Bergville Travel Guide

 
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  •   Things to Do
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  •   Things to Do
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  •   Bergville
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Explore Bergville

Things to Do  

Dragon's cave

Dragon's cave, Bergville

 mvtouring Says:  Dragons cave is a farmstall that sells preserves, biltong, frozen trout, and many many other things. I could not discover where the name came from, but I presume there must be a cave nearby and that they hope dragon's used to live there. 

Farming

Farming, Bergville

 mvtouring Says:  Bergville is essentially a farming comunity. I took this photo of Brahman's at one of the farmstalls where we stopped. 

Burgerville farm stall

Burgerville farm stall, Bergville

 mvtouring Says:  I love stopping off at farm stalls to see what they have on offer. this one had some very very nice biltong and droe wors, and we made a point of buying some for "padkos" 

Thokoziza

Thokoziza, Bergville

 mvtouring Says:  This little "village" is approx 15km outside of Bergville. It is really a fun place to go and walk around. They have various shops here, a restaurant, playground for the children and they seem to turn everything into art. 

ROYAL LANCASTER REGIMENT

ROYAL LANCASTER REGIMENT, Bergville

 mtncorg Says:  Another large mass grave can be found separate from those soldiers buried amongst the British trench. These men were mostly part of the Royal Lancaster Regiment. Losses were listed as about 343 British dead with another 563 wounded and 187 captured as opposed to 68 Boer dead... 

BOER MONUMENT

BOER MONUMENT, Bergville

 mtncorg Says:  History is remembered in different ways by which outlook has. The British monument was put on the hill first - they lost the battle but won the war. But years after the war was won, Boers eventually reversed the results of the war. A second interpretation of the battle was... 

BOER DEAD

BOER DEAD, Bergville

 mtncorg Says:  Approximately 70 Boers died here in the fighting and of the Boer graves on Spion Kop, none of the men were identified. Identification of dead soldiers after a battle is a fairly recent phenomenom. For example, during the American Civil War, soldiers would put pieces of paper... 

ALOE KNOLL AND TWIN PEAKS

ALOE KNOLL AND TWIN PEAKS, Bergville

 mtncorg Says:  These little peaks on the northeast side of Spion Kop allowed the Boers - riflemen on the Aloe Knoll and several field guns situated on the Twin Peaks - to lay a wicked fire down upon the British positions atop Spion Kop. Boer flanking attacks from the Knoll were beaten off.... 

IMPERIAL LIGHT MONUMENT

IMPERIAL LIGHT MONUMENT, Bergville

 mtncorg Says:  Effective Boer crossfire, Boer direct pressure, heat and lack of water forced the British slowly back from to their trench by noon. General Woodgate himself was mortally wounded and the British didn’t know who was in command for awhile. Heat and casualties began to wear on... 

BRITISH MONUMENT

BRITISH MONUMENT, Bergville

 mtncorg Says:  The British Monument is located near where General Woodgate had his headquarters. The monument commemorates the sacrifices of the different units and men who fought here on the Imperial side. It represents the first interpretation of the battle - the British version, a... 

SOUTH LANCASHIRE MONUMENT

SOUTH LANCASHIRE MONUMENT, Bergville

 mtncorg Says:  These mass graves are the final resting place for many from the Lancashire Fusiliers. After the battle, the dead were buried in what remained of the British trenches. Both Boer and Briton lie in unknown graves as there was little way the bodies could be identified after... 

BRITISH TRENCH

BRITISH TRENCH, Bergville

 mtncorg Says:  Once atop the Kop, the British dug a trench of some 400 meters - noted on the battlefield by white paint splashed rocks - facing north. Little remains of the trench today though it is thought the trench was only 40 cm deep with a rampart of more rock and dirt that may have... 

BOER SENTRY

BOER SENTRY, Bergville

 mtncorg Says:  A British bayonet assault skwered one of the Boer sentries - he is buried here - and the rest of the defenders fled to warn their comrades. Botha, in reply to the new British presence, repositioned field guns and rifles and sent an attack force of 400 up the northeast slopes... 

BRITISH ATTACK

BRITISH ATTACK, Bergville

 mtncorg Says:  By 3 am the British were ready. Lines were formed and the mere 100 Boer defenders were chased quickly from the top of Spion Kop. Boer commander General Louis Botha had thought Spion Kop could be defended from surrounding lower hills which was one of the reasons there were so... 

Hotels  

Cavern Berg Resort

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Restaurants  

The Drakensberg Inn: Great for lunch!

The Drakensberg Inn: Great for lunch!, Bergville

 Osmun79 Says:  The food here is typical to most BnB's in South Africa- Steak, Fish, Veal, etc. I had a very nice Fried hake with a great sauce and fries, and my companion had a smoked trout that she claimed was "Awesome". Overall it was very nice, and not crowded on Xmas ( WOW) Eve during... 

Waffle hut: Waffle hut

Waffle hut: Waffle hut, Bergville

 mvtouring Says:  Outside of Bergville, we discoved the Waffle Hut situated next to the weaving & candle making factory shop. You have a choice of waffle's or pancakes here with various fillings. Some you would not expect to find on waffle's but hey try something new, it might just be very... 

Bergville Coffee Shop: Bergville Coffee Shop

Bergville Coffee Shop: Bergville Coffee Shop, Bergville

 mvtouring Says:  Our first stop was for coffee and to my delight the owners who are Indian had a great spread of cakes and other delicasies on offer. I loved this little place as they also sold some spices in small packets at extremely reasonable prices. 

Shopping  

Candle factory shop: Candle factory shop

Candle factory shop: Candle factory shop, Bergville

 mvtouring Says:  The shop stocks a variety of items from carpets to candles. They make the most interesting candles here, so I could not resist and had to buy a few. Very well priced. 

Local Customs  

BATTLEFIELD GUIDES

BATTLEFIELD GUIDES, Bergville

 mtncorg Says:  I must say that I would rather explore a battlefield on my own with a little pre and post reading to guide my efforts. If you read the relevant chapter in Thomas Pakenham’s “The Boer War” and use the self-guided trail map you should be able to make sense of the dry grassy... 

Warnings Or Dangers  

APPROACH ROAD

APPROACH ROAD, Bergville

 mtncorg Says:  The approach road is some 6 kilometers of dirt that is badly eroded in parts. I made it up here with a Toyota Tazz, but just barely. It is bad enough to drive on the wrong side of the road with gear shift on the wrong side and the windshield wipers going on everytime I... 

The Place

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The People

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 The shop stocks a variety of items from carpets to candles. They make the most interesting candles here, so I could not resist and had to buy a few. Very well... 

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SPION KOP

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 Bergville is a small town near the northern section of the Drakensberg mountain range. It is a pleasant enough base for exploring out from. Also nearby is one of the more bitterly contested... 

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Bergville

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 We got up early morning and took a leisurely drive to Bergville. It is a small town situated in the foothills of the Drakensberg mountains, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Originally it was established... 

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