Stories Written In Stone

Tania Griffin discovers there’s more to Nieuwoudtville than its abundance of flowering bulbs

- Tania Griffin

If your city-wearied soul is in need of upliftment, and your mind hankers for some peace and quiet, pack a bag for the weekend and turn your car toward the Northern Cape—in particular the small town of Nieuwoudtville.

When I was offered the opportunity to visit Nieuwoudtville, my first reaction was, “Where’s that again?” followed by, “Isn’t it cold up there this time of year?” For others who aren’t familiar with the area, the town is located on the Bokkeveld Plateau, between Vanryhnsdorp and Calvinia. It’s about a four-hour drive from Cape Town (depending on how distracted you get by all the farm stalls along the way, or get held up by the roadworks currently in progress in Malmesbury and Clanwilliam). It has gained quite a reputation for its glorious flower season, with a great diversity of geophytes—plants that survive the hot, dry months by storing reserves in their fleshy underground structure, such as a bulb—sprouting up everywhere in August and September.

Seeing as I’d be visiting in July, however, my hopes were low for any floral fanfare, so I decided to make it an out-of-season trip: finding all the aboveground treasures of the town instead. And what a captivating excursion it turned out to be.