Walkerbouts Inn

Walkerbouts Inn Welcome to the Centre of the Universe! - 3 star graded accommodation in the hamlet of Rhodes.

Walkerbouts Inn - Rhodes was established more than two decades ago by the proprietor, Dave Walker. It is located on the same site as the original farmhouse on the farm "Tintern" on which the village of Rhodes was established in 1891. It is in an elevated position on the western side of the village on a quiet cul de sac with a stunning view across the village. Attending trade shows such as Indaba,

Hook...ed on Fishing, the Grahamstown Festival and many others on behalf of the local tourism industry, Walker was accordingly nicknamed "Walkabout" by Leon Isted, a late great friend from the farm Bidstone who is sorely missed. On establishing the venue, it was a natural conclusion that the name should a corruption of the nickname and be "Walkerbouts Inn - Rhodes". "Opstal" as it was known at the time, had been used by the founders of the Tiffindell Ski Resort in the early 90s until the fledgling resort could accommodate it's own staff on site. A process of upgrading the venue from this glorified backpackers state to it's current condition ensued. A major revamp took place in 1999 and was completed by June of that year. En-suite
bathrooms were added and the premises extended to include a sunny lounge, office and bar dining-room. Walkerbouts was graded by a representative of the AA Quality Assured Programme shortly after the millennium and accorded a "Recommended" rating. It was subsequently also allocated a 3-star rating by the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa. We pride ourselves on giving guests personal attention including special dietary arrangements, ensuring that they enjoy their stay with us. Well behaved pets are also welcome to share the delights of the experience. Taking the "Virtual Tour" on this website will give you a clear idea as to what is on offer at Walkerbouts Inn - Rhodes, a veritable "Home from Home".".

See now, what can happen in the village!
14/09/2025

See now, what can happen in the village!

Winter came, snowed more than usual and went so now for spring and more stunning veld flowers!
13/09/2025

Winter came, snowed more than usual and went so now for spring and more stunning veld flowers!

It’s that time of year and winter is upon us, other than for those who live in warmer climes, of course.Iceberg roses in...
20/05/2025

It’s that time of year and winter is upon us, other than for those who live in warmer climes, of course.
Iceberg roses in our front garden have done what they have done for several years, i.e. grow and flower prolifically, all in the colour of their name! Nothing whiter than the white of an iceberg, despite the marketing burbles of washing powder manufacturers!
Along came the autumn of 2025 and there was a significant change not seen here before. The ice-white flowers turned into shades of pink! This is the first time that ours have done this so, the question arose as to why this should have been the case. It was generally ascribed to the weather but being a curious fellow, I consulted the current day “source of all knowledge”, Google!
The research revealed 3 possible causes; as the plants are not that old, age was out of the question. They are also in exceedingly good health so Botrytis blight was also ruled out. This left what had already been suggested, being temperature!
To quote the Google AI overview; “Cooler temperatures can intensify existing pigments, making pink shades appear deeper or more saturated, while heat can fade colours”.
So there you have it, gut feel speculation proven to be 100% correct. Let that be a lesson, nogal!

06/10/2024

Methinks this vleisboek "What's on your mind?" is an inanity of note!

ooops, edited a small error!😃
13/09/2024

ooops, edited a small error!😃

13/09/2024
It’s that time of year that I find to be extremely tiresome, being dry and windy but then, once the summer rains get und...
13/09/2024

It’s that time of year that I find to be extremely tiresome, being dry and windy but then, once the summer rains get underway, a joyous marvel happens as the environment springs to life.

On browsing through “spring pics”, I came across the image on the left, taken at Walkerbouts Inn – Rhodes, on the 20th September 2023. It perfectly illustrates the value of good precipitation especially when compared to the image on the right that was taken on the 12th September 2024. Although taken a week earlier, the same tree will definitely not attain the “Spring glory” of the previous year’s image in such a short space of time. Intrigued, I delved into the data from our weather station that is located less than 100m from the tree in question. The results speak for themselves in the graph below. From January to August of 2023 and 2024 respectively, the cumulative totals show that over this period in 2024, we have had half of what we were blessed with in 2023! No wonder the same tree is looking decidedly threadbare.

Although “feelgood” articles buoy up the spirits, the reality is that one has to deal with bare facts without which, we would float around in cocoons of delusion.

It’s that time of year that I find to be extremely tiresome, being dry and windy but then, once the summer rains get und...
13/09/2024

It’s that time of year that I find to be extremely tiresome, being dry and windy but then, once the summer rains get underway, a joyous marvel happens as the environment springs to life.

On browsing through “spring pics”, I came across the image on the left, taken at Walkerbouts Inn – Rhodes, on the 20th September 2023. It perfectly illustrates the value of good precipitation especially when compared to the image on the right that was taken on the 12th September 2024. Although taken a week earlier, the same tree will definitely not attain the “Spring glory” of the previous year’s image in such a short space of time.

Intrigued, I delved into the data from our weather station that is located less than 100m from the tree in question. From January to August of 2023 and 2024 respectively, the cumulative totals show that over this period in 2024, we have had half of what we were blessed with in 2023! No wonder the same tree is looking decidedly threadbare.

Although “feelgood” articles buoy up the spirits, the reality is that one has to deal with bare facts without which, we would float around in cocoons of delusion.

Anybody for ice-skating? "Loch Ness" yesterday, completely frozen over.
15/07/2024

Anybody for ice-skating? "Loch Ness" yesterday, completely frozen over.

View of Loch Ness (near the defunct Tiffindell Ski Resort) from the WTA "fishcam". Note the frozen surface from the wall...
08/07/2024

View of Loch Ness (near the defunct Tiffindell Ski Resort) from the WTA "fishcam". Note the frozen surface from the wall to beyond the island at the highest wild trout fishery in the country!

When its 9.4*C outside at 14h45, this is where Curry the Cat seeks refuge at Walkerbouts!
05/07/2024

When its 9.4*C outside at 14h45, this is where Curry the Cat seeks refuge at Walkerbouts!

Dave & Dick, 28-6-2024, with a pic dating back to the 1996 Rhodes Trail run, then known as the Rhodes Marathon. We were ...
30/06/2024

Dave & Dick, 28-6-2024, with a pic dating back to the 1996 Rhodes Trail run, then known as the Rhodes Marathon. We were both not quite as grey - but almost 25 years later, time has taken its toll, albeit marginally!

Address

1 Vorster Street
Senqu
9787

Opening Hours

Monday 07:00 - 20:30
Tuesday 07:00 - 20:30
Wednesday 07:00 - 20:30
Thursday 07:00 - 20:30
Friday 07:00 - 20:30
Saturday 07:00 - 20:30
Sunday 07:00 - 20:30

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