By Roxanne Reid
As a child I dreamed of climbing the Magic Faraway Tree to find a different world among its branches. Spending a night in a magical Speekhout tree house in the Baviaanskloof made me feel like a kid again with its crooked corners and mismatched colours, its secret garden below.
As a child I dreamed of climbing the Magic Faraway Tree to find a different world among its branches. Spending a night in a magical Speekhout tree house in the Baviaanskloof made me feel like a kid again with its crooked corners and mismatched colours, its secret garden below.
You’ll find the Speekhout tree house 19km east of the Nuwekloof Pass, on the Willowmore side of the UNESCO World Heritage Site that is the Baviaanskloof in South Africa’s Eastern Cape. It’s named for the speekhout, or wild peach tree, which was used to make spokes for the wheels of ox-wagons in the old days. Despite its name, the tree house crouches in a spreading red karee tree.
It seems to have grown organically, fitting around branches and not a straight line to be found. The windows are odd sizes and shapes, and a 10cm-thick polished plank of wood forms the table in the living room.
It seems to have grown organically, fitting around branches and not a straight line to be found. The windows are odd sizes and shapes, and a 10cm-thick polished plank of wood forms the table in the living room.
Living room
There are six beds – a double behind a curtain in the living room, a double and two singles in a bedroom up a few steps around a tight corner. The curtains are all odd, some green with geometric pattern, some plain blue, some rust coloured. A nice touch is the stargazing blind above the double bed in the upstairs bedroom. You can pull it back and watch the stars through the branches as you lie in bed.
Entrance through the garden gate
The outdoor shower looks out on these mountains behind the tree house
Through a door with a porthole window is the bathroom, with its outdoor shower (with hot water) and flush loo, and reed screens for privacy. The shower overlooks twin koppies behind the tree house. There may be six beds, but given that there’s only one shower and loo and the space is compact, I was glad there were only two of us.
Outdoor loo and shower, surrounded by nature
Electricity powers the lights and a microwave in the open-plan kitchen, while the water heater and two-plate cooker run off gas. There’s also a bar fridge.
Kitchen and front door to the garden
Sharing digs with nature
The tree house is not a place for those who freak out at sharing space with insects or a few creepy crawlies. You’re close to nature and nature claims right of way. A little striped mouse also came to visit us on its way from one tree branch to another, straight through the house which now stood in its way.
The tree house is not a place for those who freak out at sharing space with insects or a few creepy crawlies. You’re close to nature and nature claims right of way. A little striped mouse also came to visit us on its way from one tree branch to another, straight through the house which now stood in its way.
Wander the stone paths and see what you can find
Speekhout has a ‘magic forest’ feel to it, lush and green with little stone paths below gnarly trees. The tree branches stretch quite far horizontally, with support beams around 6m or more from the main trunk and tree house.
The braai patio
I loved the upstairs and downstairs decks, the forested area that’s watered from an aqueduct so hen & chickens, plectranthus, ivy, agapanthus and ferns grow in happy profusion. I loved the big old fireplace for cold nights and watching the sunset from the wooden swing bench.
Lovely big fireplace for cold winter nights
I discovered it was good to be short here – I didn’t have to bend to get under the tree branch across the entrance stairs, or between the downstairs and upstairs rooms. My 1.82m husband was slightly less enchanted.
Have a braai in the garden, listen to birds like turtle doves and sombre greenbuls calling, sleep with the curtains open so you can peer out the window into the tree branches when you wake.
Have a braai in the garden, listen to birds like turtle doves and sombre greenbuls calling, sleep with the curtains open so you can peer out the window into the tree branches when you wake.
The tree house seen from the bathroom
The farm was taken over by new owners in January 2017. They plan to rehabilitate the plant and animal life and to replant indigenous cedar trees.
What to do
This is a wonderful place to kick back and do nothing but read a book, but if you’re feeling energetic there’s plenty to do.
What to do
This is a wonderful place to kick back and do nothing but read a book, but if you’re feeling energetic there’s plenty to do.
Swimming pool for hot summer days
- Bring your mountain bike and go riding in and around the kloof.
- Walk one of the trails on the farm. Some of them take you up the mountains for views over the valley, others to seasonal waterfalls and rivers.
- Take your binos on your ramble and look out for birds. You may even see tortoise, klipspringer or mountain reedbuck.
- Take a dip in the above-ground pool near the tree house to cool off in hot weather.
- If you’re keen on rock art, talk to the owners who can tell you where to find some.
- Visit the Baviaans Craft Shop nearby or enjoy tea and a roosterkoek at Vero’s Restaurant on the opposite side of the road (see Baviaanskloof’s unusual tea garden).
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Copyright © Roxanne Reid - No words or photographs on this site may be used without permission from roxannereid.co.za
Guide to the Baviaanskloof Wilderness Area, Eastern Cape
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Copyright © Roxanne Reid - No words or photographs on this site may be used without permission from roxannereid.co.za
