N for Nieuwoudtville in Namaqualand

Nieuwoudtville is situated in the heart of Namaqualand in the Northern Cape and is famous for the beautiful show of flowers in spring each year. Most of the year the the countryside is dry and arid, then as if by some miracle after the spring rains the countryside comes to life. Two years ago Sue and I took a trip, we had been promising ourselves for many years to see the flowers.

Nieuwoudtville seen from the main road from Calvinia, with a field of flowers in the foreground.


The Church has been the centre of the life in most traditionally Afrikaans towns. This is the Dutch Reformed Church building in Nieuwoudtville


The hotel in Nieuwoudtville. Note the gravel streets.


If you travel to the north of Nieuwoudtville you can get onto Circular Drive, which runs through an arid plain, then through a rugged range of hills and eventually brings you back to town on the Calvinia Road.

These deserted buildings at the beginning bear testimony to the harsh conditions of the area.


This is reputed to be the most Southerly grove of Kokerbooms in South Africa

Farmer's are very protective of their property. Don't know how this one gets away with a sign like this on a public road. So shoot me........

Show of flowers at the end of Circular drive

The farm Maatjiesforntein is just to the South of Nieuwoudtville. It is said to have the highest concentration of bulbs per square metre in the world. In spring the flowers bloom after the first rains and the country side becomes a profusion of colour. For a nominal entry fee you can go onto the farm and enjoy the profusion of flowers.

Flowers, flowers, flowers...............................

An old barn on the farm has been turned into a restaurant..............

.........and is filled with old family memorabilia

Between Nieuwoudtville and Maatjiesfontein is the glacial pavement, evidence of the ice age

The scratch marks from the glacier are still visible