If you happen to find yourself traversing the beautiful Champagne Valley in the Central Drakensberg, you should stopover and spend a day or two at Ardmore Guest Farm.
The Champagne Valley is located below the three highest peaks in South Africa – Mafadi, Injisuthi Dome and Champagne Castle.
Ardmore Guest Farm started as a maize farm and when your hosts – Paul and Sue Ross, bought it in 1998, it was a working dairy farm. They transformed it into a notable organic timber farm that supplies logs to local paper mills.
They also wanted to share the beauty of the area with visitors and have continually upgraded the guest accommodation on the farm. The result is a country or farm holiday experience that the whole family will be talking about for some time.
Accommodation at Ardmore Guest Farm
Ardmore Guest Farm provides cosy farm-style accommodation on a bed and breakfast basis. There are seven accommodation options available for guests – each one unique in its character and offering. In total, there are 16 units with either one, two or three bedrooms.
Their Thatched Mountain-Facing Cottages are spacious 2-bedroom, thatched mountain-facing units that come with separate bedrooms with King-sized and single beds. A large covered veranda overlooks the stunning peaks of the Champagne Valley.
Or you can stay in the Thatched Mountain-Facing Chalets. The main bedrooms has a four-poster Queen-size bed. The units have an additional two bedrooms sharing a bathroom/shower.
The chalets also have spacious lounge with a fridge and log fireplace that open onto a large covered veranda.
There is also a Thatched Mountain-Facing Bungalow, which is furnished with a King-size bed in the main bedroom. It opens onto a covered verandah.
You can opt for their Two-Bedroom Mountain-Facing Suite. This unit comes with two separate spacious Queen-size en-suite bedrooms. The unit is fronted by an undercover patio.
The Garden-Facing Queen Suite is furnished with a King-size bed in the main bedroom. It opens onto a covered veranda.
Ardmore Guest Farm guests are also fond of the Thatched Garden-Facing Bungalow. With a King-size bed in the main bedroom, the unit opens onto a private garden.
All the units have en-suite bathrooms with Jacuzzi spa baths and wood fireplaces. There is also a fridge and tea/coffee making facilities in every room. Free Wi-Fi is available in the main lodge complex and the guest rooms.
There is also a Two-Bedroom Pet-Friendly Mountain-Facing Self-Catering Cottage. This pet-friendly self-catering cottage has two en-suite bedrooms. One bedroom has a double bed and the other with two single beds. It has a spacious kitchen as well as a dining area and lounge with fireplace.
The unit has a large fenced yard. There is a vehicle access gate as well as a pedestrian access gate to the yard. This cottage has magnificent mountain views as well as garden views. It is set back from the other units and has a nice large lawn in front of the cottage. Your hosts allow for a maximum of two dogs (no higher than knee height).
Facilities at Ardmore Guest Farm
Previous Ardmore Guest Farm guests point out the great food that they had during their stays. While accommodation is on a bed and breakfast basis, a three-course lantern-lit dinner is an optional extra.
Drakensberg activities
There is plenty to keep you busy at Ardmore Guest Farm. Visit the Ardmore ceramic art museum; try swimming, bass fishing and bird watching at their large farm dam; join the kids at the jungle gym, trampoline and table tennis.
Or you can take in the fantastic views of Champagne Castle Mountain on a stroll, bike ride or hike around the farm.
At their beautiful tea garden, you can enjoy light lunches, tea and scones and apple pie. There is an Honesty bar, where you can enjoy sundowners, play a game of pool, table tennis, or foosball or watch some satellite TV in the pub.
Reviews from Ardmore Guest Farm guests
“Great place to stay a couple of days. Lots of things to do nearby. Large rooms… Restaurant is very charming, they serve good food for dinner, which is included. There are amazing views all around,” wrote sleyn693879 on their TripAdvisor page.
tpenfo292704 added; “Super friendly lodge with access to Monks Cowl and Cathkin hikes. The breakfast and dinners are excellent. The rooms were well appointed with a great shower, all around very comfortable. This is a working farm so a treat to see fresh vegetables growing, herds of sheep and goats as well as horses. We would definitely stay at Ardmore again.”
“We are a family of 4 Seniors wanting a relaxing visit together. Ardmore was a great choice. The cottage had 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, a comfortable lounge and a lovely fireplace. We had a short walk to the main building where our meals were provided. Breakfast was included and the evening meal was well prepared and a fair price. The bar is on the honor system. There are many short drives which we took for lunch,” said Tess182.
Ardmore Guest Farm is located at property D275, off the R600, Winterton, KwaZulu-Natal. For bookings, call +27 76 267 0969 / +27 36 468 1164 / +27 87 997 1194 or WhatsApp +27 83 789 1314 or email info@ardmore.co.za. Alternatively, you can do your bookings online HERE. Here is their location on Google Maps. Also follow them on Facebook HERE.
