From the perspective of a nearby koppie, the few buildings that make up Old Thomas River are dwarfed by the surrounding farmland.
Just 25 km inland from Stutterheim’s only traffic light, there’s a turn-off down a dirt road that winds its way south through golden grassland where cows graze next to occasional herds of springbok. This is the road to Old Thomas River The sun is low in the sky. Above the opposite horizon, a sickle moon dangles next to the evening star. I don’t know what to expect. Old Thomas River – it sounds like a down-and-out blues lament sung by a drifter with a Stetson hat and dirt under his fingernails. Or a new kind of aftershave.
After 4 km, farmland gives way to a few buildings that glow invitingly in the dusk… and then they disappear. Was that it? I can say one thing upfront: Thomas River is tiny.
I do a U-turn and pull up in front of two petrol pumps from an era when a full tank cost R6,45. A few other weekenders have also just arrived – they stand in the twilight and look around admiringly. Everything is so orderly; I feel like a figurine in a life-size model train set.
The bar behind the petrol pumps seems to be the focal point of the village. That’s where I meet Jeff Sansom, a businessman from East London who, along with his wife Ann, is responsible for restoring the village.
“Thomas River is often compared to Matjiesfontein in the Cape,” Jeff says. “We’ve tried to keep the buildings as original as possible to maintain the pioneer character of the place.”
Thomas River was named after a British Army deserter, Thomas Bentley, who was killed by a poison arrow during a Bushman raid while his party was en route to Grahamstown in 1801. The railway arrived towards the end of the Frontier Wars, and the village flourished for a while as a stopover on the increasingly busy route from East London to the diamond- and goldfields up north. But prosperity didn’t last long. The last train passed through the village in 1948, before the railway line moved 6 km to the east, following a more direct route to Queenstown.
In subsequent decades the general dealer and butchery closed their doors, unable to compete with bigname retailers in Stutterheim and Cathcart, and by the time the Post Office was shut down in 1989 the village looked set to go the way of a hundred other ruined settlements that dot the Eastern Cape interior.
Enter Jeff and Ann in 2002, and the “new” Old Thomas River. They saw potential in the tumbledown buildings and set about turning back the clock. “We’ve had a steam engine donated to us,” Jeff tells me. “The only problem is that it runs on tracks that don’t exist any more. But once we can find the tracks, we’ll bring the engine here from Krugersdorp and the transformation will be complete.”}
THOMAS RIVER’S NEXT surprise is that it doesn’t begin and end at the village. “The whole farming district is a 31 000 ha conservancy,” explains John Potter, an ex-farmer who now acts as conservancy manager. “Wehave healthy populations of antelope as well as wilder areas that are great for hiking and birding.”
John takes me on a tour in his bakkie. It’s as if we’re driving into a watercolour painting: brown and purple hills under a pale-blue sky dotted with fluffy-sheep clouds. The sheep on the ground are fluffy too – it’s shearing season and they have no idea that they’re about to lose their coats. I stick my elbow out of the window. The world feels all right when you’re bumping along a farm road ona sunny Eastern Cape morning.
John notices my smile. “If you think it’s fun in a bakkie, you should try it on a bike,” he says. “I’m almost70 but I still ride the Mountain Bike Challenge every year.”
The Mountain Bike Challenge is Thomas River’s pride and joy. The conservancy opens up its roads and tracks, and the village hosts the after-party. Last year there were 187 cyclists, and the winner went home with a whole frozen sheep and more blesbok biltong than he could carry.
After spending two days here, it’s quite clear that your watch slows down in Thomas River. It’s a fine place to visit if you plan to do nothing except breathe the clean country air, but there’s lots more to see and do if you want to work up an appetite for the famous Sunday carvery.
1. Explore the village
Each restored building in Old Thomas River has a story to tell. Jeff Sansom knows them all and he’ll happily show you around. The village library, for example, used to be a school – a few of the older members of the Thomas River farming community remember reciting their times tables there.
Jeff also has a collection of old cars, car parts and other paraphernalia, all housed in theMotor Museum. “I’malways getting phone calls from other enthusiasts looking for parts,” he says. “We usually work out some exchange system.”
If you’ve been desperately searching for a 1962 Mercedes camshaft, perhaps Jeff’s your man.
There’s also a museumdedicated to early modes of transport, with all sorts of wagons as well as a 1929 Rugby Motorhome, which Jeff occasionally fires up. “She still runs like a dream,” he assures me.
Jeff is usually in East London during the week, so it’s best to visit on a weekend.
The Rock Art Centre is operated by Victor Biggs (pictured above), an ex-farmer who has turned his attention to preserving this threatened heritage. His methods may not be conventional (Victor searches for new rock art sites using a dowsing rod), but an hour spent in his company is a fascinating experience.
The inside of the centre looks like a cave, and Victor has reproduced a number of artworks on the walls. He uses these illustrations to great effect when describing the spiritual significance of rock art to the Bushmen.
Victor can also take you on an outing to a number of real rock art sites in the vicinity. “The Eastern Cape has some of the most interesting rock art in the country,” he says.
