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Activities
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For the walker there are three
marked trails:
1. The Picnic Spot. |
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Start out from the door outside the swimming
pool and walk south under the carports, past Evelyn's three
rondavels and on to the dam wall.
Go across the dam wall; turn right when you see the concrete
pipes and then right again after about 5m. Veer left
and then follow the white markers. |
After about
forty metres, take a sharp left across the stream bed.
Continue following the white markers along what is basically
a contour path, the high cliff to your left is known as
Titanic for obvious reasons.
You will come to a fence with a wire gate continue ahead
in a northerly direction following the white markers.
The path veers to the left uphill and then enters the indigenous
forest area crossing two stream beds. Continue following the white markers until you turn left
into a leafy kraal area underneath the cliff. Turn
right at the back of the kraal and walk around to the picnic
spot which gives you a magnificent panoramic view of the
Maluti mountains and the Eastern Free State and of course
Malutizicht farm.
If you are really clever get the family to come up the farm
track in the SUV to meet you at the Picnic Spot with a bottle
of wine and a couple of chairs. Behind you to the
north is the rock formation called The Sheep. If you
look carefully at the western side of the formation you
will see the ears, mouth and eyes of a sheep. After
a well deserved rest either continue down the farm track
on foot or hitch a ride with the family back to the Lodge.
This walk is just right for a stroll before breakfast or
in the late afternoon when you linger at the Picnic Spot
and enjoy the magnificent view and the sun going down.
The complete walk takes about one hour. |
2.
The Rock Art walk.
Take the route as for the Picnic Spot up to the fence and
wire gate. After going through the gate turn sharp
left and follow the yellow markers. You now go almost
straight up to the cliff face in a westerly direction.
On the way you will see many examples of 'concretions' that
can almost be mistaken for fossils. They are in fact
concentrations of minerals that were injected between the
sediments and have weathered at a different rate to the
host rocks. They appear as nodules protruding from
the rocks.
When close to the cliff face veer to the right and go for
about thirty metres until you see the resting place of the
animals. Look up about seven feet from the ground
and you should see the one clear example of rock art.
If you look at some of the scattered boulders under the
cliff you will see strange markings that look like maps.
Under one of the large rocks you will see an igneous rock
that is shaped as a grinding bowl with the grinding rock
still in it. Who used this grinding bowl, who knows?
Go back along the path the way you came for about thirty
metres and then go up to the right still following the yellow
markers. Go through the fence and on to the large
rock which serves as a lookout point. Continue following
the yellow markers until you get onto a relatively flat
piece of ground where there is the cliff on your right and
a large rock formation on your left both contain what appears
to be crystalline sandstone which is unusual and formed
from high tectonic stresses applied to the sedimentary rocks.
Also on the flat area are three kraals made out of stone
from a time gone by. From the flat area follow the
yellow markers and make a steep descent back to Malutizicht
Lodge with Titanic to your right. This walk takes
about one and a half hours allowing plenty of time for taking
in the magnificent scenery. |

Rock art. |

On the way to the rock art. |
3.
Baboonskop Walk.
This is not a circular walk but a there and back.
It takes you to the cliff top to the south west of the lodge
clearly visible from the yard outside the swimming pool
area. From the swimming pool area go south under the
car ports and up past Evelyn's rondavels. Just before
the dam turn sharp left and then follow the yellow markers.
Continue south to a look out point where you will see the
old television aerial pipe. Then go up to your right
and make for the barbed boundary fence.
Go over the style into our neighbour John's farm, do not
worry he has given his permission to cross his land.
Through the fence follow the contour path and into the natural
forest and then begin a steep ascent up to the cliff.
Going up this steep portion you will see evidence of construction
of a pathway in times gone by. Continue with the yellow
markers until you emerge onto Baboonskop lookout where you
can look down on the dam and Malutizicht Lodge.
To the north you will see Titanic and The Sheep.
You will see plenty of potholes that almost always contain
water on Baboonskop lookout. You will also observe
the many Protea trees in the area immediately above the
lookout. Once you have taken in the magnificent view
retrace your steps back to the lodge. This walk is
also about one and a half hours but does get quite steep
when ascending to the lookout point.
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Few
people really recognize the truly magnificent scenery that
is the Eastern Free State with its sandstone knolls, yellow
poplar trees and breathtaking Cosmos, not to mention the snow
covered Maluti Mountains in winter. All this is the
perfect place to paint, so come along and join the artists'
workshops held on a regular basis on the farm.
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The enthusiasm is impressive.

Artists Workshop - a Paul Botes landscape
Louise doing her thing - the first
of many masterpieces! |
The Eastern
Free State is perfect for the mountain biker, with miles
of farm and quiet district roads or if you prefer more
difficult mountain tracks are available. The district
roads in the near vicinity are perfect for young children
and the family ride. For the birder there is abundant
bird life to keep you busy around the rock faces and the
3 dams on the farm. Around April each year the Cosmos
is in full bloom and makes a truly wonderful sight throughout
the Eastern Free State. A Cosmos festival, with all manner
of entertainment and exhibitions, is hosted by the nearby
Sandstone Estate to coincide with this spectacular scenery.
The town of Clarens is a popular tourist attraction in
the area offering golf and fishing and the opportunity
to paint or visit the many art galleries in the town.
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In November
the world famous Cherry Festival is held in the Ficksburg
area to coincide with the harvesting of the cherries.
A very full program of entertainment is provided along
with the cherry liqueur to keep you busy for the week.
Golf, Bowls, squash and horse riding are available in
Ficksburg. |
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