Middelpos, Upper Karoo
Some may know the name of this Karoo dorp, in the remote parts of the Northern Cape, as the title to a book by the actor, Sir Anthony Sher.
Sold as Middelpost the book is a bestseller in England.
Sher, who was born in Cape Town, is a renowned British Shakespearean actor, writer and theatre director, and has roots in the little hamlet where his family, who had fled persecution in Lithuania, owned and ran a successful trading store around which the town was built.
In those days the trading post supplied Ceres, Sutherland, Williston and Calvinia and was something of a centre for trade, auctions, and social life.
The little village, with roughly 300 residents, lies almost exactly halfway between Sutherland and Calvinia on the R354 (or take a more direct, though less enjoyable, route from Ceres).
Some believe Middelpos is one of the last truly authentic Karoo villages because of its remoteness and relative seclusion (no holiday homes for Gautengers here).
More farm holdings, than town, Middelpos has a shop, petrol station, police station, post office, a row of houses, and the Middelpos Hotel. The Middelpos Trading Store is still there, its major function now to serve up sweets to local kids in exchange for their two-rand coins.
Middelpos is just 30 km from the Gannaga Pass, the quickest route to the Tankwa Karoo National Park over the Roggeveld plateau, with incredible views out over the Tankwa Valley, the Cederberg Mountains in the distance.
During the spring flower season, the road between Middelpos and Sutherland is particularly beautiful, a secret of the locals, who realise that the combination of old stone buildings, green fields, and the yellow, purple and red of flowers and indigenous bush are a major reason they remain living in this remote, harsh climate.
In the vicinity
Hotels & other accommodation options
Stellar Dust Guest House
Indulge in a seamless stay at Stellar Dust Guest House. When you visit Sutherland you will enjoy the cleanest air in Southern Africa and you don'...
Anra Rusgenot
Anra Rusgenot is guest house situated in Richmond, exactly halfway between Johannesburg and Cape Town on the N1, and is ideal for a stopover or l...
Lushof Lodge
Lushof Lodge is a guest farm 22km north of Gariep Dam and 30km south of Springfontein. Offering safe accommodation with plenty of open spaces whe...
Glashuis @ Aarfontein
Glashuis is a chalet with vast windows and beautiful views of the valley. The accommodation is situated on Aarfontein Farm, a working sheep farm,...
BakOond Cottage
Willemsrivier BakOond Cottage is a perfect little spot for a stay in Nieuwoudtville. The peaceful tranquillity of this unique farm life is all th...
Joalani Guest Farm
Joalani Guest Farm is located on a working farm in Victoria West in the Karoo. The farm is situated just 500m down a gravel road from the N1 maki...
Kuilfontein Stables and Paddocks
The delightful old stable block has been converted into comfortable accommodation, decorated in French Provencal style. Charm, history and conven...
Noteworthy attractions
Karoo Gariep Conservancy
Karoo is a “quenna” word meaning “dry and hard”. Gariep is also a “quenna” word meaning “big water”or river. The Karoo Gariep Concervancy is foun...
Tankwa Karoo National Park
The 80 000 hectare Tankwa Karoo National Park, proclaimed in 1986 and still in a development stage, is at present in a veld recovery phase and it...
Gariep Dam Nature Reserve
The Free State's largest nature reserve is a combination of the 36 487 ha Gariep Dam on the Orange River and an 11 237 ha game sanctuary on its n...
Akkerendam Nature Reserve
Akkerdam Nature Reserve lies just outside the little town of Calvinia, which is found at the foot of the Hantam Mountain (mountain of the red bul...
Rolfontein Nature Reserve
Situated in the upper Karoo where an infinite sky and horizon seem to go on without end, the Rolfontein Nature Reserve is found roughly 16 kilome...
Doornkloof Nature Reserve
Lying peacefully in the mountainous upper Karoo of the Northern Cape, just outside the little town of Colesberg, Doornkloof Nature Reserve is pos...
Oorlogskloof Nature Reserve
Just 10 kilometres outside of the little town of Nieuwoudtville, between the towns of Van Rhynsdorp and Calvinia, lies the Oorlogskloof (war gorg...
Hantam National Botanical Garden
Established in 2007, the Hantam National Botanical Garden lies on the Bokkeveld Plateau just outside the town of Nieuwoudtville. It is regarded a...
Molteno Pass
Said to be South Africa's first mountain pass, Molteno Pass links Beaufort West to Loxton, in effect joining the oldest town in the area to the N...
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