Founded in the early days of the gold rush was Pilgrim’s Rest where Alec ‘Wheelbarrow’ Patterson came across gold in a stream – the news spread rapidly and in 1873 the town was officially declared a gold field. The quaint town has successfully maintained the charm of yesteryear and captured the essence of the gold heydays. For this reason, the entire town has been declared a National Monument and visitors will feel as though they have stepped back in time.
It’s well worth a stop and the village is home to many fine old buildings and churches, arts and crafts and other items of interest. There are two nature reserves in the surrounding area and the town is en-route to Graskop and the spectacular Blyde River Canyon area.
