A feast of country pleasures

Bedford offers a lot more than one might imagine and whether you are an avid birder or a tree lover, there are many treasures to be found.

The charming, picturesque Settler village of Bedford, cradled at the foot of
the Kagaberg and regarded as the “jewel” of the Eastern Cape will again be
opening its beautiful gardens to the public during its annual Garden
Festival.
The Country Fair which is once again in the grounds of St. Andrew’s Church offers the visitor plenty to tantalise the senses (sight,smell taste - stock up on Christmas gifts.)

The various stalls offer Deli items, biltong, gardenalia, bath & body and culinary products, hand-crafted gifts, jewellery, fresh produce, potted lavenders and other herbs as well as loads of interesting and delicious goodies.
Mix with the locals over a traditional braai and a cold beer or glass
of wine. Teas & Coffees with a range of cakes will also be available.

Bedford is renowned for its beautiful heritage roses. For the avid gardener,
there will a wide variety of Heritage Rose cultivars available for purchase.

For historical buffs, there’s a wealth of history to explore in the area. The
churches and many of the buildings and houses are wonderful examples of early
architecture.

Spring comes early to this area of the Eastern Cape and October is the prime
month for viewing the unique landscaping and the wonderfully-picturesque
settings of the extensive farm and town gardens. Visitors can stroll through
masses of roses, daylilies, hydrangeas and hellebores and other plant varieties
or wander across emerald green lawns to discover some hidden garden treasure – a
water feature or a fascinating plant. There are more than 24 splendid town and
farm gardens to choose from.

Visit the website where you will find the full list of planned events and suggested itineraries.

It is a good idea to plan your trip in advance so that you can take in as much as possible and have a truly memorable “Bedford” experience.

For detailed information please visit their website by clicking on the logo :-

Bedford Garden Festival

Bedford Garden Festival

Dates: 24 Sep 2011
Location: Loerie

The 20th Loerie Naartjie Festival takes place on the 24 September 2011. As always, it promises a day of family filled fun – on sale will be farm vegetables, pancakes, wors rolls, hamburgers, biltong, home-made jams and of course naartjies!

The Mej. Nartjiefees competition is presented by Style Models.

The participants of the naartjie-eating contest can look forward to winning great cash prizes.

Entertainment for the day include live performances by local stars such as Juanita Du Plessis, Pieter Smith and Arno Jordaan.

Contact: Gamtoos Tourism on +27 (0)42 283-0437

For all the details and information please visit the official website by clicking on the naaartjie:

Loerie Naartjie Festival

Accommodation: Bed and Breakfast:Port Elizabeth

When planning your next visit to Port Elizabeth and are needing to find the perfect place to stay over, look no further.

Homeleigh Halt Guest House offering your bed & breakfast or room only/self catered options, is ideally situated on Main Road, Walmer, with easy access to everything!

We invite you to….be our guest!

1 – 3 July 2011

Pack your bags and head to Kirkwood because nobody should miss this one!

10 years of celebrations are just beginning…..

The Eastern Cape’s fastest growing festival is turning ten this year and is celebrating … wildstyle !!

The 2011 ABSA Kirkwood Wildsfees is raising the bar on its winning recipe of wild activities, including live performances by top South African artists, a wine, jazz and gourmet food lifestyle expo, Kids Zone fun, adrenaline rides, 300 specialist stalls, a massive beer tent, the Isuzu 4×4 Extreme Challenge, a premier game auction, agricultural and wildlife expos, and much more…

Continuing its commitment to nature conservation, the 2011 ABSA Kirkwood Wildsfees is hosting a sustainable energy expo for the first time.

Head on over to the official website  – you need a while to digest all the events that have been planned for you……….right here

Homeleigh Halt Guest House wishes you great success with the upcoming 10th anniversary festival.

We will certainly be there to enjoy!

When next in Port Elizabeth, Homeleigh Halt Guest House invites you to “be our guest…”

You are welcome to stay on a bed and breakfast basis or room only.

15 & 16 July 2011

 At the foot of the Boschberg Mountain lies the quaint town of Somerset East in the Karoo, home to the annual Castle Lager East Cape Biltong Festival.

The Festival, started in 1991, draws hundreds of visitors to this Karoo town each year, where festivalgoers enjoy the local food, entertainment, culture and the variety of items sold at any of the stalls.

The Festival runs from 15 to 16 July this year and is a true celebration of Karoo living! 

