Seniors Autumn 40% Special

We are offering a special 40% discount to seniors between the 2 -6 May and the 9 – 13 May 2011. Book any week nights and the discount applies.

Please quote this “Autumn Special” when booking.



We look forward to hearing from you soon

Stay well

I am the excited owner of a laptop (things happen slowly in the country), and it is with glee that I tell you I am writing this newsletter sitting outside on the grass, surrounded by mountains and the sound of birdsong….ok, also with a dog breathing over each shoulder… I spent the last two days being in reception but not on the computer. We have had our main computer upgraded, with all the usual hiccups… and remote control corrections (a very weird feeling to watch the mouse move of its own accord on your screen). I used the down time to redo all the old photo albums in the lounge. It was an interesting exercise and just inspires looking for more information on the history of Wyndford. We recently received a brochure from 1967 from a guest who now resides in Holland. The rate per person per night was R2.75 with an en suite bathroom 50 cents extra. A deposit of 50 cents was required. (Sorry we can’t beat that but see our last minute special below!) Donkeys and lambs were also around in those days apparently, and although not presently seen at Wyndford, I can report that Eee, Em and You (our resident Emu’s for those who have not met them yet) are well settled in their new paddock and have learnt very quickly to identify the sound of Lucas walking down the road with their bucket of food. It would appear that Autumn is whistling in on the wind. The leaves are starting to turn and fall (messy but fun!) and there is a distinct cooling of an evening. Although we had 16mm rain last night there is still not sufficient in the Caledon to go tubing at present, but the slightly cooler temperatures makes walking and cycling pleasant (is cycling ever pleasant… please tell me it gets easier!) The cosmos is also spectacular this year with whole fields rippling in pink and white. One good reason to let Dozer, Shane, George or Celvin lead the walk from the front is the large number of Golden Orb Spiders with their amazing webbing skills! For all those who have missed the turnoff to Caledonspoort and Wyndford in the past, you will be pleased to know that after 7 years of waiting, as of this week we now have new signage at and around the crossroads. Unfortunately, one or two were put directly behind the old ones. As for other traveling information, we can confirm that there are potholes and road works on all approaches to Wyndford at present!

I leave you with this delightful picture taken recently of two little chaps on the dining room steps putting the world right, with the ever present and patient Dozer lending an ear. Our monthly draw winner this month is Eleanor Smith. We look forward to hearing from you soon and hopefully making use of our last minute special. Greetings from us all at Wyndford.

Quick note about the coming long weekend

We had wonderful thunder storms last night and some good rains this morning. George and I went for an early morning cycle and watched the morning wake up.

Just a reminder that it is a long weekend coming March 19 to 21, and we have a three night minumum stay from Friday to Monday morning, so get organised and enjoy a break from hectic lifestyles! Email us on reception@wyndford.co.za or call the girls on 058-2230274...Don't delay.... see you soon!

February news

Fabulous February already… hello once again from Wyndford.

Well it would seem that this year is speeding by on legs like Emu’s! They now have been called Eee, Em and You and have a habit of disappearing, last week into the forest, with alarming speed. (‘and’ has vanished altogether, and so unfortunately, there are now only three birds) We have a new sport called Emu round up which is a great cardio vascular workout definitely not for the faint of heart!

Sticking with the feathered news – a new species has been sighted at Wyndford, now called the ‘Bearded Sparrow”. This little bird can be seen working furiously fetching and carrying, impersonating Santa, whenever Dodge, our Husky has been brushed! Needless to say, all newborns at Wyndford have very warm cosy nests…..



For all those little boys (and girls and Moms) that have been ‘snake hunting’ with Shane, this picture above is for you! A 60cm Puff Adder found in our garden…this time I was quicker on the uptake and went to fetch Shane and left George to watch the snake!

We have started work on repairing the swing bridges on the Little Caledon. It has been amazing to see the force of the water which pulled and bent chemical bolts out of the rock, but we have managed to salvage the cable and wooden slats so progress is being made (albeit a little slow due to the precarious nature of the bridge…and with only one dunking so far - fortunately not George – I have it on good authority that he doesn’t float so well…….!).

After two years of disappointing fruit crops due to late frosts, we have now had the most wonderful season. We are still waiting for the grapes, quinces and pears to ripen, but have had great jam making sessions already. You can be assured, that all jams served at Wyndford are home grown and made and the pantry is full. Wow! Having said that, there are only so many things you can do with apples, apples and apples. They are fairly dripping off the trees, so we (thanks to Josh, our son, who has just spent three weeks at home) are now into cider making. We have a special press– plus a fair amount of male energy - for extracting the juice …. And now have 150litres of gurgling ‘frog’ noises in the garage! We await to see (or maybe that should be taste) the results…

We have had at least three new guests recently who commented that the driving down the driveway is like finding a little oasis. The gardens are indeed lush after all the rain and a wonderful quiet place to sit and read a good book…. or even just to pretend to read! Snoozing allowed.

It is our intention this year to work towards upgrading all the linen in the rooms. We have traditionally had each room with different patterned duvet covers, but the current trend is for white percale - but then most guest houses don’t have creepy crawly walks with mud, bunny yards for the kids, or Milo served in bed early in the morning. The jury is still out, but be assured we are continually trying to make Wyndford a greater place to be.

