In the magnificent eastern highlands of the Tankwa Karoo, beneath a giant fold of the Great Escarpment, lies an historic farmhouse of unusual distinction, a guardian of the land it occupies. This is De Kruis – a house in the wilderness.
Here you will find, at journey’s end, a cool and comfortable home, carefully sheltered from its surroundings by hefty stone walls, deeply shaded outside spaces and enchanting gardens that blend into the distant veld. A gorgeous farm kitchen (flanked on either side by a separate scullery and pantry) beckons you in, and leads you through the house into a magical further living space, and then another, and another, each with vistas of the wilderness beyond. Shadows and golden light play gently across quiet rooms. Four lovely bedrooms radiate from the centre, each with a distinct outside space inviting your gaze up to the Escarpment that surrounds you on three sides.
Every room tells a subtly different story – some cosseted by river-reed ceilings, others finished in old timber boards or corrugated iron, still others open to thatched roofs; all imbued with comfort and charm. Here the reconditioned AGA of old sits next to the Nespresso machine, the crystal chandelier lights the yellowwood dining table, the little Steinway stands on cool floors of dark slate quarried from the Tankwa River, and bookcases in the study carrying the latest Booker prizewinner novels overlook the birdbath and a meandering footpath down to the river.
Drawing you out into the garden beyond the stoeps are further delights: a pergola terrace with distant views to the blue mountains of the Tankwa River valley, and beyond them the great peaks of the Cederberg Mountains; a small kitchen garden with the tinkle of a water trough; a Climax windmill, pumping lazily away in the half-distance; two superb barbecue fireplaces. And then there is THAT pool – where the great South African garden designer Franchesca Watson worked her magic on De Kruis.
A day in the life of De Kruis…
Quickly you will spread yourselves about the house, finding calm and solitude in a quiet corner, following the winter sun or summer shade to the perfect stoep where you may encounter others who have done the same, spending quality time poolside (yes, THAT pool), or clubbing together with your loved ones on one of the star decks (there are two, each ascended via an outside staircase) to catch a special sunset or look in wonder at the glorious starlit sky of the Karoo. Or you may find yourselves whiling the afternoon away at the long dining table on the pergola terrace, or in the kitchen, sipping on a glass of the good stuff and pounding the beginnings of a sourdough.
Others will be lost for hours in the chapters of that book that’s been passing hands over the holiday. Towards dusk, the fires will be lit, the AGA stoked, shutters closed, curtains drawn. On cool winter evenings there is a gathering together in the heart of the house; in summer, perhaps a late afternoon walk into one of the surrounding kloofs, or babble and laughter from around the pool, echoing evening bird calls and the windmill’s motion in the breeze.
This is De Kruis – a house in the wilderness, an unforgettable experience.
Edited by Michelle Snaddon