Our spacious old home offers
guests three double rooms with en suite showers.
Crisp white linen and towels
are offset by individual colour schemes.
There is safe, off-road parking and a
separate guest entrance from the parking area.
The long, broad passage is
painted gousblom yellow and, above the picture rail, the original
mud plaster
has been exposed. The walls of the passage are lined with Peter’s naïve art and,
without too much encouragement, he will introduce you to the characters that he
uses in his
paintings – his trademark dogs, long-necked camels inspired by the
Owl House in
Nieu Bethesda and “parrotmen”. The lounge, dining room and entrance
area have high pressed steel
ceilings and the floors are polished Oregon boards
throughout.
Fans in the high ceilinged rooms help to overcome the heat of summer
but winter is
red wine weather with the Esse stove in the kitchen, a fire in the
lounge and hotwater
bottles in the beds to stave off the cold.
Smithfield is the third oldest
town in the Free State
and there is plenty of interest for history buffs such as
the Caledon River Museum and the
historical cemetery where Rose Roberts, an
Irish woman with a harp and shamrocks on her
gravestone is buried. What was she
doing in Smithfield in 1878 when she died, so far from home?
For sports
enthusiasts there is golf, tennis and bowls on the well kept bowling green.
The
golf course celebrated its 100th birthday last year and has featured
on Pitch and Putter.
A round of golf in Smithfield will cost you a
fraction of what you would pay in the cities.
There are walks and a trail up the
koppie with much of interest along the way – some rock art,
Boer War graffiti
and indigenous fauna and flora.
Bridwatchers may be lucky enough to spot the
gymnogenes that circle the village in search of
prey or to the shy Bokmakierie
that can often be heard calling early in the morning.
In the district is a farm
where sheep are milked to produce traditional sheep’s milk cheeses
which are
supplied to Woolworths. Visits to this fascinating farm can be arranged.
We have lived in many parts of
South Africa – over 25 years in the Free State – as well as in
Namibia and can
offer a wealth of advice and information to both local and overseas tourists
about interesting routes to take and what to see along the way as well as a few
urban legends!
Experience Free State hospitality and good value – and a
hearty
breakfast to set you on your way!
Peter and Linda Retief
Bokmakierie B & B
5 Wessels St
P O Box 58
Smithfield
9966
Tel: 051 683 0390
083 697 4014 (Peter)
083 206 3932 (Linda)