Suddenly, five months have gone by. It was January, you’re back from the festive break, blink, it’s now June. There’s only so long one can (or should) keep up the sprint that’s become this modern life of ours; and the approaching winter is a good time to slow down a touch and reward your early year efforts with a midyear break.
I did.
With the keys to a new Volkswagen Touareg in my hand and a few friends in the back, we headed up the N1 on a road trip from Cape Town to the southern border of Lesotho to run the Ultra-trail Drakensberg race. The big SUV was the perfect vehicle, with space for all of us and our gear, and a punchy V6 turbodiesel that gobbled up the 1 400km to Underberg. (You can read more about the design of this cool SUV at visi.co.za.) We did it over a couple of days, overnighting in the delightful little Free State town of Philippolis. I’d never heard of it, but it’s a tranquil country gem slap-bang in the middle of SA, with great accommodation (I can highly recommend the Dusty Vine Hoek Huis) and a couple of pretty great restaurant options.
To inspire your midyear winter break, VISI 138 features a collection of frankly astonishing pods, cabins and cottages, from the Western Cape to the northern tip of Scotland. It’s our fantasy winter getaway trip, and it starts in Bainskloof with a mountain cabin hiding a saucy secret; heads north to De Rust to another that’s dug into the side of a koppie; and then to Pilanesberg, where a small lodge is bringing Afro-modern vibes to its lush surroundings. For the last two, we first cross the border into the Namib Desert to see another sci-fi pod (remember VISI 136, and that Star Wars pod in the Kalahari?), and then leap to the Scottish Highlands to a small stone cabin in the shadow of Ben Loyal mountain.
So go on: light that fire, open up a bottle of good red (see page 78 for inspo), and enjoy the latest issue of VISI magazine.
– Steve Smith, Editor | [email protected]
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