Celebrating its 21st year, organisers encourage visitors to “come hang” with them and enjoy the variety of crafts, delicious food and interesting curios on sale at the Somerset East Showgrounds.

 There’s entertainment for the whole family in the form of children’s rides, music and competitions, along with some of the country’s most loved performers who will entertain the crowd. An endless array of activities for the young and old are also on offer.

The highlight of the Festival is of course the abundance of biltong on sale, from kudu and chicken to buffalo and even giraffe; there is a variety for everyone and the chance to try out something a little bit different.

 Entrance fees to the Festival:

Friday: R50 for adults and R20 for scholars.

Saturday: R60 for adults and R20 for scholars.

Visit the website for more information by clicking here: Castle Lager Biltong Festival – Somerset East

Homeleigh Halt highly recommends a visit to the Biltong Festival in this charming Karoo town. Lynn and Jarrod will be there!

For accommodation when in Port Elizabeth, Homeleigh Halt Guest House, offering comfy beds and divine breakfasts, invites you to “be our guest….”

For our visitors from abroad: Local English speaking people refer to the Tangerine as a Naartjie, and in our other local language – Afrikaans – it is a Nartjie.

This is the 19th “Nartjiefees” and promises to be bigger and better than ever before.

Live entertainment will be provided by numerous South African artists such as Marinus van Rooyen, Karoolus en Lente,Franz Geldenhuys, Jaycee Crause, Bobby Angel, Karlien Husselman, Pieter Smith and Nicholis Louw.

Much enjoyment can be had at the Naartjie eating competition and to feast the eyes the crowning of ‘Miss Nartjiefees’.

 InterCape Bus Service

• People wishing to make use of InterCape Bus Service to and from Port Elizabeth to attend the festival can do so by contacting the undermentioned:-
•  Persone wat van Interkaap se vervoer vanaf Port Elizabeth en terug gebruik wil maak, kan hulle plekke bespreek by:                          

Annamarie – 041 586 0750

How to get there:

Follow N2 from Port Elizabeth or Humansdorp/Jeffreys Bay. Take the Hankey turnoff and follow directions to Loerie.

Stall holders places still available in various categories.

Contact:   (042) 287 0634 or ngkerkloerie@lantic.net
 

View more information on this unique and beautiful area of our country by visiting the following website: Gamtoos Tourism.

To view the full program of events for the week-end visit: Loerie Nartjiefees

When next in Port Elizabeth be sure to book your room at Homeleigh Halt Guest House, Bed & Breakfast style.

Your place to stay in Walmer, Port Elizabeth.

The Blue Crane Route Municipality has hosted this incredible event, celebrating Karoo food, especially Biltong, and the Karoo way of life since it was initiated in 1991 by the Swaershoek Farmers’ Union, and the local Chamber of Commerce.

The Biltong Festival / Fees is presented by the Blue Crane Route Municipality, and made possible by the generous sponsorship provided by Castle Lager.
The event takes place at the Somerset East showgrounds.

As with the previous Biltong Festivals, this one promises to be a great success, luring festival goers from far and wide with the promise of great music, to suit all tastes; over 300 stalls, and the opportunity to party long into the night, in the Castle Lager Beer tent and the Bokjol!
The stalls will be selling a variety of products: but especially kudu in all its forms – Kudu burgers, Kudu wors and, of course, Kudu Biltong

View the 2010 Biltong Festival programme.

Port Elizabeth Bed & Breakfast: Homeleigh Halt: Walmer

 Absa Kirkwood Wildlife Festival – the wildest ‘jol’ in South Africa! – Rated as one of the top festivals in the country is taking place from June 4th to 6th this year.
Kirkwood has something for everyone in the family.

The festival features 320 specialist stalls, free entertainment all weekend, the Eastern Cape’s biggest wine fair, kids entertainment (funfair rides and our favourite clown duo Popsi and Hobi), gourmet food and the most amazing car displays.

Top artists include Prime Circle, Juanita Du Plessis, Kurt Darren, Dozi and Nianell, as well as the Soweto String Quartet.

For cat lovers – a must see is the Cat show Champs.

Take in the “freeflight” owl show in the “Walk on the Wildside” tent and get up close some some of our country’s scariest creepy crawlies and snakes.

One of the country’s biggest game auctions takes place on Saturday 5th.

For the full programme, entrance fees etc. please visit the website http://www.wildsfees.co.za

Accommodation in Port Elizabeth – bed & breakfast at Homeleigh Halt Guest House.

