SUTHERLAND NORTHERN CAPE

SNOWFALLS IN LAST TWO YEARS About 18cm in 2016 and about 6cm in 2017 SNOW-O-METER

Is Sutherland South Africa’s coldest town? Well, if you’re asking in Sutherland, then the answer’s an emphatic yes. The average temperature is a touch over 11˚C each year and hit an impressive low of -16˚C in July 2003. Locals will scoff if you raise the spectre of Buffelsfontein, an Eastern Cape farm which holds the official record (-20˚C in August 2013). ‘Ah that,’ they’ll say, ‘is the coldest farm in South Africa. Here in Sutherland you’re in the coldest town.’ Freezing temperatures don’t always mean snow, however, and in Sutherland you can’t be sure when any might fall. Local lore has it that a frost in early April portends a snowy winter, and my personal experience bears this out – there was no frost when I stayed in April 2011, and only half a centimetre of snow fell there all year. The last two years have been much snowier in Sutherland, especially 2016, which saw the heaviest snowfall in years. To see snow in Sutherland you need to be quick. It rarely lasts for more than a day or two, although patches linger on the koppies around town. Aside from bumper years, you’ll not make much of a snowman, but snowball fights are definitely on. And if the skies stay clear then take the opportunity to stargaze. Don’t miss a tour of the Southern African Large Telescope, just outside town. – CHRIS DAVIES STAY HERE Rooikloof Guest Farm, about three kilometres from town, has two cosy couples’ cottages plus two larger houses for families (Huis Harpuis is the biggest and sleeps eight). If it snows, it’ll snow here. There’s a fireplace in the lounge and electric blankets on the beds. R450 per adult and R280 per child. 023-571-2607, rooikloof.co.za