Cost: A donation will get you into the centre. An outing costs R50 per person or a minimum fee of R250. Contact: 045 843 1369 ; linvic@thomasriver.co
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3. Fish for trout
If you’re in the mood for a bit of fly-fishing, buy a permit at the Ramble Restaurant in the village and take a drive up to Reigate Dam, on the top of the Amatole escarpment.
Even if you’re not planning to fish, the dam is worth a visit. On a clear day you can see all the way to the mountains of the southern Drakensberg.
Follow the circular dirt road out of the village in either direction and look for the signpost to the dam when you can’t get any closer to the mountains. Drive through the farmgate and follow the road all the way to the top. It’s rough and steep – best tackled in a bakkie with high ground clearance.
Cost: R75 a day for trout fishing, R30 a day for bass fishing.
Contact: John Potter 082 575 4923 ; john@thomasriver.com
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4. Cycle into the Kei Valley
About 2km down the N6 in the direction of Stutterheim, there’s a signpost that points left to the farming district of Henderson. This dirt road leads down to a junction with the road to Bacela, a dead end overlooking the confluence of the Thomas and Kei rivers.
This is where the fun starts. Park your car at the junction and get on your mountain bike. The scenery is incredible. The grassland of the plateau is long gone – nowyou’re deep in a gorge peppered with thorn trees, where baboons bark at you from steep cliffs. It’s 25km from the junction to Bacela, so you can decide howfar you want to ride. The road is washed out in places, but it’s not too strenuous and you probably won’t see another person on the whole route.
Just next to the police station, about a kilometre west of the village down a signposted road, you’ll find the stone base of the old water tower, where steam locomotives would stop to refill their water tanks. At the bottom of the hill, you can also marvel at the tall stone pillars that used to support the railway bridge over the river.
The most interesting ruin is an old ganger’s cottage on the hill next to the N6, about 5km from the Old Thomas River turn-off in the direction of Cathcart. It’s said that the ghost of the ganger – Jono Trowbridge, whose grave is next to the cottage – hovers next to the road, offering work to those who pass by on a dark night. The place is called Funa Umsebenzi, Xhosa for “Do you want work?”
The ruins can be difficult to find, so it’s best to consult John Potter, the Thomas River Conservancy manager, before you go looking for them.
Do you want to attract owls to your garden? Buck Smith, who farms on the other side of the N6, can make you an owl box.`
“The type of box depends on the type of owl you want to encourage,” he says. “A barn owl needs a landing strip, an eagle owl likes a penthouse with an all-round view, and a wood owl prefers a narrow box with a hole at the top. Owls are fussy: The boxes need to be coated with a special stain that is totally odourless.”
Buck usually keeps an owl box or two in stock, but it’s best to phone ahead and order one. You can pick it up from his farm when you arrive.
Cost: Between R200 and R300, depending on the box. Contact: 045 843 1312 ; 072 109 6334
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7. Top it off with Sunday lunch
On the first Sunday of every month there’s a buffet carvery at the Ramble Restaurant. It’s popular with day-trippers from East London, so it’s important to book in advance.
Sit back in the sunshine and take your time over a bowl of hot butternut soup, followed by roast beef and pork, potatoes like your granny made them, a variety of salads and sponge pudding with cream for dessert.
Don’t stress if you visit in the middle of the month; you can also order a delicious à la carte meal. The restaurant is open for dinner from Wednesday to Saturday, and for lunch on Sundays.
How do I get there?
Thomas River is 4km off the N6, halfway between Cathcart and Stutterheim.
Accommodation
You can stay in the stationmaster’s house or the station foreman’s house, which have been converted into self-catering cottages (R120 per person a night for one or two people, R90 per person for three or more).
A larger group can stay in the old Post Office, which is now a hiking hut with 16 beds (R50 a night with bedding, R40 a night without).
There’s also a campsite and caravan park (R50 a pitch), as well as a number of reasonably priced self-catering cottages in the surrounding conservancy (varying from R100 a night for the house and R50 per person for a large group to a flat rate of R120 per person for a small group).
Contact
Michelle White-Phillips ( 045 843 1504 ; www.oldthomasriver.co.za) for info about accommodation in the village; and John Potter ( 082 575 4923 ; www.thomasriver.com) for info about accommodation in the conservancy.
Eat out
Ramble Restaurant 045 843 1504
Cellphone reception?
There’s good reception in the village, but you might lose the signal up at the Reigate Dam or on the road to Bacela.
Fuel and an ATM?
Both are available in Cathcart (23km away) and Stutterheim (25km away).
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The Thomas River Mountain Bike Challenge
Bike Challenge takes place on 1 November. The marathon (65km) and half-marathon (42km) are quite technical, with steep hills, single-track sections and a few river crossings.
The fun ride (35km) follows an easier route, mostly on dirt roads and if you’re feeling lazy there’s also an 8km doddle.
If you don’t feel like cycling you can cheer on the competitors from the sidelines and enjoy the festive atmosphere in the village.
Cost
Entry fees range between R50 for the 8km ride and R110 for the marathon. Any entries received after 27 October, including those on the day, will cost an extra R30. Contact
Visit www.thomas river.com/Biking.htm to download an entry form, or call John Potter 082 575 4923 for more information.
This has to be one of the most beautiful areas of the Eastern Cape. Spent time on Ferndale with Butch and Jen James. If you want everything in a weekend then thats the place to go!!!!!
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