The original Elephant section of the park was proclaimed in 1931, when only eleven elephants remained in the area – today this finely tuned ecosystem is sanctuary to over 450 elephants, Cape buffalo, black rhino, a variety of antelope species, as well as the unique flightless dung beetle, found almost exclusively in Addo. And their Addo has only just begun. with plans to expand the  164 000 ha Addo National Elephant Park into a 360 000 ha mega-park. In addition, plans include the proposed proclamation of a 120 000 ha (296 500 acre) marine reserve that includes islands that are home to the world’s largest breeding populations of Cape gannets and second largest breeding population of African penguins.
FACTS:
•The park conserves no less than five of South Africa’s seven biomes?
•Is also home to one of the densest African elephant populations on earth?
•It is home to the unique flightless dung beetle?
•Addo incorporates the largest coastal dune field in the southern hemisphere?
•The park boasts the Big Seven, (elephant, rhino, lion, buffalo, leopard, southern right whale and great white shark)?
•It also protects the world’s largest Cape gannet breeding population on Bird Island.

Homeleigh Halt Guest House is a mere 50km from the park and if you do not feel like a self drive outing, we can arrange a tour with a highly qualified field guide for you.

Accommodation: South Africa: Port Elizabeth

Initially introduced as fodder for stock and hedging, these fruity fellas thrived under the South African sun and went forth and multiplied. So much so, that in 1937 the Eastern Cape Agricultural Board declared the crop an ‘alien undesirable’ that had to be erradicated. Half a century later there was an about turn and now the prickly ‘cactus pear’ or ‘Indian fig’ enjoys a legitimate crop status.

 In 1987 the Cuyler Manor Museum held the first Prickly Pear Festival and attendance has grown to over 15 000 visitors. Today the Uitenhage Museum (comprising Drostdy Museum, Old Railway Station Museum and the Cuyler Manor Museum) is also the only institution with a licence to distill raw spirit from the prickly pear.

This fun family festival is usually held in late February or early March at Cuyler Hofstede farm near Uitenhage, just outside of Port Elizabeth (The Eastern Cape’s Nelson Mandela Bay).

Kids will find plenty of cool things to do.

Grumbling tummies won’t go hungry and you will be spoilt for choice with an array of yummy traditional food such as ginger beer, pancakes, potjiekos, home-made jam, a spit braai and fish braai, bunnychow and home-made puddings on offer.

Of course the star of the show features as a prime ingredient and you can buy all manor of ‘pear products’ ranging from pickles and jams to prickly pear witblits, the local moonshine distilled in 19th Century copper stills.

17-th – 18th July 2009 in Somerset East.

It is a mere 2 hour drive from us.

You will be entertained non stop for two days by some of S.A’s top artists such as:

MANGO GROOVE
JASON (IDOLS)
JUANITA DU PLESSIS
THEUNS JORDAAN
CHRISTO & COBUS
MALAIKA
LIANIE MAY
NIC STEVENS
MARIUS DE BRUYN
ZANDRE
EMO ADAMS
ANDRIES VERMEULEN
STU DAVIDSON
KAAPSE KLOPSE
DR VICTOR & THE RASTA REBELS
DOZI.

There are a wide variety of stalls, an aerobatics display, helicopter flips….and much much more.

Of course the most important attraction is the biltong. Now for those of you who did not know this, good ”biltong” must surely rate as the most sought after snack, meal, rugby accompaniment, gift…………..well the list goes on and on.

So I have sent my son off to Somerset East to source the most divine biltong and wors ( For my international friends…biltong is meat which is spiced and allowed to dry, made from beef or venison (local buck like kudu, springbok, nyala etc.), then of course there is ostrich, chicken and meat  from other big game animals.

Droe wors (Dry Sausage) is divinely spiced minced meat – piped into a sausage skin- allowed to dry. mmmmm an absolute must have!

If you are not near enough to us this time round, be sure to diarise the not to be missed festivals that take place in June and July annually: Billabong Pro Surfing (Jeffreys Bay), Grahamstown National Arts Festival, Kirkwood Wildlife Festival, Biltong Festival (Somerset East).

Stay at Homeleigh Halt and take a drive along for the day to any one of these not to be missed festivals.

 Entrance Fees to the showgrounds for the day cost ZAR 45.00 for and adult and ZAR 20.00 for a child of school going age.

Use our convenient currency convertor to see what this would cost you if you a visitor from outside of South Africa.