In a bygone era ...
Imagine a time when you and your spouse travelled by horse and cart. It is Sunday, and Church is about to start in 6 hours. Hopefield, here we come.
Cart ready to go. 3am in the morning, and you get up and steer the single mare in an easterly direction. You cannot be late for Church service.
That is part of the life of the early west coast farmer living in and around a little place called Twisfontein (Vredenburg).
After church service, you meet and greet all the important people you need to meet, and set back home. And about 5 miles out of Twisfontein you make a pit-stop.
The place was called Juffrou’s Hoogte.
By the turn of the century ...
Built by the turn of the century, the Old farmstead of the farm “Eenzaamheid” (Loneliness), was originally used as a rest-over for travelers coming into Vredenburg by horse drawn cart.
The young ladies or “juffrous” used to freshen up before taking on the last 5 miles into town.
As the farmstead was built on a hill or “hoogte” the town’s people eventually named the place Juffroushoogte.
Today, some 100 years later, Juffroushoogte is still used as a rest-over for the traveler wanting to explore the West Coast and its natural beauty, as it is the largest and most centrally located Guest Lodge in the area.
Acknowledgement: What the Gravel
