Nieu Bethesda

Nieu Bethesda is situated between Graaff-Reinet and Cradock, nestled below the Compassberg which is the highest peak in the Sneewberg mountain range. We arrived without planning (as usual!) and landed slap bang in the middle of the annual pumpkin festival called Pump-Palooza. This town has been on our bucket list mainly because of the Owl House but we got a whole lot more than that!

Zonnestrahl is the only camping ground in the area so we checked in there for two nights. Being Easter Weekend and Pump-Palooza there were already a number of other campers so we decided to leave the trailer in the street. The campsite is just a large grassed stand on the outskirts of town with a number of power points, taps and bins, all nicely arranged around an ablution block. We did not plan on spending much time in camp so it was more than adequate. The next day we were asked whether we encountered the ghosts that frequent the grounds. When we laughed disbelievingly we were presented with ‘proof’…

We wasted no time getting back to the centre of the village where the pumpkin judging was underway at the Karoo Lamb Restaurant. There were prizes for the biggest, most beautiful, smallest, best dressed or carved, funniest, sexiest, weirdest and many more. The creativity and competitive spirit of the entrants was amazing and fun was had by all.

Next was the Owl House, which was declared a National Monument in 1991, where we learnt all about Helen Martins and her very troubled life. My only prior knowledge of her was reading the Athol Fugard play ‘The Road to Mecca’. Helen Martins is now considered South Africa’s foremost ‘outsider artist’.

We also visited the Helen Martins Museum the next day where more of her life, her letters and her final will and testament were on display. Totally fascinating!

With all the coffee shops and restaurants around we never made food in camp once! Each breakfast, lunch and supper was enjoyed at a different eatery. Everything about the town was either of historical value or arty/funky, and most food was home made from home grown/cultivated ingredients.

To work off some of the over-indulgence we walked up the hill behind the village to get a bird’s eye view.

Another interesting part of the history was found at the Kitching Fossil Exploration Centre. James Kitching grew up in Nieu Bethesda and was roped in to ‘fossil finding’ by his road builder father who was always collecting bones and stones. Amongst his long list of achievements is the fact that he helped prove the theory of continental drift by finding fossils and rock in Antarctica similar to those in the Karoo.

We were taken down to the river as part of our visit to the Kitching Fossil Exploration Centre. There the guide pointed out fossils that are still embedded in the mudstone. After this visit we found ourselves looking at rock with totally different eyes!

After two days we were ready to move on to the Mountain Zebra National Park. We had a lot of fun and would recommend a visit to this quirky little Karoo village.