Lady Grey, Northern Ukhahlamba

The little Victorian-style village of Lady Grey lies surrounded by the Witteberg Mountains, 50 kilometres from Aliwal North on the R58 to Barkly East. You’d be forgiven, if you initially intended staying only a couple of nights in Lady Grey, for staying a whole lot longer. The peaceful, almost magical atmosphere, where gravel predominates over tar on its tree-lined streets, and quaint houses beckon, makes it a charming place to stay.

As its name suggests, the town was named after a genuine ‘lady’ - Lady Eliza Spencer - wife of the Cape Governor Sir George Grey, when it was founded in 1856, and a walk through the old cemetery is a must to trace its interesting history. The area is rich in sandstone, fossil beds and San rock art and the Lady Grey Dam, built in 1925, serves as a great place for swims - there’s a rock pool below the dam - and picnics. A natural staircase allows you to scale the wall of the dam.

Aside from the Jouberts Pass, one of the major draw cards to Lady Grey and the third highest pass in South Africa that takes you through deep river gorges and majestic mountains, the Lady Grey Passion Play also serves to attract visitors. The Easter Weekend becomes a hive of activity when a cast of characters, a chorus, choir, troupe of dancers and live visual artists come together for a period of three days for a unique African production in which the audience participates by dressing up in costumes for various parts of the play.