Linda Sparg and her family enjoy a peaceful escape on a working Karoo farm

I LOVE the Karoo: the silence, the open spaces. I stayed on a farm near Graaff-Reinet a few years ago and recently decided it was time to go back. This time, I found a place on a farm near Somerset East.

It seemed an absolute miracle that I managed to find accommodation as it was close to Christmas and everything was booked up or out of my price range. The place that caught my eye first was a converted stable that slept 10.

Oh dear, we're only three. It's going to cost a mint to pay for room for 10, I thought. But after trying several other options and not getting anywhere, I called. It was available. They'd had a cancellation and they were happy for us to pay for three people only.

In a paroxysm of delight, dancing and punching the air, I told my husband I'd found a holiday spot and how reasonably priced it was. "Wow, Jesus was born in a stable," he said. "That's so appropriate for Christmas time!" I hadn't even thought of that. Now it seemed even closer to perfection.

We'd been determined to have a farm holiday, to get away from the crowded coast. We like quiet getaways and wanted our daughter to have a country experience. Having both grown up on farms, we'd thought she was too squeamish about insects and animals, having got the fright of her life when a grasshopper once jumped on her.

The place we'd booked, called The Stable, is 160km from Port Elizabeth and about 50km south of Somerset East. You turn off the N10 and take the R400, a dirt road, to get there.

It is situated on Greg and Rene Webster's farm, Russell Park, in the Kommadagga area of the Karoo. They farm angora goats, sheep and olives and have recently ventured into "agritourism", offering accommodation and hosting children's birthday parties. Greg's parents farm just across the road and also run a busy convenience store on their property.

On approaching our destination, we caught sight of Rene's unusual craft-shop-cum-restaurant in a rondavel. A colourful blackboard sign outside and bright flapping flags welcome you to this oasis after a 25km drive along the R400. Windmill blades form a clever umbrella, shading a table outside the shop.

I bounded out of the car and started snapping photos happily. "I'm used to people taking pictures of my shop," Rene laughed. Here you can purchase their kudu biltong, Rene's homemade rusks and buttons, candleholders and other wooden items Greg makes from old sneezewood poles, plus Karoo photographs and other collectibles. You can also order meals such as burgers and tramezzinis. We were desperate for something cold to drink. It's wise to carry plenty of water in these parts.

Then on to The Stable. We were delighted to find it dated back to the 1800s, as does the Websters' house. Wooden feed and water troughs have been converted into a sink and stove area and the original, huge roof beams and cobbled floor of the stable have been retained. Greg also makes stylish iron and sneezewood beds for sale and one of these graced our bedroom.

Outside was our own large braai lapa and inside, a fireplace. The fully equipped accommodation is comfortable, light and airy and all that lovely wood makes for a warm, earthy feel.

From our front door, we enjoyed the sweeping vista of the valley. To add to the warm welcome from Greg and Rene was a grove of cacti, whose delicate white flowers opened that evening especially for us, or so it seemed. The scent was exquisite and the sight beautiful. It seemed God had wrapped up everything that was special to us and handed it to us as a Christmas gift - including a present of champagne, chocolates, nuts, biltong and dried fruit from Greg and Rene.

Another bonus was the opportunity to hire a wonderful char and child minder, who looked after our daughter when we went on long hikes. She also answered a lot of our questions on the area.

Plus, Greg and Rene have a little boy who was a companion for our daughter much of the time, and they have an adorable spaniel which adopted us during our stay, much to our little one's delight.

Scratch the surface of the scrubland and one finds the Karoo is teeming with life. The three-year drought in the Eastern Cape had broken in December, so flowers were blooming and the earth was teeming with a fantastic variety of insects.

We surprised leguaans, one of which hissed at us fearsomely, saw meerkats, dassies, hares, monkeys, many birds of prey, a large tortoise and so many interesting beetles and worms. There is a remarkable number of flower species. Blooms are found on trees and on a maze of shrubs and groundcovers. Many plants and creatures in the Karoo are thorny and scaly, as if they are on the defensive, their permanent armour braced against the tough climate and predators.

There is a lot to see in this part of the country. I'd already been to Graaff-Reinet, Nieu Bethesda and the Mountain Zebra Park, so was grateful to explore further.

Somerset East is a picturesque town with a number of stately historical buildings, a museum, and best of all, the Walter Battiss Art Gallery. Battiss was one of the first artists in South Africa to view San rock paintings as an art form and rock art greatly influenced his work.

The gallery is special because it is housed in the hotel, run by the artist's parents, where he lived as a boy. Photographs of Battiss with his family give an insight into his early life. Battiss was enthusiastic about the museum and donated a substantial body of work to it. This great artist was an excellent draughtsman, watercolourist and printmaker who pioneered silk screening in South Africa.

