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Welcome To Hillside Farm

Hillside Farm is ideally located for weary travellers to break their journey or as an opportunity for a family to experience Free State farm life

About Our Farm

Hillside Farm is an established working farm, situated in the stock farming area of the Southern Free State, on the verge of the Great Karoo...

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Catering and Meals

A fresh, farm-sourced, continental breakfast is laid out in each of the lodgings daily, ensuring a healthy, hearty start to your day. We also offer a delicious selection of home cooked meals...

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Our Location

Five hour’s drive from Johannesburg and 135 km south of Bloemfontein, the farm is easily accessible  - a mere 1km from the N1...

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Farm History

The farm Hillside has been managed by the family for four generations and more than 100 years. Each generation has brought different contributions to the farm...

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Outdoor Activities

Hillside Farm offers several outdoor activities all in an environment of rugged beauty and working farm-life ambiance. Play tennis, go biking, swim in our large pool or farm dam and go star gazing...

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Our Guestbook

We could not start our holiday in a better place & space.  Admired the old roses in front of the cottage.    Enjoy your wonderful farm.  Thank you – all perfect!

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A Faithful Team

Who We Are

100 Years and 4 Generations of Dedication

There is a dedication to service, the land and its people rooted in having worked together through the years, that imparts not just a shared history, but a valued present and a hopeful future.

Bertram Corrie Howell (Barts) first arrived on Hillside farm in 1909, which has been managed by the family for over 100 years since. The generational legacy, as timeless and abiding as the seasons themselves, imparts a distinctive sense of kinship and love for the land.  Today, farming operations are overseen by Ian and Kate McLachlan (4th generation) with the lively involvement of their three young sons, Joshua, Luke and James.

Ian and Kate, farm manager Nico Nel and their team at Hillside, cultivate a strong sense of guardianship over the land and farm, which makes a meaningful difference to the welfare of the community.  There is a dedication to service, the land and its people rooted in having worked together through the years, that imparts not just a shared history, but a valued present and a hopeful future.

Hillside Accommodation

Accommodation is available in three different sized lodgings: Len’s Cottage, Garden View and The Tree House. Located behind a koppie and set in a beautiful garden, so our guests can fully appreciate the beauty of the renowned Free State countryside, sunset and expansive sky.

Garden View Intro

Built as Len & Denise’s ‘haven’ in the 1960’s
Garden View occupies the upstairs portion
of the main house.
Furnished with expansive north facing windows,
wooden finishings and generous space
Garden View is idyllic
in both winter and summer.

Len’s Cottage

Len’s Cottage with its original wooden floors
and thick stone walls creates a distinct feeling of stepping back in time.
Tastefully decorated, the story of Len’s Cottage unfolds visually
through the photographs displayed in the cottage.
Len’s Cottage overlooks the rose garden
and is tucked into a shaded corner of the garden,
it is ideal for honeymooners or couples.
Sleeps a maximum of 4 people:
Queen sized bed
Double sleeper couch

The Tree House

The Tree House occupies the upper
two storeys of the eastern end of the main farmhouse.
Sleeps a maximum of 6 people in 3 Bedrooms
Bedroom 1: Queen sized bed
Bedroom 2: Twin set beds
Bedroom 3: Twin set beds

Garden View Features

Main Bedroom:
Queen size bed
Sleeper Porch Bedroom:
A unique open air compact twin
bedroom with two three quarter beds
Lounge, Kitchenette,
Dining Area...and more

Get In Touch

We look forward to meeting you