DON’T PASS THE PADSTAL
Zooming along the N4, past a grassland blanket pulled over the Highveldʼs hills, Joziʼs buildings shrinking in the rearview mirror – on the four-hour stretch between the Big Smoke and the citrus trees of the Lowveld, route markers signal certain legs of the journey.
One of these landmarks is Millys Trout Stall just before eNtokozweni. It reminds me to keep my wallet nearby for the Machado toll gate, just before the R36 pulls away from the N4 and dips down into Schoemanskloof. Millys is also a great place to stretch your legs and pick up a trout pie for lunch.
The Cilliers family has been selling trout next to the N4 since 1974, when they erected a small wooden stall where the garage is situated today. Wimcar and his wife, Milly, would prepare fish in the early morning hours and place it on ice for people heading to Kruger National Park.
At Patatanek and the Old Joe painted stone 40km further, the R539 descends dramatically into the valley. Patatanek (sweet potato ridge) gets its name from transport riders who used to stop their ox-wagons here to give their animals