Also in the museum is a collection of work depicting his imaginary Fook Island, a world that seems to be a counterbalance to the harsh laws of the apartheid government, which was critical of the San influence in his work. Included are the currency and postage stamps he created for the island.

The curator, Ros Turner, has done a tremendous amount of research into Battiss's life and work and took us on a personal tour.

Somerset East lies below a beautiful, green mountain, the Boschberg, where there is a 15km hiking trail with a hikers' hut. There are also plans to create a mountain-bike route.

We enjoyed two good meals at family restaurants in the town. Shops offer wool and mohair clothing.

We also visited Ann's Villa, a listed historical building at the top of the Zuurberg Pass, close to the Websters' farm. A baker, John Webster, named the double-storey Victorian building after his wife, Ann. It was completed in 1864. Greg is a descendant of John Webster.

John was hired to bake for the many people building the Zuurberg Pass at that time. In 1866, diamonds were discovered near New Rush as Kimberley was then known and the diamond rush began. The pass was the only route to the interior in those days. Ann's Villa, with seven bedrooms, did a roaring trade, and the situation was perfect for the blacksmith, wheelwright, bakery and shop on the property.

What used to be the shop and blacksmith's workshop have been turned into mini museums. All the original tools used for fixing wagons and making wheels make for a fascinating step back in time. The blacksmith was extremely busy because of all the ox wagons that needed repairs after the arduous trip up the pass. In the shop, we were shown the secret compartment in the cash drawer, necessary because shops were plagued by highwaymen in those days.

The Zuurberg Pass road formed part of the main route from Port Elizabeth to Johannesburg until 1951. Ann's Villa was restored recently and now offers self-catering accommodation.

Back to The Stable, where we asked about the number of animal skeletons we had seen. We learnt that the drought had been so bad the dams had dried up and animals had died of thirst. Even springbok and kudu had been victims. Rene said a kudu had abandoned its calf during this period and she and Greg had tried to keep it alive, sadly without success.

Farmers and farm workers from throughout the region congregated in early December to pray for rain before the drought broke later that month. More rain fell during our stay. "Why are the clouds sitting down?" my daughter asked as we drove through clumps of mist.

The Karoo has surprising, exhilarating weather: intense heat, hail, rain, wind - sometimes all of them on one day. I was fortunate to watch a huge storm, with lightning and thunder, approaching one day. The clouds were swept round like a tornado and the dark, grey-black head of the storm moved rapidly towards the farm. I took photographs until it was right above me and large raindrops forced me to flee inside.

This is prickly pear country. The Websters and their neighbours wage a constant battle with the fast-growing menace, having to inject the plants with poison to kill them. Prickly pears, alien invaders, form dense, impenetrable thickets (ask me, I almost got trapped in one) and their thorns got into our clothes and flesh. When we got back from a walk, we sat plucking them out.

But they were a small price to pay for our wonderful daily hikes in such an inspiring landscape.

There is nothing like getting fit in the outdoors while enjoying fresh country air. - © Linda Sparg

IF YOU GO

WHAT TO DO:

Besides walking, The Stable offers kettie shooting, horseshoe throwing, dam swimming, an obstacle course, paddleskiing and fishing. There's also a small church and the Webster family graveyard on the farm, which is of historical interest.

CONTACT:

Visit www.karoofarmadventures.blogspot.com or phone 082 953 4891.

NEARBY ATTRACTIONS:

Addo Elephant Back Safaris and Lodge

Situated in the valleys of the Zuurberg mountains, bordering the Greater Addo Elephant National Park. Visit www.aebs.co.za or call 042 235 1400.

Addo Elephant Park

This state-owned park with reasonably-priced accommodation is home to more than 450 elephants, as well as the flightless dung beetle. Visit www.addoelephant.com or call 042 233 8600.

Kuzuko Lodge

Take a game drive at the five-star lodge for R100. Visit www.kuzukolodge.co.za or call 042 235 1037.

Ann's Villa

Visit www.annsvilla.co.za or call 084 548 4398.

Zuurberg Mountain Inn

This four-star retreat atop the Zuurberg Pass has awesome views over Addo. Stop over or simply book Sunday lunch. Visit www.zuurberg-inn.co.za or call 042 233 8300.

Somerset East

For activities and accommodation, see www.somerseteast.co.za; www.somerseteasttourism.co.za or call 042 243 1333 or 042 243 1445.

Walter Battiss Art Gallery, tel: 042 243 1333 or 042 243 1445.

The Somerset East Museum (also known as the Old Parsonage Museum), tel: 042 243 2079.