SPRING DAYS along Cheerio Road

Spring at Cheerio Trout Fishing and Holiday Resort on Cheerio Road

Spring is a feeling. It is the stirring of something soft and fragrant in the air, the sudden flash of colour after months of green and grey, the slow exhale of winter. In Magoebaskloof, this season writes its own poetry - in petals, in birdsong and in a radiant dawn that melts into golden afternoons. If you are looking for a place to stay this spring, let your compass needle drift just off the R71 - a sho’t left at Cheerio Road and you’re on your way to a corner of ‘The Mountain’ that feels like a secret garden in full bloom.

This is not just a meandering mountain road, it is a legacy in living colour of families like the Tooleys, Thompsons, Hillarys, McMahons and Nonés who have loved and nurtured these beautiful spaces for generations.  This country road winds past farms, gardens and forest edges where wrought-iron gates and tucked-away turn-offs beckon you to turn in. If you have driven Cheerio Road in the rainy season, we salute you - it can become a mud-fest but oh, the places it takes you!

Visit THOMAC Essential Oils on Cheerio Road

You can stop at Otterholt Farm and meander along a short circular walk through various habitats including the Wolkberg Granite Grasslands.  At Otterholt, the McMahons encourage us all to live gently on this earth whether it is natural building, blacksmithing, mushroom foraging,  or booking a tour of Thomac Essential Oils.  The road forks not long after their farm. Flip a coin, rock-paper-scissors it, or follow your heart - but if you’re in the know, keep left.  This leads to the legendary Cheerio Gardens, a magical masterpiece planted by the inimitable Box Thompson, the epitome of a pioneering woman. 

Africamps at Cheerio Gardens offers glamping options so you can linger longer in the blooms

A spring stroll through Cheerio is like walking through a Monet painting: pink petal pathways under dappled light, with sunbeams swirling through branches heavy with blossom. It is romantic, nostalgic and utterly enchanting.  Africamps at Cheerio Gardens offers glamping tents nestled within this floral fantasy. Think hot tubs on private decks, panoramic views of the gardens and the call of Knysna Turacos echoing through the trees. 

Right next door, Cheerio Trout and Holiday Resort gives spring a different flavour – one with rainbow trout in the dam and the laughter of kids at the pool. Owned by Alf Noné, a true mountain stalwart, this is a purpose-built resort for families, weekenders, pensioners and couples - in fact, for anyone who wants a beautiful nature-stay. Comfortable cottages are surrounded by beautiful gardens, and a kids’ play area for the littlies.

But the journey doesn’t stop here. Sequoia Farm cottages are now in the loving hands of the Tooley clan of Zwakala fame.  While the main gardens are still transitioning into their next chapter, Meadow Cottage, tucked into its own private patch of garden, is cosy, romantic and just the spot for a tranquil Spring break-away if it is not booked for wedding guests. 

Stay at one of the many accommodation options at Zwakala River Retreat along the river.

Apart from the popular cabins along the river and the family-style cottages at Zwakala River Retreat, there’s Noka, a stylish new suite perfect for couples, and the revamped Stables, ideal for families or wedding guests relaxing after the previous night’s celebrations at Minas Art Café or Zwakala Brewery. Everything here at this beautiful place is part of the vibrant ecosystem that is the Tooley family, whose deep-rooted love for the land still blooms in every detail.

Now, if you had taken the right fork back at Cheerio Gardens, you would be visiting Wegraakbosch Organic Cheese Farm, where kids can collect warm eggs from the fields, try their hand at cow-milking and bottle-feed calves under sunny Spring skies. You can book a Ploughman’s platter under the wisteria in full bloom and enjoy farm life at its most joyful.

Pop into Wegraakbosch Organic Farm where the kids can experience farm life and you can do a cheese tour.

The beauty of Cheerio Road lies not just in its gardens, or even in its collection of comfy beds and hot tubs or trout streams. Its magic is in the people - the ones who plant, brew and welcome visitors with open hearts. It is in the layered histories, the floral legacies and the passionate people living in this beautiful place.  So if you are heading to Magoebaskloof this spring, stay a night or three at one of the wonderful accommodation venues in Magoebaskloof. Let ‘The Mountain’ woo you, one blossom at a time.