A reminder for the energetic among you that the Surrender Hill Marathon takes place on the weekend of the 4th – 6th March in the Fouriesburg Clarens area. (Maybe we should enter Eee, Em and You!)

On behalf of the Wyndford Family
Have a great Month ahead.

I am having difficulty uploading pictures but will keep trying and let you see some up to the minute pics of Wyndford!

And into 2011...

Welcome to 2011… not a soccer ball in sight…plenty of water though!! For all of those who spent the festive season swimming with us, today is the first day of sunshine we have had in 2011. As you can see by the picture below, we, like the rest of the country have had huge amounts of rain. In the first four days of January we had over 100mm…. One does begin to envy the ducks their webbed feet!

This didn’t dampen the spirits however! We still managed to play tennis, swim and play on the jumping castle at the pool, go for long walks in the very lush mountains. We have never had quite so many trips tubing on the river as it has been flowing strongly… a couple of nervous moments when Shane disappeared from sight to emerge through the bushes 300m downriver!!
Sadly to say the water is lapping at our swing bridges on the Little Caledon. The power of the high water has pulled the chemical bolts out of the rocks and bent all the iron stays, so the wood slats and cables are still there but hanging at a superman angle. Hopefully once the waters recede we will be able to rebuild.

We must have known the weather was going to be just so….. all the staff received red rain jackets for Christmas and we became proud parents to four young Emu’s – birds with necks that will keep their heads above water! They are very nervous at present but have made firm friends with the ducks and geese.

Duck (not ours!) and Cherry Pies were on the menu for Christmas and New years eve and a wonderful evening of everyone learning how to Dance with the Wyndford Stars! was had by all.

Father Christmas had no trouble finding our Chimney; maybe this had to do with the fact that we had to send last minute urgent letters (via email) to Santa to let him know which little people were on holiday with us. Cassidy encountered Father Christmas for the first time ever and gave him a run for his money on the fashion stakes!

A reminder for the energetic among you that the Surrender Hill Marathon takes place on the weekend of the 4th – 6th March in the Fouriesburg Clarens area.

On behalf of the Wyndford Family
We would wish you and yours a 2011 filled to overflowing with…..
Real joy and uninhibited laughter; Perfect peace and contentment,
Excitement and Special surprises; Hope for Great tomorrows, And God’s Richest blessings!

One benefit of the terrible fires over the winter, is that the Eastern Free State is now wonderfully green, combine that with the sandstone colours and it is rather spectacular. (Add a few puffy white clouds and clear blue skies and you have a photographer’s dream!) Recent guests visiting the area for the first time were amazed at how beautiful it is!

We have A Duckling…long may she last! As you probably know our ducks are not the best parents. The geese on the other hand are thriving as usual. We have three new pigs… unfortunately Pork chop and his lady are so large ne’er the twain shall meet, so no piglets forthcoming. Dandy has been having riding lessons (yes even horses have to learn!) and will soon be confident enough to take the next generation of Wyndford cowboys and girls up and down the drive.

We are still working on the additional bicycle route up the top of what used to be the Mast. George and I have recently joined the cycling conclave, right at the bottom of the pile (there could be a pun in there)…. I now understand why cycle pants are padded. I must say I prefer down hills and slight bends and do not do sharp corners! It is the only sport we can manage together and I tend to giggle all the way, presumably that will stop once the nerves are overcome!

After watching on in panic recently, while Shane enthusiastically removed a Puff Adder who had wondered in, we decided that for all of our peace of mind, it would be great for him to go on a training course. Up to Johannesburg he went, and spent the day learning about identifying, treatment and handling venomous snakes. He came back with great respect for the snake and a more cautious and educated approach. For those of you who have walked with him, yes, he does still look under all the rocks…

Information overload, could be one way to describe my month of traveling! Learning by osmosis... seeing how various establishments operate, present food, host people, make beds, market themselves...and more. My head is brimming with ideas and as well as points to be aware of. Watching people was another interesting observation, to see how people are living today and what a 'holiday' means, and then hopefully we can provide a better service. Of course there are also the simple lessons like 'do not try to apply permanent lip colour on a London tube or while driving on some South African roads...'

Talking of roads, after doing nearly 3300 kms round South Africa we can report that there are road works with holding periods all over. They are still busy with the Villiers Frankfort section from Joburg as well as the section through Golden Gate over Oliviershoek Pass road past Sterkfontein Dam. Delays also from Rouxville to Ladybrand in the Free State.

It is hard to believe that we are nearly at December. The time of year to chill out with family and friends and regroup. If you have not planned anything yet, there is still some availability – take a few days out to give Moms a ‘cooking free’ holiday, kids a ‘free range’ holiday and dads a …well there is the bicycle route, a great book from the library, lots of good food…..

Looking forward to hearing from you and seeing many of you shortly
Stay well, best regards from
The Wyndford Team
PS Since writing, we have become the proud owners of 10 strapping new quackers, who make our old ducks look like featherweights!