Fabulously Trouteng, Walkersons of Dullstroom

From the gold framed portraits of the ancestors and their spaniels to the pink bubbly at noon, Walkersons is fabulously Trouteng, as I call Dullstroom, Mpumalanga’s fly-fishing capital. Famed for its honeyed grasslands and moneyed Gautengers, there’s no suffering in Trouteng - and staying at Walkersons is like visiting a fabulously decadent and somewhat eccentric grand old aunt’s country estate. Where there’s whisky on your oats in the morning and the waiters wear tartan kilts and demure women like us wonder what’s under them. Us being a media group, all too keen to be in this gentle golden valley with its silver trout dams and promise of loveliness.

Walkersons lies at the end of a pretty track reached by a dramatic descent off the tar road. The gracious stone hotel has shade trees and water features, closed porches and generous verandas. I was lucky enough to have a room with a pond right outside, which did a mean line in reflection and it occurred to me I was getting double the scenery and I immediately felt fabulous. After bubbles and lunch with the media princesses, I retired to my room and set about speed dating it. It’s been so long since I’ve been in a real grand old country hotel, and I’ve just survived my first non subtropical winter in a decade, having recently moved to the mountaintop village of Haenertsburg in Limpopo - so I went for unconscionable decadence. 

I started the pre-made fire, put on the electric blanket, ran a bubble path, lit all the candles and tried unsuccessfully to connect to the wifi. So I opened the bar, poured some wine, put on the CD player AND the TV, poured more wine and gazed longingly at the winter sun kiss the pond outside, so grateful to be warm and safe, especially warm. Repeat. Very grateful to be warm. Sounds of purring. 

When I did get onto the wifi, shortly before those pre-dinner drinks that are de rigeur at your fabulous aunt’s country estate, I posted a picture of the sun-kissed golden pond and an old friend from Betty’s Bay in the Western Cape said he knew the chef at Wakersons. So the chef was duly summonsed and he turned out to be the fabulous Adri van Wieringen who has a string of illustrious awards to his name and cooks like a dream. We princesses were exceptionally well looked after on the food front. If you’re ever in Trouteng, go to Walkersons as a day visitor just for the food. And the wine. Ok you may as well stay a few days…

And when I stumbled happily back to my room, the Turndown Service had stoked up my fire, revved up the electric blanket, scattered the room with roses and run me a bubble bath. Guess what I did?

Mbali, Ilse, myself, Dawn, Theresa and Michelle

Apart from my room, my other favourite place was Peggy’s Bar, named after Peggy de Villiers who was an early pioneer and tippler. We posed under her portrait. She photo-bombed us. Walkersons is grand but not snobby or stuffy. It’s a really friendly laid back place for a chill-out weekend.

The estate has a series of trout dams as well as ornamental dams with ducks, and lots of water features. The grasslands were wintry ochre, with busy birds and the odd lone tree. You can stroll or hike, fish or go for a massage. Or all of them. Or do nothing but purr and look at the pond’s reflections. Check out www.walkersons.co.za