Clydesdale, Pretoria

The pretty, leafy suburb of Clydesdale, which lies almost midway between Brooklyn and Sunnyside is set in an ideal position for getting around Pretoria. Clydesdale is close to both UNISA and the University of Pretoria and about 500 metres from the Loftus sports stadium, incredibly popular whenever there’s a rugby match in town.

Local bus routes are easily accessible, and getting into the centre of Pretoria to visit local landmarks and museums, provided you furnish yourself with a local timetable, is easy. Try to find the time for tea at Melrose House, across from Burger’s Park. The museum is also worth visiting, but tea in this gorgeous Victorian mansion is a must. Both Clydesdale and Brooklyn are the chosen residences of a number of foreign embassies so the neighbourhood is quiet and safe and properties very far from small.

The Groenkloof Nature Reserve, a wonderful green expanse set right in the heart of Pretoria, is close to Clydesdale. It has a network of hiking trails, which cross over mountain slopes and grassy plains where one can often spy a giraffe or zebra and a wide variety of birds; mountain bike routes, as well as an auto interpretive route. There are braai areas set under tall trees and the reserve makes for a lovely outing.

The popular Union Buildings, designed by Sir Herbert Baker and possibly one of the most recognised buildings in the country, are on the other side of Arcadia, not far from Clydesdale, and you can get there by foot, if you’re up to a walk.