The expansive area between Pietermaritzburg and Mooi River offers a laidback country lifestyle and numerous interesting ways to fill your days.
About the area:
Most people instantly think “meander” when they hear the word Midlands, but the area has become far more than simply an interesting place to visit, and more and more people have moved to the region permanently.
The large area essentially covers the region between Hilton outside Pietermaritzburg and Mooi River. It features a number of the country’s more famous schools, including Michaelhouse and Hilton College, and Howick is home to the Nelson Mandela Capture Site – a must for visitors.
The region has a lot to offer and although places like Howick have earned a solid reputation as great places to retire, other areas in the Midlands continue to attract people of all ages and walks of life who simply want to escape the hustle and bustle of city living.
Property in the Midlands
Arguably home to some of the province’s best restaurants, culinary gems such as Hartford House’s restaurant, Bierfassl Restaurant and Pub, The Farmer’s Daughter, Piggly Wiggly and Nottingham Road Hotel’s Notties Pub (complete with a resident ghost) offer an impressive array of food and attract locals and tourists alike. Interesting places to visit include Swissland Cheese (a goat farm offering a wide selection of goat milk products), and those who regard themselves as slightly more adventurous can opt to see things from a different angle by taking a treetop tour with Karkloof Canopy Tours just outside Howick. Other activities include fishing, mountain biking and hot-air ballooning.
So what should buyers expect to pay for a property in the Midlands? Well a lot depends on where you want to live. Lightstone statistics indicate that the average price paid for a sectional title property in Howick this year was around R1,3m. A similar property in Hilton was selling for an average of approximately R1,4m, while the average price of freehold homes was R1,3m.
The village may have grown somewhat over the years, but it still sports a village atmosphere. It’s close to the Berg which allows for quick getaways and near enough to Pietermaritzburg for all our shopping needs. All in all, it’s a terrific place to live.
- Says Tristan Manning and Emma Boreham, residents.
Top schools nearby:
- List item
- St Anne's Diocesan College
- Hilton College
- Michaelhouse
- Treverton Preparatory School and College
Medical facilities nearby:
Life Hilton Private Hospital
Mediclinic Howick Private Hospital
Midlands Umgeni Hospital
Mediclinic Howick
Things to do:
Visit the impressive Howick Falls and the nearby Albert Falls Dam Nature Reserve.
Visit the Nelson Mandela Capture Site.
Take a drive and enjoy the wide variety of shops, arts and crafts and galleries that form part of the meander.
This originally appeared in Neighbourhood, Sunday Times.