Walk in the footsteps of legendary military strategists like Shaka and Winston Churchill in the KwaZulu-Natal Battlefields. The area consists of fascinating countless battlefield sites, historic towns, national monuments and museums of the battles between the British and Zulus. Penny Farthing is a country house and is situated on a cattle and game farm in the heart of the KwaZulu-Natal Battlefields. The owner's wife is a descendant of Dougald McPhail, founder of the town of Dundee and one of the few survivors of the battlefield Isandlwana.
The Penny Farthing house consists of five en-suite bedrooms, all opening up to the lush green garden with big French doors. Each room is decorated in solid wooden, antique furniture and fabric, enhancing the theme of old farm style luxury. An old fort was also converted into a unique en-suite bedroom, so the guests may experience what wartime lodging was like, but with added style. All rooms have electrical blankets for cold winter nights and a ceiling fan for hot summers days. The surrounding area is mostly bushveld, with a blend of savannah and the climates are fair to hot in the day for most of the year.
A big fireplace in the lounge of the Penny Farthing creates warmth on the cold winter nights, and guests can enjoy an interesting conversation with their favorite drink, supplied by the small bar at Penny Farthing. Follow down a flight of stairs to the impressively spacious dining room. Meals are served in this antiquely decorated room. A Victorian bookcase, filled with a collection of African books for guests to enjoy, is proudly displayed in the wide passage way off the dining room.
The Penny Farthing farmhouse, offers tours of the famous battlefields, with an expert on the subject. The house is built in the middle of the famous battle grounds, close to the Rorke’s Drift, Isandlwana and Blood River. With his vast knowledge on the happenings of this famous area, even the most uninterested person, cannot help but be intrigued and enticed into the rich history of this Country. There is a large swimming pool to cool off in on those hot, summer days. The large garden with fish pond creates a lovely, relaxed atmosphere. There are quite a few hiking trails that are quite easy and safe to follow. Some even lead to the dam, which supplies the water for the vegetable gardens, and is richly filled with various fish species. The surrounding area has a great variety of birdlife, and it is a treat to spot so many species in one place. |
