Midlands Meander - the Final Lap

I shake my head when I look back at our joyride through the rolling green hills of the Midlands Meander in Kwazulu Natal; how did we manage to do all this in one day?

Starting the day with an early-morning game drive at Tala Collection Game Reserve, followed by a delicious hearty breakfast, catching up and saying goodbye to the wedding guests from the night before, and then tackling the Meander, it is an understatement to say it was a full day!

I then shared Mischief on the Midlands Meander - A Rocky Ride
where we had two pit stops, one at the Blueberry Cafe on Netherwood Farm where I tried highjacking an old Humber, and onto that perilous rocky road up to the Swissland Cheese Farm.

We left Swissland Cheese Farm where I heaved a sigh of relief that our car did not roll down the mountain hill, and were on our merry way to the many sights, aromas, shops, and fun activities at Piggly Wiggly in Lion's River, near Howick.

The R103 road is the main road on the Midlands Meander. Sad to say the road is not in the good state it once was, we were pothole-spotting again, with a couple of backseat drivers in the car.

The beautiful countryside with its farmlands and stunning green landscapes, is a real joy. The small waterfall in my first image was a must-stop, where we listened to the sound of water cascading, breathed in the fresh country air, and just enjoyed the natural beauty this area is known for. Everything was green all around, as summer is the rainy season in KZN, and we've had an exceptionally high rainfall to date.

As an aside, most of the province has had damaging rain the past couple of days, with roads washed away, damage to cars, and homes, accidents, and some lives lost.

However, back to the road trip, on arrival at Piggly Wiggly, the sight of a 120 metres Zipline greeted us, really an easy one that even an oldie like me could do, but did not tackle!

Piggly Wiggly is the ideal venue for families, with fun activities for little ones, a coffee shop with the best coffee and delicious eats around, plus many artisanal shops.
The small buildings are built around a 'plain' of lush green lawns, where little ones are entertained or entertain themselves.
The biggest pig in the southern hemisphere calls this his home, but we did not get to see him, likely hiding away in the shade and snoring away, as it was a very hot day!

Doug and Barry greeted us as we started walking around the little shops; a lovely mosaic done by Sarah Pryke, and here is their sad story with a happy ending:

A close-up view of Doug, or Barry, I'm not sure who is who!

There is a jungle gym, train rides, putt-putt, an educational dinozone, and an animal/reptile park, which I would not want to see, plus the zipline, pony and bike rides.

They really offer something for everyone, with many little shops offering experiences as well as shopping options that one will not find in a big city shopping mall - from hides at the leather shop, an art gallery, botanical bath body products, home decor, books, hand-crafted furniture, homemade nougat products: nougat bars, nougat biscuits, and nougat ice cream as well.

We headed for a shop specializing in mohair, as the friend who came along had to buy mohair socks for his Dad. I ended up buying a nice scarf for Cynthia, my one staff member.

There even was a little French Shop!

Gorgeous kids' clothing.

One can indulge in chocolate dipping, candle dipping, ceramic painting, go for a wine tasting, and buy, at the Highgate Wine Estate which is right next door.

We said our goodbyes to Piggly Wiggly and spotted the entrance to their residential Estate right next door to the vineyards; this must be real laidback tranquil living.

Hitting the road again, and onto the popular HIVE^s of Peels Honey; no I'm just kidding, of course, it was to the little Peels Honey Shop we were heading. The big sign is on a shipping container that I imagine must be used as a storage facility as well, as the shop is really small, but filled to the brim with honey and bee products of every kind.
Honeycombs, honey on tap, bottled raw non-irradiated honey, creamed honey, honey-butterscotch candy, nut brittle, medicinal as well as beauty propolis products, beeswax soaps, candles, and understandably honey packaged in every which way you could think of!

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Naturally, the last pitstop on any road trip of course is the loo, a very colourful wall led us that way.

It was getting late in the day after all these adventures, so we could not stop at the famous Nelson Mandela Capture Site at Howick where the famous anti-apartheid activist and politician was arrested, whereafter he spent 26 years of his life in prison.
We will be back to pay a visit to the visitor's centre to see the world-renowned sculpture. One can watch a virtual tour of the Capture Site.

I have to end on a sad note, and a sentiment many South Africans share, that it is a tragedy to see how this wonderful humanist's vision has been tarnished by corrupt leaders who are destroying our beautiful country.

A big sigh, but, there are many non-profit organizations, such as our very own Hiver, @papilloncharity, and many individuals with vision in our country, who keep on toiling to better the lives of the poorest of the poor, and preserve South Africa's natural beauty, and diverse tourism industry.

Back on the N3 highway to traffic, much-needed road works ahead, but feeling relaxed after our very busy one-day road trip to the Midlands Meander.

I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!

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