“LIVING in the countryside doesn’t mean that our lives are necessarily less hectic; maybe just in a different way.
“You have to sometimes make time to switch off your cellphone, put your feet up and have a ‘lekker kuier’ with friends and family.
These are the words of Ammie Pringle, headmistress of Bedford Country School, following their recent family fun weekend, which saw participants go where there is no cellphone coverage and use their feet to do a 5km, 10km or 21km trail run in breathtaking surroundings.
The family fun weekend took place for the first time last year and was such a success that they decided to host it again.
The two-day event took place on March 23 and 24 at the Mill Cricket Grounds in Cowie Valley outside Bedford and started with a meet-and-greet on the Friday night.
“With rumours of the stunning camping facilities having circulated after last year, some diehard campers also started arriving with more to follow the next morning.
“Some members of the intrepid adventure bikers from Cradock also graced us with their presence,” Pringle said.
Saturday morning saw the cyclists take off on the 10km and 21km mountain bike trails. The trail was changed after last year’s tricky route, but cyclists still faced a challenge. Shortly after the 10km and 21km trail, the runners took off.
“By the time we reached the first watering hole, I was ready to murder my parents on the organising committee, but it was then that we were told that we had been running the route in reverse! The extremely tough uphill was supposed to be the downhill,” Pringle quipped.
The motorbike run took the lighter bikes over the Cowie Mountain before they met up with the heavier bikes and continued their route up the Baviaans River Valley and down the Mancazana via Spring Valley.
Other events over the course of the weekend included the 5km fun run/walk, the kiddies entertainment and the now-famous potjiekos competition.
“Saturday evening was spent in the tent and around the pub reminiscing about the day.
“Looking around me at all the happy faces, it reminded me of the last scene in any good ‘Asterix and Obelix’ comic book where everyone in the village is gathered around for a feast, and I felt grateful.”
Pringle thanked every person who made a contribution to the weekend and said she looked forward to seeing them again next year.