Bellwood guests are welcome to bring along a book or two for exchange from our collection of quality second hand fiction & non-fiction books.

What better place than Bellwood to let your children roam free and enjoy the outdoors – the best the Midlands of Kwa-Zulu Natal has to offer.

You will easily be able to part the children from their tablets and mobile phones with all the farm activities including:

  • A visit to the Enchanted Forest for a little bit of magic is a must for the littlies – come by Reception and we will share our secrets with you
  • The wide open spaces for children to explore, run wild, get dirty and have fun
  • Visiting the baby cows, ducks, chickens, and horses – they may even be lucky enough to see a calf being born
  • The excitement of catching their first fish or rowing across the dam (of course all water activities must be supervised by an adult)
  • A children’s playground with climbing frames, sand pit, merry-go-round, Wendy house and lots more will entertain them for hours
  • Where maize come from – they are actually grown in the ground and don’t just appear pre-packed on supermarket shelves
  • Horse riding and fishing lessons can be arranged on request - prior notice is required

The Midlands region of KwaZulu-Natal has been likened to a typical English countryside, with its rolling hills, green lawns, streams and rustic atmosphere. 

Picture-postcard scenery and fresh air attracts visitors needing a break from city life on most weekends and over the holidays.

You can enjoy all of this on one of Bellwood’s spectacular walks. Many walks are sign-posted for our guests convenience. There are graded walks ranging from a 2km easy walk to a 5km more strenuous walk with maps provided for guests.

Bellwood is also the home to a large variety of indigenous flora and fauna. You may well spot the cheeky monkeys stealing the maize or the shy duiker or reed buck darting behind the pine trees on your walks.

There are two large dams on Bellwood one a spacious 17 acres and the other a smaller five acres in size.

The larger dam is 30 feet deep at the wall and is liberally stocked with rainbow trout, while the smaller dam is filled with both rainbow and brown trout. The aim is to satisfy the keen fishermen and the sizes of the trout range from one to nine pounds that are regularly stocked.

Activities on the dam:

  • Various sponsored trout fishing competitions
  • Rowing boats for the leisure and pleasure of Bellwood guests are provided
  • Rods are available for hire and fishing lessons can be arranged for our guests
  • We do not allow day fishermen
  • Only trout rods and tackle are allowed for fishing in our dams

Rod fee (The fee to fish) is R100.00 per day which includes two fish caught, irrespective of size.

Well over 650 species of birds have been recorded in the small province of KwaZulu-Natal. Bellwood is the home to a number of bird species.

We keep a record of birds seen on Bellwood and this is available to bird enthusiasts. The KwaZulu-Natal Midlands has a diverse range of habitats and places to visit for bird enthusiasts, many of which are on Bellwood’s doorstep, including:

  • Darvill
  • Bedrock Lodge,
  • Kilgobbin Forest in the Dargle,
  • Zulu Falls near Mooi River
  • And Albert Falls Dam

The snow that fell at Bellwood in the winter of 2012 has resulted in a community of gnomes setting up home in the forest next to the access road.

Strange happenings have taken place, strange enough for us to christen the forest ‘The Enchanted Forest’.

There are some 10 gnomes living in toadstool houses and are all extremely friendly. So friendly are the gnomes that they have extended an open invitation to all children to see if they can find them, but look everywhere as they might be in the trees. To help them get around they have brought a Unicorn with them but he is very shy and takes some finding. Take a moment to listen for their wind chimes as they tinkle in the wind. The Gnomes have told us that the wearing of gum boots is essential to protect little ankles and feet. They will reward those children who are successful with a little treat.

So bring your little ones to Reception and collect some boots and a clipboard on which they can list the names of the Gnomes to be found.