Someone once said that growing old is one of the most surprising things that can happen to a man. At a venerable 39, which is impossibly antediluvian to some, and young to others, I'd like to add that, to my surprise, it does have certain advantages.
One of them is that you really stop caring very much about things like image and the opinion of others. Over a decade ago, I used to suffer from inadequacy generated by driving a six-year-old BMW and thought that if by this age I was driving anything short of a new Range Rover, I'd surely expire from the shame of it.
Clothes, too, have taken a backseat. As I now refuse to support a long and complex chain of over-remunerated designers, advertising agencies and marketing hype, I no longer opt for designer labels.
When you get older you also start to know what you like. For instance, I know that I like Rolls-Royce motorcars, especially the Silver Shadows and Silver Spirits of the 1970s and 1980s. And as a good example of one of these glorious Edwardian dinosaurs can be had for the same price as a new, top-range Toyota Corolla, I hope to own one sooner than later.
I also know that I like, even love, the Drakensberg and, no matter how often I visit, it always guarantees a feeling of deep serenity and a vague wonder that I don't make my way there even more often.
More specifically, I know that I like Ardmore Guest Farm, too.
Although it is far from the flashiest Berg destination, it's to my mind the most perfect and I've visited enough to be able to draw comparisons.
Part of the allure, of course, lies in the setting - Ardmore is located in the Champagne Valley in the central Berg, just below Wagnerian, the soaring beauty of the second-highest peak in South Africa, the 3 377m Champagne Castle, and Cathkin Peak. And whether they're snow-dusted in winter or velvety green in full and glorious summer, there's something magical and vaguely haunting about these mountains.
Another great attraction of Ardmore is Paul and Sue Ross, the owners, whom I've got to know over several visits over several years.
They give the impression that if they could be doing anything in the world, they'd still be running the place, welcoming visitors from around the country and indeed the globe. Ardmore has a wildly partisan and loyal client base, and the guest book reflects this, with regular entries from a veritable UN of nationalities.
This doesn't surprise me, as there's something ineffably right about the place and part of that rightness lies in the farm-style accommodation, which is neither too rustic for its own good, nor too twee and chintzy.
It consists of various cottages and rondawels, all en suite and equipped with niceties such as oil heaters and, in some instances, log fires.
The heart of the place is the guest house, with its rapturous mountain views, its welcoming little pub and its TV lounge - though I have never once felt compelled to watch TV while at Ardmore.
Even more of a drawcard is the dining room where four-course lantern-lit meals are served, with the Rosses happily presiding, and while at first I was perhaps slightly reserved about this communal dining business, especially as I live alone and my dinner companions are invariably my dog and the newspaper, it works wonderfully.
The Rosses are superb hosts, and somehow get their guests to interact, which is generally entertaining given the cross-section of nationalities and demographics that often make up the clientele.
It's also interesting to note that some of Ardmore's loyal supporters include corporate high-rollers who could, presumably, easily afford somewhere far more opulent and expensive.
The food is good too and while many guesthouse menus might waffle on about their cuisine being "home-cooked", at Ardmore it really is, with an organic vegetable garden providing fresh herbs and greens in season. Like the accommodation, the food strikes a happy balance between annoyingly fancy and alarmingly rustic, and might include butternut soup, mounds of crunchy salads, a roast and all the trimmings - with a vegetarian option available - and various pies and tarts. Wine, beer and various spirits are available, too, although you can bring your own.
You can also, by prior arrangement, bring your dog or dogs.
For many, Ardmore is a base from which to explore the area and there's certainly enough to be done in the immediate vicinity.
After a proper farmhouse breakfast - and I say "proper" as it's served in a farmhouse, unlike a fast-food chain's meal of the same name, which is most certainly not - guests can head off to hike, fish in the dam, bird-watch, take out one of the farm's mountain bikes, enjoy horse-riding in the vicinity, or go golfing on one of two nearby golf courses.
Guests can also take a look around the craft centre at the farm, or take a two-minute stroll to the adjacent but separately owned Ardmore Ceramic Art Studio, where they can watch the artists at work.
But as you may possibly know, the prices of these vaguely surreal, utterly arresting works can be astoundingly high, which is perhaps not surprising as Ardmore art is now internationally renowned .
Speaking of prices, perhaps most amazing of all are Ardmore's rates, and while you'll probably detest me for promulgating this, I think they could easily be doubled.
After all, dinner, bed and breakfast, per person per night starts at R385 out of season.
And if you doubt that Ardmore deserves to be awarded that most tired of tags - " a bargain" - I'll do what good, objective journalists are not really meant to, and that's personally recommend the place.
- For more information or to book, call 036 468 1314 or visit www.ardmore.co.za now!