Willow Glen, Pretoria

Set on the eastern parameters of the jacaranda city of Pretoria, nestled between Lynnwood Road and the N4 to Witbank, Willow Glen is essentially a collection of small holdings and agricultural development closest to the suburb of De Wilgers. The minor price you pay for being a little further out of town (Pretoria residents describe the 20 odd kilometre commute as 'but a stone's throw away') in the midst of quiet and country atmosphere is that you have further to travel to reach the heart of the city of Pretoria. But both Lynnwood Road and the N4 are major tributaries, making your access good despite this. This part of Pretoria is filled with green spaces. The National Botanical Gardens, just off the N4 en route to Pretoria from Willow Glen near Brummeria, is 76 hectares of beautiful garden with pretty paths just asking to be followed. Willow Glen also lies just the other side of Lynnwood Road from the Faerie Glen Nature Reserve and tea garden - a perfect place to meander and bird watch.

The Bronberge, one of the most sensitive of 20 ridges to occur in the Pretoria area that also include the Magaliesberg, Daspoort, Meintjieskop and the Witwatersberg, is a beautiful mountain ridge that lies to the south of Willow Glen. It is described as a place where the highveld meets bushveld; where you can escape the hustle and bustle. No surprise then to learn that there is a Bronberg Meander along country roads out here off the beaten track that offers a series of spas, hiking trails, picnic areas, game drives, artists' galleries, craft and gifts, nurseries and workshops (if you want to find out more stop off at the route's tourist information centre at Watercrest Garden Estate in Lynnwood Road extension).