The Dullstroom Highlands

Just arrived back from a great weekend away in Dullstroom. We left on Friday afternoon, and 2 and a bit hours later, checked into Critchley Hackle. On the outer edge of town, it is built around a beautiful trout dam, overlooking a valley and gentle rolling hills out towards the Lydenburg in the East. Didn't take us long to settle in, and settle down with a glass of red wine and the burning log fires in the pub (log fires in the middle of summer? I know...but yes, there were log fires. It gets pretty cold in the Dullstroom region, and the log fires not only add to the ambiance, but are necessary in the freezing winters, and chilly summer evenings).
I woke up early on Saturday morning to try my hand at some fly fishing. After 2 hours of nothing, my luck eventually changed, and I seized 3 trout within about 45 minutes. The dam is stocked every 2 months or so, so the trout are all pretty much the same size - around a kilo each. I decided that a "catch and release" policy was best, as there was plenty of trout on the menu each night.
We had a great breakfast, a walk around town, and then went on a drive out towards Lydenburg. Came back just in time to cast a few more lines (no success this time) before watching the rugby and settling down for another superb meal.
Here are a couple of pics from the weekend:

This is a shot from outside our room, with full moon in the background.

Early morning mist on the dam.


Early morning fly fishing action.


K and her dad Roy.


The Wilsons - K with Roy and Sharon.

All in all a good weekend away. My personal highlights:
- Catching 4 trout
- Waking up at 5am to watch the sun rise
- Scottish Oats (with whisky) for breakfast
- A night sky full of stars
- Two fine dinners with K's folks at the table, over a good bottle of wine.