Family Farm Stay in Magaliesburg

Jen and her family recently enjoyed a wonderful stay at Puschka Farm in Magaliesburg.

We packed our food, wine, suitcases, two children and a couple of bikes into the car and headed off mid-afternoon on Friday, expecting a heavy flow of Jo’burgers exiting the city. With surprisingly mild traffic, we made good time and felt the stress slowly leave us as we meandered past the Magaliesberg. As we headed into the Naauwpoort Valley, we were well directed to find Puschka Cottage on Puschka Farm. The friendly, helpful owner of the farm, Peter, met us at the cottage and gave me 10 beautiful, fresh eggs that I’d requested before our arrival.

As I walked through the cottage, I was amazed by the warmth that is often unusual to thatch houses. Peter and Linda have cleverly combined two existing rondavels to create an original, quirky and delightful place for guests to stay. The kitchen was a superbly appointed, quaint area combining the rondavels. The cottage was heated by two large anthracite heaters, as well as a fireplace in the lounge, and fan heaters in the bedrooms, so there was no chance that we were going to be cold. That night we snuggled under down duvets and listened to the silence.

Bright and early, my hubby peeled on his lycra and headed off for a mountain bike ride with the idea to head over Breedt’s Nek Road (a challenging and exhilarating ride, not for the faint hearted). My boys and I decided to explore Puschka Farm before breakfast so off we went, the two of them on their bikes and me with the camera. We headed towards the main farmhouse to look at the Nguni cows, goats, turkeys, chickens and crowing roosters. The morning sunlight was beautiful, bouncing off the small dam near the farmhouse and bringing out the wonderful winter colours of flowering aloes and succulents.

After breakfast, we followed the gravel tracks down to the Hex River, which at this time of year is more of a trickle that winds its way through the area. We discovered a pretty little picnic area and decided to make that our lunch spot for later on. Stepping stones, dusty bum-slides and finding spotted guineafowl feathers made for a fun adventure. On our way back to the cottage, we found a very enthusiastic ostrich who followed us along his fence as far as he could, dancing as he went. The boys even splashed about on the large shallow step of the crystal clear swimming pool when we got back, with no qualms about the freezing temperature of the water.

An afternoon nap recharged our batteries and we headed up into the hills for a late afternoon walk. The beauty of the surrounding mountains and the view down over Puschka Farm was a special way to end the day.

The following morning, as the sun came over the hills, and after enjoying the delicious plunger coffee placed next to my bedside by my loving hubby, we eased into the day with a gentle walk. Later, after reticently packing our suitcases, we made our way down to the farmhouse to say goodbye to our hosts. We were warmly met by Linda, busy in her beautiful farmhouse kitchen, who stopped everything to offer us coffee and show us her incredible, prolific vegetable garden.

The farm is entirely self-sustaining and organic and the huge cabbages, purple cauliflowers and shiny yellow lemons put on an impressive show for us. Their little shop was stocked with fresh produce straight from the garden, goodies that have been bottled on the farm and local produce from their neighbours. I loved listening to Linda talk about her views on permaculture, drip-watering systems, and the Slow Food culture that they adhere to. This is, in part, about knowing where your food comes from, sustainability and about what impact your food choices have on the environment. She is a wealth of knowledge and I would love to attend one of their cooking weekends that they hold on the farm.

What an exquisite place to stay, with friendly, fascinating people and a truly natural experience for the whole family.

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