go! Platteland

The slow life is the good life: go! Platteland celebrates the rural lifestyle and the entrepreneurial spirit of people whose hearts are in the platteland – whether they grew up in the countryside or are already based there, are contemplating making the move or simply hankering after the rural life. Platteland offers articles that focus on entrepreneurs, DIY projects, animals, gardening, food, towns and people. It is both practical and inspiring – as much of a visual feast as it is a celebration of great writing.

There’s (still) strength in unity

go! Platteland

Chitchat

News & diary • There’s a bounty of activities on offer to celebrate the arrival of spring, including adrenaline-rush adventures, festivals, markets and courses.

Celebrate spring–a time of rebirth

Tokara’s liquid gold

Venture into the great outdoors with Mama’s food

Pawsome accessories!

Dates to diarise

SUBSCRIBE NOW… STILL AT THE 2018 PRICE!

Let’s go to town • We went shopping for original, organic and handmade items in Citrusdal, Darling, Durbanville, Koringberg, Lakeside, Paarl, Pretoria, Prieska, Randburg, Somerset West, Vredendal, Wellington and Woodstock.

Get away from it all in Vanderkloof • Lying among koppies on the shore of South Africa’s secondlargest dam is Vanderkloof, an oasis in the Upper Karoo. There seems to be consensus that you won’t find a town anywhere else in the country as peaceful and safe as this one.

Meet the people

Meet the people

Sisters of the Soil

Kameel… Where is that, exactly? • There are many small towns and villages in South Africa that you’ve probably never visited but their names will ring a bell. Then there’s a hamlet like Kameel, with 49 silos and 27 residents…

A river runs through it • Some of the most desirable – and correspondingly expensive – real estate in the world is located beside rivers, and South Africa is no exception. Alan Duggan went looking for people with an affinity for flowing water… and came away with a plan for the rest of his life.

The Velddrif hustle Boats, bazaars and bokkoms • Since Rob and Maria Kirsten picked unassuming Velddrif on the West Coast as their new home 17 years ago, hey’ve built their own house and established a number of successful businesses.

Postcards from the Tankwa • The R355 between Ceres and Calvinia is the longest stretch of gravel road between two towns in South Africa. And if you find yourself on this route, you’re in the Tankwa Karoo. From the road, the surrounding plains seem lifeless and dull, but when you stop your car, sit quietly and breathe in the atmosphere, you realise there might just be much waiting to be discovered here.

Big heart, helping hand • As if Tori Stowe didn’t have enough on her plate as an artist, illustrator and surface designer, in 2020, this avid gardener from Bathurst also started GROW Nolukhanyo. This inspiring community project enables donors and volunteers to establish and maintain food gardens at homes, crèches, schools and a clinic.

Power to the people • Load shedding has become a common nuisance for South Africans. Fortunately nothing keeps you from making things easier for yourself when Eskom leaves us in the dark. We show you how to build your own compact power box.

Spring is in the air • There are numerous good reasons to come out of hibernation, like celebrating Garden Day by strolling through other’s people’s gardens for inspiration, or picking fresh berries, or learning new skills…

A time of growth • Spring is a time of intense activity in both your decorative garden and veggie patch, says horticulturist and apple farmer Talitha Cherry, who presents workshops and manages a nursery on Cheverells Farm.

Lunar planting a 3-month guide • Gaye Boshoff offers...