Awash with masterful tromp l’oeil murals around every corner, the village of Redelinghuys is a feast for the senses.
As unassuming as the scenic countryside around it, Redelinghuys is a delight to behold with its pretty Victorian houses on dusty streets and vast country gardens. But what you see isn’t always what you get, because in every street your perceptions are tricked by Hannes Carstens’s evocative tromp l’oeil scenes. Every mural tells a story – stories to love and believe in.
Known as the Potato Capital of the Sandveld, the village also lays claim to free-flowing rooibos wherever you go, because this is where rooibos grows in its natural state.
Situated on the R366 between Piketberg and Elands Bay, Redelinghuys’s 167 households are served by two general dealers, a restaurant, B&B, police station, library, satellite health clinic and two primary schools. Originally, the town was part of the farm Wittedrift which was handed to Hendrik Koetzee by Sir George Napier in 1841. When he died seven years later, JNL Redelinghuys bought the farm and gave the church a piece as a gift. Fifty-eight years later, history was made at nearby Vegkop where Boer lead Brit into a skirmish.
Not only is Redelinghuys framed by a rocky hillside, but on the upper end, Verlorenvlei stretches 30 km north to Elands Bay. The vlei – one of the largest natural wetlands along the West Coast – is of course renowned for its prolific birdlife, plus spectacular flora and fauna.
This is action country! You name it: hiking trails snaking alongside ancient rock formations, mountain biking, canoeing, swimming and fishing where permitted.
Redelinghuys is indeed a story. A story with a perfect ending.
