A simple change in mindset, and there we were, turning off the N1 into Hanover even though we'd only just left Colesberg and been on the road less than an hour. We were about to discover what people living in these minuscule dorpies do.
Like many small Karoo towns, most of Hanover's roads aren't tarred and the residential areas are so quiet that you wonder whether the houses are even occupied. We hit the streets on foot and soon realised that behind garden walls and front doors, there's industrious activity going on.
The town is home to various businesses and crafts people, with the latest attraction being the Green Doors Art Gallery and coffee shop. Many of the houses boast old Karoo architecture with tucked- away well-maintained gardens
An ideal place to spend a while with hands around a hot cuppa is Feathered Friends on the northern side of town. However, the all-time favourite eat-and-drinkery in Hanover is still 3 Darling Street, which consists of a B&B, restaurant, and pub where you can meet a few of the locals.
You won't find any bullet holes in this pub's doors, but you will at Hanover Lodge. In its wilder days, up until the 1970s, the patrons weren't the kind of souls you'd want to introduce to your granny, although at one stage this was the Grand Hotel of the Karoo where formal balls were held.
Richmond, 61km further south along the N1, is a charming village and well worth spending a night or two. It has several guesthouses and places to eat and not-to-be-missed, the Saddle Horse Museum.
The town is steeped in Anglo-Boer war history and there's a circular one-hour hiking trail that takes you past several forts where the British were garrisoned, and on top of Vegkop (private property so contact the Supper Club to arrange a visit) stands the remains of a redoubt, identified by the British and Vierkleur flags.
The Supper Club, in Loop Street, is a restaurant, bar, and smoking lounge that's popular with locals and tourists, run by a fun bunch of people who love to share their town and stories with travellers. In fact, you'll be lucky not to have a headache the next day if you don't watch it.
From Richmond, we drove directly north for 100km to De Aar that lies on the N10, equidistant from the N1 and N12. The large number of wind pumps in town attest to its name "the artery", which refers to the many underground water-bearing arteries. This town has the second most important railway junction in the country and is a fave amongst trainspotters.
Worth checking out is the weather station, where visitors are welcomed and taken on a guided tour. There's a paragliding school, and a fair bit of history including one of residences of famous feminist and author, Olive Schreiner.
Time tends to dissolve when you're taking it easy in these small places. It sort of wafts on by without you realising you've been stoep-sitting for days and should actually join the tumbleweed and blow on outta town. Actually, there aren't really tumbleweeds rolling down the main streets or squeaking saloon doors for that matter - it just feels like there should be. Lawrence Green wrote that the only visible boundary in the Great Karoo is the horizon, and in no time you'll catch yourself gazing into the shimmering distance, wondering what lies beyond the seemingly endless vastitude.
Britstown, at the junction of the N10 and N12, lay beyond the horizon in which I was lost, and its greatest asset is the Transkaroo Country Lodge with its classic à la carte restaurant and a cool courtyard that's the perfect place to sip a mid-journey ice-cold beer on a hot day. If you're spending a night, leave early on the day of your departure as this is when you'll have the best chance of spotting the Karoo's small meerkat-like creatures, korhaans, and steenbok.
If you're really lucky, and we were, you might even spot a Cape Cobra with its hood fully flared. Er, just make sure your windows are closed if you want an eyeball to eyeball. As you travel these quiet roads, keep a lookout for birdlife. Occasionally a Pale Chanting Goshawk, with bright orange beak and feet, glides in to land on a telephone pole, and russet-breasted Jackal Buzzards gaze imperiously down at passing vehicles.
Even if museums aren't your thing, the one in Victoria West, 115km south of Britstown on the N12, is worth a visit if just to see the 250-million years old Atherstonia Seeleyi fish fossil - the most complete fossil of its kind ever found in the world. It was discovered on a local farm and dates back to when the Karoo was an inland sea.
The town has a handful of interesting shops selling antiques and bric-à-brac, and if ribs are your thing then lunch at the Merino Restaurant. It does sticky-from-ear-to-ear, and you can walk it off around the lovely village of Loxton with its gorgeous architecture, 80km further along the R63.
Okay, so I'm biased, but this is definitely one of the prettiest Karoo villages. It's tree-rich, and even in the dead of a leafless winter, holds great charm, so imagine it in full spring splendour when tree-lined streets glow with snowy pear blossoms and the steeple of the old ivy-covered stone church rises above the single-storey town. This is also one of only four towns in the country (the others also being in the Karoo) around which the unique stone Corbelled houses are found.
Loxton even has two eateries now, and although the popular Blue House Café currently operates at sporadic times, the Rooi Granaat coffee shop is open daily.
As for accommodation, there are a handful of places to stay, our favourite being Karoo Cottage, which offers guests luxurious digs at very reasonable prices. With virtually no light pollution, night skies are an explosion of stars; the air is so fresh it burns your lungs; and crime is almost unheard of. Taste the tranquillity on offer here, and you won't want to leave.
Loxton, and the neighbouring towns of Sutherland and Fraserburg are also becoming popular with tourists in winter because of the possibility of experiencing snow, particularly in July.
From Loxton you can either head further west along the R63 to the west coast; or take the pretty R381 south to the N1 at Beaufort West. The R356 is a gravel road that'll take you to Fraserburg and the start of the Karoo Highlands but that's a story for another day.
Take time to cruise through the region. Meet the locals, because in a sense, they are the Karoo, and learn to appreciate simple activities such as lazing under a windmill and gazing heavenward at frothy white jet trails that cross the cobalt sky. You too will come away with Karoo-fever.
I must just warn you though. It's highly contagious. In fact, once you've tripped on the Karoo, it won't be long before you're demanding another fix.
- Tourist Information:
Hanover: 053 643 0333
Richmond: 053 693 0665
Loxton: 053 381 3091 / 073 176 5739
De Aar: 053 632 9100 (Mrs Klopper)