A mere four hours from Johannesburg and two hours from Durban, deep in the
heart of the breathtaking Natal Midlands, rests Bellwood.
Accommodation
We offer seven comfortable, fully equipped self-catering cottages. Cypress - a
family cottage accommodating six people. Yellowwood - a secluded 'honeymoon'
cottage. Hadeda, Heron, Kingfisher, Spurwing and Guinea Fowl are the five
cottages on the dam. All dam cottages have four or five private double rooms and
a cosy loft accommodating up to five people. Bellwood represents the best you
can find in farm accommodation within tranquil surroundings.
All the cottages have fireplaces, bedding, electric blankets, a fridge, stove
and microwave oven, a TV and braai / barbeque facilities. All cottages on the
dam have the "Hotel" DSTV bouquet.
Weddings
Our wedding venue comprises of The Old Barn Chapel and Reception hall.
The Chapel is situated just outside the Bellwood stables, about 1/2 kilometre
from the Reception Hall. Seating is provided for up to 170 guests on comfortable
Cedar wood benches. Lighting is provided by candles to provide the appropriate
atmosphere as well as by dimmable lights in overhead chandeliers. The interior
can be set up for either religious or civil ceremonies. Ample parking is
provided and a lawned area is set aside for pre/post ceremony teas or drinks.
The surrounds provide a number of excellent settings for your wedding
photographs.
The Reception Hall, overlooking a large dam can seat up to 250 guests. You are
able to design your own table layouts, decor and arrange the catering,
photographer, music etc. The hall is equipped with a large central fireplace, is
fully air-conditioned (cooling or heating) and has all the facilities for the
caterers and bar service. A covered verandah and lawned area allows your guests
to enjoy the farm ambience in beautiful surroundings which also provides an
ideal backdrop for your wedding photographs.
We provide the complete wedding package (chapel, hall, cottages and surrounding
area) and allow you to design and organise the details (catering, photographer,
music etc.). Included in the cost of the wedding package is two nights'
accommodation for you and your guests in five cottages next to the dam and
wedding venue. The cottages are provided on a self-catering basis and can
accommodate up to a total of sixty people.
Conferences
Put aside your day to day problems and ensure a successful outcome for your
conference, Bellwood provides an excellent Conference venue. Situated on a
working stud farm, the venue overlooks a well-stocked trout dam in the rolling
hills of KwaZulu Natal.
Your Conference will benefit from the 'get away from the office' peaceful
surroundings. One day or longer conferences can be catered for in our venue
which can be configured in size to suit the required number of delegates.
Adjacent to the venue are five cottages and a further two cottages, near the
main house, can also be booked. Conferences can only be held on weekdays.
Weekend conferences can be booked provided the five dam cottages are also
booked.
Attractions and Activities
Bellwood is on a 585-acre stud farm with some of the most impressive walks and
wide-open spaces that KwaZulu Natal has to offer. Children are welcome! Farm
life provides considerable entertainment with an abundance of farmyard animals
and 'goings-on' to keep them out of mischief.
A two and a half kilometre ramble brings you to the quaint village of Nottingham
Road which has some of the oldest pubs in the province and forms a central part
of the famous arts and crafts Midlands Meander. For those with a sporting
inclination, tennis and golfing facilities can be pre-arranged.
Fishing
A tranquil country retreat is not all that we have to offer! On the farm, a
'cast' away from the cottages are two dams, one a spacious 16 acres and the
other a smaller five acres in size. The larger dam is 10 metres deep at the wall
and is liberally stocked with rainbow trout, while the smaller dam is filled
with both rainbow and brown trout. Our aim is to satisfy the keen fisherman with
the challenge of catching trout up to 4 kilograms in weight. Fishing is reserved
for our resident guests only.
The larger dam also sports five rowing boats. The farm is very close to a
well-equipped fly fishing shop and Nottingham Road village boasts a local
butcher who is available to smoke all your catches. Pre booked trout fishing
lessons and hiring of rods available on request.
Notes
Should guests wish to invite friends, prior permission must be obtained from
Management. Subject to the number of guests, a levy per person will be charged.
No pets are allowed. An initial supply of wood and coal for the inside fireplace
is provided. Further supplies will be for guest's own account. No smoking is
allowed in any of the cottages.
Memberships: