Short Trip Report – Fairview Estates - Fouriesberg

[Peter Vee]

My hunting & fishing partner and I took our families to Fairview Estates which lies at the end of a 19km valley, which is possibly the most beautiful valley in the Eastern Free State. This farm is situated between Fouriesburg and Clarens, approx 360km from Johannesburg. Notwithstanding the current fuel crisis, we were able to fuel up and topped up in Villiers and Bethlehem so the strike was not a threat to our plans.

Our prime reason for this, our second trip to Fairview Estates was to do some fly fishing for trout and to enjoy the spectacular mountain scenery. Fairview offers their guests three different accommodation possibilities: the secluded De Rust Farm Cottage, the converted grain silos called the Twin Towers and a zooty converted park home on the wall of one of the dams called the Damn Caravan.

It is a working farm, but more importantly as far as I am concerned, it offers 4 rainbow trout dams to fly fish from as well as a spring fed weir system stocked with brown trout. This farm has a rich history with regards to the Boer War, as women of the area and their livestock fled from the enemy and took refuge in the overhanging caves, situated on Fairview Estates. Quite a few Bushmen drawings were also found on the sandstone overhangs on this farm, and it also has it own mini Burkes Luck type of potholes along one of the rivers on the place.

We stayed at the De Rust cottage which easily accommodated our party of 8, and has brilliant views of the surrounding sandstone cliffs and rolling hills, this part of the Free State is really easy on the eye.

For those who are properly cross with themselves, the estate has a demanding Mountain Bike Trail of 26km; I drove 41km on the farm and most of that was on some interesting sections that were signed posted “Diff lock 4x4 Only”. This included a few very steep sections of loose rock, tight turns and water crossings, needless to say the Patrol did not even break out a sweat and my pal, a bona fide Land Cruiser convert had the good manners to say “bliksem this Patrol just flattens the mountains!”

The place also has a 4x4 trail which I never got round to given we did a lot of trout fishing with the best fish being a 2.2 kg rainbow which was released.
All in all we had a super time with our families and will be going back there over the long weekend in August!

[Peter Vee]

"Dawn Patrol"

Leaving at first light to head up the mountains after some trout...

[Peter Vee]

Travelling across the property on one of better gravel sections

[Peter Vee]

Feeling on top of the world ... busy tackling up ... was a very fresh -5 c

[Peter Vee]

View from the stoep ...

[Peter Vee]

My son Jacques busy teasing the trout

[Peter Vee]

Our "lorries" prior to heading back up to the cottage

[Peter Vee]

Makhulu really impressed all once again!

[Peter Vee]

My son Jacques with his / our Patrol ... he must be the world's biggest Voetspore fan and thoroughly enjoyed the outing

[Herrie]

Thanks for the report - very nice