Nieu Bethesda Accommodation Bureau and Tourist Info

12/10/2023

07/03/2023

It's fair to say that Nieu-Betheshda revolves around the Owl House, the home and yard that Helen Martins created. It's so often described as a macabre place of dark energy. On this, my second visit, I reaffirmed my own experience of it as exactly the opposite.
The house, to me, is a place of light and colour, with even the doors and ceilings coated with crushed glass. Yes, this may have been a counter to Miss Helen's sadness, but the result is an offbeat joy, a defiance of a village that more or less isolated her. And friends talk of her life being full of wonder and ecstasy, not just sadness. They talk of her sharp wit (maybe apparent in the Honeymoon Room, where two dolls lie on one of two single beds?) and zest for living. And there are some sharp edges, literally, in her art - careful what you touch; you could get hurt (well, you shouldn’t be touching anyway).
The yard is filled with a kind of exuberant procession of creatures, including worshippers facing east where the sun and moon rises, and retreats built of bottles. The dark place, for me, was the room where her father (a dark character, it seems) spent the final years of his life - it has no windows and the walls are covered with crushed black glass. You'll notice a sculpture or two facing this room, not with arms outstretched but with hands pushing something bad away.
Miss Helen became deeply depressed when she started losing her sight. She wrote to a friend: "Now, darling, as you get older, you realize that dying (underlined) isn't the problem .... living (underlined) is the problem. That is why you have got to live well and to the full. My agony would be to 'live dying' without being able to work."
She took her own life at the age of 78. She left us something incredible. It’s so worth the journey to get here to experience it.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CpaXyaqKqcK/?igshid=OTRmMjhlYjM=

16/02/2023

Please note that the main tarred road into Nieu Bethesda will be closed from Friday 27 February. Please use the dirt road at the Bethesda railway station indicated on the map.

10/02/2023

At the Pilgrims Home Cafe Belinda can help you make the most of your Nieu Bethesda stay. As a long time resident and Camino host her knowledge of Nieu Bethesda’s best spots is priceless.

Designed and shared daily from The Real Bethesda Info @ The Pilgrim's Home Cafe in Nieu Bethesda...

24/10/2022

https://homefoodandtravel.co.za/savour-the-silence-and-wide-open-spaces-of-the-karoo-in-nieu-bethesda-at-die-kapokbosskuur/

Die Kapokbosskuur is a delightful converted barn located in the quaint village of Nieu Bethesda, about 50kms from Graaf Reinet in the Eastern Cape Karoo.

28/01/2022

The Karoo Food Experience, this Valentines Weekend, is not only made with Love, we have used ingredients specially selected to fill you up with Love

02/11/2021

After 3 weeks road tripping the Eastern Cape border looking for the best vacation spots - remote, quirky getaways off the beaten track and situated in South Africa's raw nature and beauty. Here are the gems we would like to share with you! Our top 6 - enjoy! SUIKERBOSSIE MOUNTAIN CABIN - Route 62 I....