, and still it remained just a house. It was too close to the saw mill and the brick making kilns to ever be quiet or truly dark at night. Her soul rebelled. We both craved the peace and stillness offered only by being remote from other habitation. We wanted starlight and owl song. We wanted a home.