It's one in a mill-ion

[RESORT REVIEW]OLD MILL DRIFT GUEST FARM,FREE STATE.

- Richard Van Ryneveld

One of the things that I love about working for Caravan & Outdoor Life is discovering caravan and camping sites. On a recent trip through the Eastern Free State near Clarens, I found the Old Mill Drift Guest Farm.

Actually that’s not true. Truthfully I should say I “rediscovered” the Old Mill Drift Guest Farm, because way back in 2002, I’d stayed at one of the old dressed sandstone cottages down on this farm.

Originally, the farm that was surveyed on Paul Kruger’s instruction back in 1860, was known as Beginsel.

The land was then gifted by Queen Victoria as a trading concession to a Colonel Hull, who formed a partnership with Colonel Hattingh and opened the mill and trading store in 1913. The mill was a triple-roller wheat mill made by Turner in England, from where it was imported.

The beautiful Old Mill Drift Guest Farm is situated right on the Caledon River, the border between SA and the mountain Kingdom of Lesotho.

At the time of my first visit, Old Mill Drift was owned by Bruce Weyer. Bruce, a larger than life character, now owns the Lake Clarens Guesthouse in the town.

Back then the Old Mill was still a busy trading store. I’ll never forget the long, fully-enclosed fence running from the Lesotho side of the river to the trading store.

I remember the numerous Basotho ponies tethered on the Lesotho side of the Caledon River… the riders bringing bags of maize to be milled and to buy their supplies from the old sandstone trading post.