Rock of Ages
The San believed this to be a magical place. It is. You can feel the magic before you even drive through the gates of the property to follow the long and winding, bumpy road to the main house.
Situated on ley lines and tucked away in the red Cederberg mountains, this is a place we’ve been to several times. The San bushmen lived here long ago — long before farmers seized the land to clear it for cattle, sheep and goats and to coax grain to grow in the dry, reddish sandstone soil. And even longer before the McAdam family bought up the neglected farmland to return it to its natural state by planting hundreds of indigenous trees and fynbos. They also reintroduced indigenous animals including the Cape Mountain Zebra, the Cape clawless otter and the Clanwilliam yellow fish. That was even longer before the Tollman family bought the property and it was declared part of a World Heritage Site.
The San bushmen rock paintings have survived through time, and there are many to be seen on the property. If you’re really sensitive you can see the spirit of a jubilant San bushman dancing on the site by the handprint paintings. I’ve seen him. Twice. Ask Ranger Seppie to take you there. It’s the site on the far side of the property by the diagonally cleft boulder, which is half red, half white.